On 3/4/08 23:25, in article ,
"jellyfish" wrote:


hi, i bought 3 hardy fuchsias early part of last summer and planted them
they thrived and flowered producing lovely flowers...come winter they
dropped all their leaves and basically became twig bushes (being a
complete novice i thought they had died) and i was gonna dig them up.
But ive noticed right at the base i mean ground level they have tiny
growths bursting from the main stem..my question is if this is normal
will this happen al over the plant or just the base?..and if so how far
if needed should i cut it back for the spring??


This is normal for many Fuchsias, depending on where you live. We grow
several here and some get cut back each year, coming again from the base in
spring. Others stay green all winter and flower until very late in the year
etc. Before cutting back the apparently dead wood, you need to be sure it
really is dead, so scrape just a tiny bit of the bark back - and I do mean
tiny - and if the stem is alive underneath, leave well alone! We cut off
the truly dead wood but it might be an idea to wait until danger of frost is
past because some people believe the old wood helps to protect the new
growth - same with dead-heading hydrangeas. If you know which Fuchsias you
have and tell us where you live, that will help others to help you further.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'