The Fuchsia File

Not only did I ignore my unintentionally unheated greenhouse during the one really cold spell during the winter of 2006/7 (due to being down with a nasty bout of 'flu) but at around that time we had strong winds and a pane of glass blew out at the back where I couldn't see it from the house and therefore didn't repair it for several weeks. The combination of cold and dehydration (I usually provide just a little moisture from time to time while overwintering fuchsias in small pots) finished off quite a lot.

However, Sleepy is now wide awake, and I have tip cuttings from him beginning to grow their first new leaves. Baby Blue Eyes is doing well. A new 30-inch standard of White Knight's Pearl which was right next to the gap in the glass looked as though it was lost, but is now growing well again from the base and I think should give a replacement 'first year' head in a few months. The triphyllas have all gone, so that will mean a fresh start this year for what was a new collection in 2006. The outstanding survivors have been two sets of very young autumn cuttings of David and Snowcap; almost all have come through well even though they had little or no insulation to their roots from their flimsy 3-inch plastic pots.

Outside I'm very pleased with the Spring recovery of the hardies, not only those in the ground but also those in the large pots which I risked leaving outside. Delta's Sarah in two very large pots (new to me last year) has been budding well. Empress of Prussia in the border for her first winter has been a little slow to start but is now sprouting new shoots from the base. Mrs. Popple has so many new shoots that she'll need thinning out very soon. Margaret has budded all over her old wood, and I've decided to leave her to do her own thing; similarly with David and Hawkshead, but White Knight's Pearl and Preston Guild I cut back almost to the earth, as strong new shoots were emerging from ground level but little or nothing any higher up the old branches.

There are some excellent books on fuchsia care. I recommend some below, and there are more on our web site. However, on overwintering many authors tend to give standardised recommendations, and I'm not convinced. Each variety in each situation needs personal care and attention. There's more on hardy fuchsias coming on our BrunleaBooks web site - including links for the purchase of new plants (in the UK).

This time I'll focus on "hardy" fuchsias. Last winter I learned some hard lessons. Firstly let me say that I don't live in a very cold area. Winter temperatures for several years have been quite undemanding of the garden plants. Secondly, all my fuchsias planted in the garden are varieties said to be hardy, and all were originally grown as short standards so that the root ball could be several inches below ground level, so giving more insulation. Usually this has worked.

This past winter, however, I lost a lot of plants, including several that are claimed to have the highest hardiness to be found in the fuchsia world.

White Knights Pearl survived well but Mrs Popple three feet away, and who did so well last year, never even put a shoot above the surface this year. Army Nurse is a shrivelled wreck, but Delta's Sarah (not claimed to be over-hardy) survived in a pot next to her. Highly unpredictable.

None of the varieties mentioned above had budded before we had a short sharp cold spell in March. They simply didn't make it through the winter. However, there were several others which by early March were showing great signs of recovery. Hawkshead, Margaret, Preston Guild and David (including a short low hedge of David planted last year) were all looking good, budding all along their previous year's stems. Then came a few days of overnight frost. They all died back, and have taken several months to recover; they'll all flower but they'll be late.

Lesson? Once a fuchsia has started to bud make sure it's covered with fleece or polythene overnight if temperatures drop.

Incidentally all the less hardy varieties, including some triphyllas, left in the unheated but insulated cold frame which I described on my blog have done well.