Franz Heymann wrote:


"seven" wrote in message
...

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...

"seven" wrote in message
...
Hiya all, I have been lurking for a while with the occasional post and
have
actually got one about gardening. I have only been gardening for a
little
over a year really, so am a beginner.

What I wanted some advice on was on the subject line.

I have these in the garden and in pots, they have done well and
flowered
since the summer and still look good after being covered in a layer of
snow.

The main thing I wanted to know is how long is their lifespan and how
do
I
get the best out of them, I have found them to be the best plants to
grow
in
my garden and I love the colours they produce.

I haven't grown any so far but I would love to, so I will be very
interested
in the responses

Ophelia



I have been very surprised at the length of the flowering as all the other
plants in my garden had stopped flowering months ago.

I just hope the fuchsia I have starts looking better in the spring as it
doesn't look too good just now out in the garden, but I really loved it
when
it was in flower a few months ago. Thankfully I was advised by someone in
this group to take cuttings, which I did, and they seem to be doing well,
so
if the original doesn't survive the winter I should have some cuttings to
plant up in the spring.

Which Fuchsia do you mean?
The only Fuchsias which I have ever grown successfully for more than one
season in the open garden are various varieties of Fuchsia ricartonii. And
then the top growth never survived the winter in any serious way. I have
always had to cut them to ground level each spring, like herbaceous
perennials.

Gardening is all about learning I suppose and I am having fun doing so
)

Franz

Depends where you are. F. ricartonii etc are rarely cut back by frost here on
the North Wales coast - we have a 300 metre hedge of them, fully exposed to the
sea. Where I grew up in the East Midlands they were cut back, but even there
they could be easily persuaded to make a framework of old wood if grown on a
warm wall. Don't have any experience of other allegedly hardy Fuchsias but I
see plenty in other gardens around here. Victoria mentioned Crinodendron
hookerianum, that's a smashing plant which could be grown more widely -
certainly in the Western half of the country. I'm sure it's hardier than many
authors suggest. I've seen ours cut back to the ground twice in 28 winters, but
they soon regrow from the huge woody rootstock. They are both around 2.5 x 2
metres atm. All the usual suspects flowering here today but the one that
surprised me is Sweet Violets still (almost) as good as new, this is my 2nd
winter with them so still learning what they will and won't do.
--
Rod
http://website.lineone.net/%7Erodcraddock/index.html
My email address needs weeding.