FUCHSIA'S - 2015

I agree Longk, it's the marketing companies that are the troublemakers. I remember when they started pushing Lady Boothby about 3 or 4 yrs ago as " brand new, the worlds first" etc. It was introduced in...... 1 9 3 8

If that's brand new I'm a monkeys uncle

 

You won't be disappointed Loli, they're stunning!

It's supposed to be Harry and mine has come through it's first winter outside in a large pot. Although it was a mild winter it has nipped the top three inches of most branches but is leafing up well apart from that.

 

It has long been a favourite of mine. It looks good with David which grows at a similar rate............

 

Delta's Sarah today. It would take a severe Winter to dissuade her from growing.
Jenny

 

And is this her baby?

 

I think it is Eve. Quite pink though - outer sepals ? Usually more whitish but maybe because it's in its infancy. Is that a current piccie?

 

Yes, taken this morning. The outer sepals are pinkish, inner are white. It's the cutting you gave me last October

 

Hi All. I also have some trailing fuchsia from Babyplants. Been tying to find out if once they start to grow if you pinch them out like normal bushy fuchsia ?
One site say NO yet another site tell you YES!!!! One grower who has a 3 year old plant does not pinch out at all once it starts growing. Others say you pinch out the trailing fuchsia the same as a normal fuchsia but only about 3 times. If you do not it well may grow straggly and not so many flowers.

 

I would like to buy another hardy fuchsia; I just have the genii at the moment which grows to about 30"
There are a few I have bookmarked but Garden News & Hawkshead keep on popping up as favourites. I do also like Delta Sarah who Jenny (Namaste) has got but Crocus say it is borderline hardy, I live in Wiltshire.
The problem is the difference in size each site says the 3 hardies grow, for example:-
Hawkshead
H 20" x W 39"
H 30" x W 20"

Garden News
H 39" x W 14"
H 20" x W 20" Two sites both have the 20 x 20 so that may be nearer the size.

Delta Sarah

H 36" x W 36"
H 16" x W 16"
H 36" x W 16" Large difference in sizes and I was wondering if some sites say the smaller size as people do not want a large growing fuchsia but too late once growing.

I know several members have one or more of the above so any "real" size of the above plants when mature?? I did once have a hardy fuchsia of which I have no idea of its name and was pre computers!!!! So only books to go by!! It was a very small flower but grew about 4 feet x 4 feet and took over. Even when I redesigned the border and dug it up I was for a couple of years pulling up shoots from roots left over. I do not want to go down the same road again and something like the genii size (30") would be ideal, a metre a bit too big.

 

I've been growing Fuchsias for nearly 25 yrs and have always pinched out. If you've got a plant with only 2 branches (ie it's had the growing tip pinched once) then you'll only get two branches worth of flowers until the second flush starts (usually around the mid/end of august). Therefore if you pinch out just the tiny growing tip when you have 2 branches you automatically double the flowering capacity. You can go for another pinch when these 4 sideshoots have grown 2 or 4 leaves however it is rather late now.
The recommended advice is that single fuchsias flower approx 6 to 8 wks after the final pinch.
Double flowers flower around 12 to 14 wks after the final pinch.
I've just finished all my pinching out which should guarantee flowers from mid July onwards.

 

@trogre Hawkshead is easily 1 metre tall, maybe 60cm across. David is another good hardy one and is a little smaller..........

 

This is one that has been stopped and now has 8 shoots which will all flower at the same time and then after the first flush off those shoots the whole plant will be covered.

The second pic is of a plant that has been stopped just the once. Notice how the one side shoot has took over as a new " leader", therefore only a quarter of the amount of flowers of the other plant.

Both these are trailing cultivars.

 

If you go onto the British Fuchsia Society website they give a list of all the RHS recommended fully hardy varieties for the British Isles.
There are too many to list here, perhaps around 150 to 200.

Living in Wiltshire you could also try the Southampton Fuchsia Society website.

 

@trogre , I grew Garden News last year ( photo on post #102). It grew about 24" tall and about 36" wide . This was from a garden centre bought plant in its first year.

 

@Anthony Rogers thanks for the Fuchsisa pinching advice , very useful.I have just received some mail order plugs F.Deltas Sarah . I just unpacked them and potted them up 1 hour ago , so they do look travel weary ! I was going to give them a few days in the light box before pinching them. Should I pinch at the second node from the bottom ?
I am going to buy a couple of nursery plants Delta Sarah tomorrow , as I don't think my plugs will perform well this first year.