Overwintering geraniums/fuchsia.

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere..

When should I bring in pelargoniums/geraniums and fuchsia? Have had a few light frosts and harder frosts to come this week..should they have been in by now? Is it worth doing? Also, should I cut them back as some are still flowering? What temps and which window is best?

Have seen a few peoples porches and windows with them in, not sure if they were there all year mind.

 

Brought my fuchsias in today and the geraniums will be in by the end of the week. Expecting a hard frost tonight that will blacken most tenders and they will be brought in( dahlias&begonias)

My fuchsias die back to sticks, left in dark garage by small window, tiny am out of water and then come spring its all go again..

 

Hi Linz,

Geraniums { Pelargoniums }.......

These I just trim any old flower stems off and generally tidy them up. Pot them into the smallest pot you can get them into ( without squeezing them in ). You can keep them on a sunny windowsill all Winter and they'll keep flowering with the occasional weak feed.

Fuchsias..........

First of all are they hardy ones or tender ?

If they're hardy and they're planted in the ground, put some extra covering ( old compost, straw or owt that won't hold water ) over them to a depth of about 3/4 inches ONCE they've lost all their foliage and flowers. Don't prune them as the stems are protecting the crown of the plant, but, you can cut the new sappy, soft growth off them.

If they're tender ones there are two ways of overwintering.............

Again pot them into the smallest pot you can. You can cut them back by about a quarter and strip the leaves off them and keep them in a frost free shed or cellar but make sure you keep them just moist.

The other method, if you have the room is to pot them as above but just lightly trim them and leave all the foliage intact and keep them on a bright windowsill between 5 and 10 degrees ( 40 to 50 in foreign ). This way they'll just keep " ticking over " in green leaf over the Winter, and depending which ones they are they may even keep flowering.

If there's owt else you nerd to know just ask

 

Thank you both for the replies, will get them in this afternoon and trim up

Most of my fuchsia's are tender, 3 are hardy. One's been in forever which I don't worry about but Alice Hoffman is in a small pot and I just put a hardy pink/white one (will need you to ID it @Anthony Rogers next year ) in the ground so will take extra care with them I think.

I pulled up my dahlias and begonias a few weeks back, needed the pots and and they looked awful after the wind had battered them. 2 are still in the front bed mind.. going to see how they do

Think I will put them in the all in porch.. it doesn't have a decent roof so only goes up to 12c max in day (autumn/winter) Might give one or 2 a go in the front window too, hopefully get some more flowers
Again, thank you