Here is an update on my poor Billie Green. As the days went by, more and more damage appeared. But now it has been almost four weeks since the burn and even though the night time temps are in the low 40's and high 30's, he is already making a come back. I hope you can see in this photo, besides the very happy viola's, that Billie is already busting out with new growth all over. Of course now, every time they warn of low temps, I cover everything!!
Lycioides is far to tall for me to cover and is doing just fine.
Even my pour F. boliviana 'alba' is making a comeback already! That is F. boliviana behind it. It wasn't as badly damaged as the 'alba.'
Here is is mid January and I thought I'd post of few photos from the backyard. First off, here is my winter champion of many years, 'Voodoo.' I know it isn't in great focus, but the point is that it wasn't damaged in the freeze that almost totaled a few of the others AND, he is in bloom. 'Voodoo' is always in bloom ;-)
Lycioides has a few flowers on it too!
Here is Voodoo and Lycioides with a view of my little "break room" under the Satsuma plum tree.
I was always told Chang was in short supply because it was hard to grow. I guess my Chang is confused and doesn't know it is mid-winter.....
This message was edited Jan 14, 2010 12:03 PM
And here is 'Beauty of Cliff Hall' trucking along next to the recovering 'Billie Green.'
PC
I must say I have some envy going on seeing all your beauties in bloom! Such a beautiful fuchsia garden!!
Chang is certainly an interesting looking fuchsia, I like the contrast of the sepals once they are opening. I fear another one is about to make my want list! LOL
Voodoo is impressive WHAT a trooper
Thanks GGK, I don't know if you spied a few viola faces peaking from behind the almost bare branches of Billie Green, but most of my new collection is behind him and they are covered with the viola's I talked about in your "Companion Plant" thread. I am tempted to take a photo of them. They are doing a great job of protecting my new little ones out there. A whole new batch of seed has come up and I can't wait to see what color combos I get this spring to put into my fuchsia pots!
I've had Antigone and Joy Patmore in ther ground for two winters now and they have survived nicely with a couple inches of mulch. Last winter was really bad here and I was afraid I would loose them.
I'm upset that Monniers is closed. I liked having a good fuchsia place close by.
I'll be looking forward to seeing photos of your fuchsias pulling out of their winter sleep mstish. How is your winter going up there? Worse than usual? It has been much colder and much wetter down here this winter. I have so much to do outside and it won't stop raining!!! Of course we need the rain, but gee, I need a break! And some exercise!
You are getting our weather this year and we are having a great El Nino winter. Everything that is usually up in late March or April is up now. My fuchsias are showing tiny new growth already.
Ha, ha, yes we have been getting your kind of weather alright! Normally I would love a rainy winter. We needed the water badly down here and a rainy day always makes me feel like painting or cooking or all kinds of indoor crafts. But I am chomping at the bit to get outside and get work done. Like pull weeds and prune fruit trees! I actually finally got that done last Sunday, whew! Just in time, the buds on some trees are already starting to swell. I am looking forward to a bumper crop of cherries this year! And maybe even enough Asian pears to share.......maybe ;-)
I'm glad I'm not in Palm Springs this winter.
Hello All
Been gone awhile sorry I didn't keep up with you all!
As Willowwind2 said we have had an unusually warm winter. Life is returning quite early in the garden this year. Much toooo Early, I can only hope we don't get some killer freezing weather the next month!
It is nice seeing daffs and crocus though!
I am going to be looking forward to seeing photos of their progress!
Yesterday, I was looking over the collection one by one and was astounded by some of the growth on the smaller bushes I was really concerned about before winter set in. They had only been little 2" starts late last summer and so had not had the time to become established bushes with enough deep root growth to ensure their ability to regrow from ground level if they were damaged by freezes like some of my larger bushes were.
If you remember the damage done to F. boliviana that I posted above, then you will be surprised to hear it is already setting out bunches of flower buds.
Today is the second sunny day in a row, whoo hooo!! Gotta get outside!
Here is my 'Will Rogers' putting on some new color this Valentines Day.
Thanks to the wonderful mild weather I have been cleaning out my garden beds and am thrilled to see new growth from the base of nearly all my new fuchsias. I am looking forward to this year to see how they do! Especially since I tossed out a lot of stuff to make room for them.
And we'll all be looking forward to photos of their progress so people can see for themselves how hardy fuchsias recover from winters like you have up there. Last January I had swarms of migrating hummingbirds draining my feeder every evening in January. Here it is almost the end of February and they haven't showed up yet. Just my resident Anna's and his mate. Maybe they passed me by this spring? Or maybe they are waiting for warmer weather, I don't know. It was unusually cold here. I'm looking forward to a bumper cherry crop this spring!
This message was edited Feb 19, 2010 11:19 AM
Here is one of the upright fuchsias in my front yard which I can always count on for year round color. Delta's Parade never stops blooming. Even thought the freezes damaged others like Billie Green, F. boliviana, Walz Bella, and Reading Show, this one never skipped a beat and never had any damage. That could be due to it being against a wooden fence close to the house though. But still, it is a joy to see all of this purple amongst the still leafless fruit trees. near by. I took this photo on the 24th of February.
Wow, here it is March 1st!
That is so pretty. You are lucky to be able to grow them so well.
Well, as you know, they can also be grown indoors for the winter if you have a sunny window! So pretty much anyone could grow fuchsias if they want to :-)
It is raining again today! I was going to get out there and take more photos of everyone putting out new flowers. And I especially wanted to show how the freeze damaged ones have recovered. We need the rain though, after years of not enough, so I can wait.
Glad you are enjoying our usual rain. We aren't missing it at all.
Well..............I can't exactly say I am enjoying it ;-)
I've got way too much to do outdoors right now!
But I appreciate the need for it. We get allot more rain up here than down near the coast. This ridge seems to wring it out of the clouds as they pass over going east. Just the other side of the top of this ridge ( I am on the eastern side of the top) is a row of houses which have been washed down the hillside over the years. And the main road leading farther up the ridge from those houses, has been washed out for the last 14 years.
So we get a bit of rain here sometimes!!!!
PC, I hope the rain fills all the resevoirs in Ca.,the whole country needs the produce that is produced there, Jim
True! Today I drove by fields full of long rows of tiny green little shoots poking up, probably lettuce. Made me realize I'd better get my own veggie seeds going!
The resevoirs have been pretty low for a long time. It would be nice to see them all filled up. I learned long ago to do dishes without a sink full of water, etc. During one really bad drought with water rationing, I even pumped bath water outside with a pond pump and a garden hose, to keep a few things alive. I hope it never gets that bad again.
Stars are out tonight.
Here is a new photo of F. boliviana recovering very well from being damaged by freezing temps this winter.
Here is Lycioides again with my yellow Satsuma plum blooming in the background.
And of course, Voodoo never stops blooming and never gets covered in the winter or summer.
And neither did Cardinal.
Beautiful pictures.
Thanks :-)
I keep hoping more people will start posting photos of their fuchsias. And writing about them. Spring is on the way though, so perhaps soon.
Our weather is so cold today it will be awhile before we start seeing any activity. Here is a picture of my mini that I sent you a piece of. I put it in my new greenhouse/shed today. It has been in the house for a couple of months. Not doing as well as yours did though.
Oooohhh!! That is one beautiful new greenhouse/shed Willowwind2!! Oh what I could do with one of those! Even electrical outlets along the bench! I love the slanted sides of your walls also. Vey nice. I can imagine standing in there on a rainy day with a mug of hot coffee or tea in hand.
I am sure your mini will be better soon.
I need to take more photos of the starts I made from the ones you sent. They are all doing well outdoors. They didn't get the heat the ones inside did, so they are still very small. But all happy and growing. So they've been moved out of what passes for my mini greenhouse and into more light. I think you have a F. minutiflora. As the leaves and flowers are so much smaller than my Lottie Hobby. A few of them have blooms on them, but I don't have macro capabilities on my camera. So I am waiting for a friend to come and photograph them for me so I can be more certain of their identity.
My greenhouse building thread is under 'Willows greenhouse' if you would like to look at it. It's almost done.
I'm seeing quite a few of my fuchsias starting up from the ground unfortunately that includes my fuchsia trees. this is the first time since I have had them, about 6 years, that they have died back to the ground. Darn!!! It's like starting all over.
Wow! I hope you are wrong about that! Maybe there will also be new growth from the branches and it is just all of the extra rain that has caused them to produce new shoots from the ground? I have noticed that when mine do that, even though they have not frozen, those new shoots are the biggest and thickest new growth.
It is shoots like those that I liken to the new canes a rose bush will put out in the spring. My F. magellanica mollinae doesn it every year. And I just noticed my Mood Ingigo producing a big FAT shoot that is headed straight for the sky!
So I am going to hope to hear that your bushes didn't die down to ground level.
Keep us posted!
