thanks eyebright, I look forward to being brutal with the pruning come jan. any time in jan good, or is it better early to ensure you do it before new growth starts?

does the same trick work with any hardy fuschia? also i'd apprecaite it if you'd also post your feeding schedule as i've a few fuschias which i planned to cut down to the first two new shoots of growth next year, but i'm tempted to try your method