Been away for a while .. ... so quiet........ whats new wit Fuchsia's ?
So many talented fuchsia growers wondering whats to do in winter ?
I have the fortunate pleasure of growing all year long wonder what the rest of you do
for winter?
Many of mine are blooming , whats going on @ your house?
Send us your pix!! Lets see your beauties !!
Sylvia
Hi GC
I love that face! I'm away from home right now so I hope all my fuchsias at home are well!! LOL
Iäm in Finland right now and I was so happy to see that my Finnish Mom had a little Fuchsia plant on here sheltered balcony. It had several blooms and I forgot to get a picture maybe later in the week. I guess she brings it in when it gets really cold and babies it until spring.
I was just so happy to see a fuchsia here and had someting to share with here beacuse of my pictures I have posted on DAVES...
Take care
I've been cactus slumming for a week or so, and bought a gazillion seeds mail order. I am insane!
Otherwise, it is cold, wet and overcast here and everything still blooming outside is hanging on by their buds. All the fuchsia are still putting out their colors, like the pictured Red Spider, even though we had temps drop to 39 degrees (which I wasn't expecting). We haven't had a frost, yet, but all the trees are going naked and raking the yard is a necessity a couple times a week...like all afternoon yesterday!
Here's another Red Spider I took this A.M., inbetween getting sprinkled on by the rain.
Those are just beautiful, HG! They sure must be a welcome sight for this time of year! Sounds like you are doing just what I will be doing when I get home! Im certain I will have plenty of leaves to clean up!
I found this interesting and then began to wonder what fuchisas are called elsewhere around the world. In Finland the translation for their name is
Blood Tears. An interesting name for them...
It's been cool and moist, just what fuchsias like, so my fuchsias are looking really good while all the other annuals and perennials with blooms still hanging on are slowly fading away.
Blood Tears...now that is an interesting interpretation.
How long before you head back to the USA? I so envy your trip abroad. I usually take an annual 2-week trip to the ocean (South Carolina), but not this year.
Wow Hummer LOVE that flower in the pic.
GGK- Finland , wow lucky you! I'm lucky if I can get out of my county,LOL .
Glad you like the pic I posted. After my brother passed away last year we found
his diary and it was in it. I guess it was a self portrait of himself. As you can see he never
took himself too seriously.
He was a great guy and we miss him terribly.
Here's the whole page .
Sylvia
Beautiful photos hummer_girl! I love those long, long sepals in Red Spider. I haven't found anything like that yet as an upright. The fuchsia yard at Antonelli's in it's heyday, was stunning when all the hanging basket fuchsias and begonias were in bloom. The indoor and outdoor ceilings could barely be seen through all the flowers hanging down from above! Tour buses would stop there and pack the place. People would even get married there! Hummingbirds would nest at eye level, so babies were raised without fear of humans and the adults would wow the crowds by landing on people.
GGK, I agree with hg, that is an very interesting translation of a name for fuchsias.
Speaking of bringing fuchsias in from the cold, yesterday I rearranged my living room competely so I could make use of the only other southern facing window besides my kitchen window. This window is on the corner of the house right next to a west facing window. The two together provide a great deal of light. So much, that in the summer I have to keep dark drapes on them to keep them from heating up the house. I am getting started on trying my hand at growing fuchsias indoors. And the first one I am going to bring in, is one I thought I'd lost. The gophers destroyed my Pink Pearl last spring and I didn't think I had made any cuttings from it. But I found one! And I don't want to lose it to the winter cold. Hummer_girl, are we going to get to see your indoor set up?
I leave here on Saturday just in the nick of time before I gain too much weight from the good Food here! I make this visit every year or two.
GC, what a neat way to have memories of your brother. Sounds like he was a characture.
I have in the past brought in some of the hanging basket fuchsias but I decided last month to keep them all in the ground now.
Pedricks, good luck with Pink pearl!! Hopefully when I return I will be more active on this forum. I just had so much to do in the garden and preperations for my trip this past month.
Sylvia: I'm glad you have his diary; it's a comfort.
What's new...what's new...what's new...
Earthworks is taking shipping orders and I have purchased:
Cold Hardy for zone 6 - F. Mrs. Popple, F. Brutus and F. Rufus
Tropical Upright - F. Roos Breytenbach
Trailing - F. Caledonia, F. Marinka and F. Queen Elizabeth
Bonsai - F. Galadriel, F. Karen Isles and F. Peaches & Cream
I got my confirmation this morning and I am so excited. Of course, all the plants will have to be overwintered in the basement, but what's another 10 or 50 or 100 plants? I have grow lights presently on timers in 3 locations downstairs and have been clearing another area for another grow light set-up. And my set-ups are the homemade variety: saw horses, plywood, extension cords and dangling lights, or an unused table and dangling lights, or just dangling lights; nothing that would ever be photographed for the pages of House and Garden Magazine.
My plans are to nurture the plants over the winter (I only bought 1 of each), then take cuttings in the spring so I'll be able to have lots more of each variety I purchased.
Now, if I could only find a F. Neon Tricolor, I would be ecstatic.
Wow! Sounds like you have quite the set up.. It also sounds like a great place to hang out during the dark cold winter days
HG, if you don't find a Neon Tricolor come next spring I will try and get some cuttings started. Provided that my plants make it through the winter. I really enjoyed N. Tricolor this past summer and it was a heavy bloomer too!
GGK: Thank you so much! I have been Googling, looking for a retail outlet for the Neon Tricolor and have come up empty. It might show up as a mail order offering in the spring, but if it doesn't, and you have an extra cutting that needs a very good home, I'm your girl!
My plants are like my books (and I own thousands of books!), when it's time to bring in the plants, if I can find a spot to put a light then I can squeeze in a plant, or another, and another, and if I can squeeze another two or three here, then I can order that hummer attractor I have been restraining myself from ordering, and if I order that plant I can't just order one, (think of the shipping cost!), so I have to do a little imaginative rearranging because me and plants is just like me and books, it all gets out of hand so quickly and I have no idea how it happened!
This Fuchsia order is my third mail order in the last month. I bought from Almost Eden and Logee's, also. It's a good thing I got a gift card from Lowe's, because I need more grow lights!
I will have to go right now and check out Earthworks! Every time I have gone to her site to see if she is taking orders, it has said no. I knew she was recovering from shoulder surgery, per her website. But even after that notice was gone, it said they weren't shipping.
Yeah!!! I have a growing list of upright varieties I would love to add to my collection!
Ha, ha, hummer_girl, our local pre HomeDepot and Lowe's hardware/nursery chain store is called Orchard Supply Hardware. They literally started out just to supply all the orchard farmers and their families. They are one place you can still count on for canning supplies. Everyone knows to get me gift certificates to OSH!!
I've been a quiet reader so far, but I have to absolutely thank hummer_girl for posting that pic of Red Spider, absolutely gorgeous!!! I had fuschias for 30 years when I lived in Calif. When I returned to live in Ohio 21/2 years ago, I found that fuschias are considered disposable annuals here.
I read about upright fuschias on DG. Through D-mails with Pedrick's I was very pleased to find out fuschias don't have to be annuals! I am hoping to overwinter 18 small fuschias (abut 12 diff. cultivars) this year, and plant them in the ground, or large pots in the spring.
I think I have read every post-and linked on the various web-sites you all have posted. I want to thank you all for your vast knowledge, hummer_girl for her amazing research, PG, again for wonderful orgainized listing on her web-site.
I am hoping to overwinter my fuschias, either in my garage, or breezeway. What is the lowest average temp. that needs to maintained during the winter? (Zone 5) Any hints on set-up would be appreciated. I was thinking perhaps a grow light over a space somewhat enclosed on my workbench in the garage, or insulating my breezeway, placing a humidifier and small heater in there, with racks for plants and seedlings.
ANY feedback or recommendations much appreciated, since the degree of my involvement with fuschias this year, has far exceeded my knowledge!!!
clpgirl, I believe hummer_girl is going to know a great deal more about this than me. I am certainly learning a great deal about both extremes in growing conditions. Heat and cold! I keep hoping more of our silent readers will jump in and help us out here.
As I know from reading the comments posted for specific fuchsia varieties in the Plant Files mention the means by which some people have over wintered fuchsias in zones like yours. I would imagine that anything that keeps the temperature above freezing would be the minimum.
As for myself, I have purchased a sturdy outdoor power cord which I am going to run under the back door and out into my new mini greenhouse to plug into an electric seed warming pad to go into the bottom of the greenhouse. Since these are made to be used in wet conditions, I feel it would be the safest means of providing warmth. And probably a more efficient source of heat. I know I couldn't afford the bill for running even a small space heater out there. And I have seen photos of those burning up when left running unattended. So I will not even leave one running in the house.
And I would imagine that insulating the breezeway or enclosing it, would capture enough heat from the pad, to keep the immediate area from freezing.
But I am very interested in what other people have as suggestions! It is already getting down into the 30's at night here. I usually don't worry to much about the larger specimens in my collection. They might freeze, but will come back up from their base. Like you, I am mostly concerned about the little guys making it!!
Hey, clpgrl! Welcome, aboard. Thank you for the thank yous! I love it when we can help each other.
You said you have been reading posts, but just in case something was missed, here's where you can find info already posted:
3 methods to overwinter fuchsias:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1041473/
My set-up in the basement and in the garage, also discussions about temps and insulating pots:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1028348/
More discussion of methods for overwintering fuchsias:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1048693/
It's easier to show the threads than repost all the lengthy info.
Now, I have questions. Do you know how cold your garage gets in winter? Is the breezeway open ended, just a walk through, or totally enclosed with doors at each end, and are there windows? How cold does the breezeway get in winter? Are all the fuchsias you want to overwinter small? Do you have a basement?
This month has been overcast, rainy, (the wettest on record), temps in the 40s at night and mostly 50s during the day, and all my fuchsias outside (annuals) are loving it! They're all blooming their heads off (the second pic of the Red Spider was taken last week). So I feel overwintering my annual fuchsias in my garage under lights with temps into the low 40s will be just fine. My garage can get colder, down to 35, but my trick is to time the lights to be on from 4 PM to 9 AM so they can generate warmth in the vinicity of the plants to counteract the coldest part of the day, the night. Also, buy true plant bulbs, the blue ones, they put out more warmth. A plant fluroscent bulb is warm but still cooler than the round plant bulbs, and when you put those round plant bulbs in a light fixture, or funnel shop light, with a metal shade, you even get more heat generated. Of course, you can't put those bulbs too close to the plants because of the heat they put out, but they most definitely warm the air around the plants.
Also, I'm only overwintering the fuchsias I presently have outside in the garage. These are well established plants with large root systems. The new fuchsias I purchased this week are small and need to be gently cared for; those fuchsias will overwinter in my basement where the temps range from 64 degrees to 70 degrees, depending on how close you are to the furnance and hot water heater.
Can you tell us which fuchsias you have, or are about to have if you are ordering?
I so appreciate the quick responses to my dilemma-unfortunately life got in the way of my d-mail this past weekend....
hummer_girl, thanks for the light info-you've saved me much research time :) ......And PC you'll see that your warming mat idea was much appreciated...
I have 18 fuschias, sized between babies and adolescents. Only a few have woody stems. I've had some since June, the others are well-rooted, but smaller plantlets! My collection includes Magellanica, Quasar, Marin Glow, Waltz Juberteen, Gypsy Prince, Chiquita Mama, Preston Guild, and Chang. (I may have missed one variety.)
I appreciate your placing the links-it makes it much easier for me, and apparently I did miss the one about your basement, with temps, etc. Very, very useful.
My construction friend/consultant came over the weekend. He said that insulating the breezeway wouldn’t be very efficient. It was built in ‘52, and would be very pricy to do, since the windows aren’t sealed well either. He said my garage idea-the semi-enclosed space w/heater would be dangerous. SInce the garage is at the other end of the breezeway it would be very expensive to try to modify the temp.
What he did suggest-and I would have never thought of this, is moving my potting bench into the breezeway and building a temporary wintering/greenhouse structure over it , using heavy duty plastic (don't remember those details) and 2/4's. Since it would be temporary I wouldn’t lose summer sue. He's going to bring plans over tonight. I’m thinking that using one of the warm growing mats would be the safest thing.
I placed the fuschias in the breezeway to acclimitze to the cooler weather about 10 days ago. Well, I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but they are starting to get dry leaves on top. I’m going to buy a mister today to see if that helps.
It’s been running in the mid-40’s to high 50’s in there, with a couple days in the 70’s. I’m sure the heat fluctuations aren’t doing them any good.Last night we had our first hard frost-I brought them in the house, and was glad I did cause the breezeway temp this morning was 28. Of course that meant another drastic temp change........
Any and all feedback much appreciated......you all are great!
Hi clpgirl, I am glad your construction advisor agreed about the space heaters! As for the sudden dry leaves. Remember that wind pulls water out of foliage almost worst than full sun does. That is why plants native to windy areas (like beaches) have very small and usually thick leaves. To reduce the surface area through which they will lose water. They may be better off indoors until the space he creates for them is in place.
For my little heated space, I used a four tiered shelf and staple gunned clear plastic greenhouse roofing to the back and sides. Then purchased heavy clear vinyl plastic for the roof and front so I could just roll it up to access the plants inside. So he is right, you should do fine with a small temporary or mobile space created just for this.
Keep us posted!
I have absolutely no experience with a greenhouse, cold frame, or plastic enclosed growing medium they sometimes refer to as an insulated patio house. You might want to pose your question about converting your potting bench to a greenhouse in the breezeway in the Greenhouse Forum and see what their thoughts are about what is needed to maintain an overwintering environment for plants.
One thing I do know is if you house plants in a plastic environment, like a greenhouse, you will need to be aware of the temperatures inside the housing and ventilate the structure when temps are too warm and circulate that warm air out. And if your plastic house is near a window you'll need to monitor how much sunlight comes through that window and affects the air temps around and inside the plastic house.
My book sources say tender and half-hardy fuchsias need to be overwintered inside a heated greenhouse (in the coolest part of the greenhouse), a lighted frost-free garage, cool basement under lights, or a cool unheated lighted room in the house before the first frost. Overwintering inside the home where warm, dry air is circulated by the furnace is not a good idea for the longterm.
If your breezeway was at 28 degrees recently, and this isn’t even the heart of winter, then you have a challenge ahead of you if you choose to use your breezeway to overwinter fuchsias and maintain a minimum temperature of 41 degrees F. One thing you can never do is let the rootball freeze.
I’m counting out you do not have a basement. Do you have an extra bedroom you can close off the heat vent? A cool closet inside the house you can convert to a mini-plant room; lights can be hung from the clothes pole. Or a dark, cool closet could be used to overwinter fuchsias in a dormant state.
Temperature swings can cause stress, and when a fuchsia is stressed, one way to let you know is it will drop its leaves. An unhappy fuchsia will drop its leaves. A dry fuchsia will drop its leaves. A fuchsia with wet feet will drop its leaves.
Fuchsias do not like hot and dry, whereas they will tolerate heat for a while if you cool the plant down with misting or sprays of water to the foliage. Fuchsias need air circulation, humidity and moisture if you plan to overwinter in green leaf. And if you overwinter in green leaf, trim away any leaves touching the soil. Don't put a small rootball into a large pot thinking the plant will have room to expand. Growth is very slow during the winter cold, and overwintering pots should be a close fit for the size of the rootball, potting up when new growth begins again in the spring. If the plants are small with small rootballs and you're worried about the cold affecting the roots, you could double pot, the small pot inside a larger pot with insulating garden soil surround the small pot.
In a dormant state, pruned and leafless and stored in a dark cool place, a fuchsia needs only enough moisture to keep from drying out.
Magellanica
(book source: the species F. magellanica is cold hard in zones 4-9)
In your zone, if you have the species, it should only be ground planted in the spring, not fall. Do you have the species or a cultivar?
Quasar
(book source: half-hardy double trailing; needs to be overwintered inside)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/112062/
Marin Glow
(book source: half-hardy single upright, suitable for a standard; needs to be overwintered inside)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/185716/
Walz Juberteen
(book source: half-hardy single upright; needs to be overwintered inside)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/177222/
Gypsy Prince
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/175386/
Chiquita Mama (spelling?) There is a Chiquita Maria, but I can’t find a Chiquita Mama.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/176512/
Preston Guild
(book source: frost hardy/half hardy single upright; needs to be overwintered inside; shorter than average flowering season)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/123956/
Chang
(book source: zones 8-10 single upright; needs to be over wintered inside; susceptible to botrytis --aka, damping off; grey mold which literally causes the plant to rot away-- and should not be overwatered)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/175982/
Since it would be temporary I wouldn’t lose summer sue
If you do decide to try and grow them indoors. The smallest ones in particular because is it going to be more difficult for them to recover from freezing, if that happens to them. I would just make sure you have the same type of growing conditions one would have for most plants which we have turned into blooming houseplants. After all, they all came from outdoors somewhere! Providing a little humidity nearby is easy. All of my blooming houseplants reside in deep trays full of gravel. Any excess water runs out of the pots so they are never standing in water. And a bit of water in the bottom of the tray evaporates around them to provide the humidity. Fibrous cane begonias can be just as tempermental as a fuchsia. Too dry and they drop their leaves overnight. Too wet and they rot and fall apart right before your eyes. But they make excellent houseplants properly cared for. Mine reign in the kitchen where it is brightest during the winter. Other plants are positioned to get as much direct full sun as possible. I've grown blooming succulents in my kichen window without them getting weak and stringy.
hummer_girl is correct about monitoring a small enclosed space. I keep a temperature and humidity gauge in mine. I check on it a few times a day. Opening and closing the heavy vinyl as needed. The temperatures have been going from the 30's to the 80's. That is normal for this time of year, but it means I have to be on my toes.
GardenGuyKin: I need therapy! I placed another order with Earthworks, 16 plants this time. They have a fuchsia that looks very similar to Neon Tricolor. Use this link to check out their fuchsia denticulata (a species) and let me know how close it looks to the Neon; I think they must be related. I ordered the plant and am hoping I'll get a confirmation it is available.
http://www.fuchsias.net/catalog/Uprights-Lg/f.%20denticulata-Lg.htm
Hi HummerG
Please just call me GGK or Kin saves some time on those tired fuchsia ordering fingers of yours!! LOL
It sure looks like a match to me here is a photo in PF of the stem and leaves and buds. I love the dark foliage it has also, makes those blooms really stand out!
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/250105/
Now you have really done it I'll need to check out this Fuchsia lady! LOL But...for right now I'm preoccupied at viewing all the wonderful photos at the contest.
Good fuchsia buying site. Thanks
GGK: here's Earthworks description of the plant:
H2 f.denticulata Single Sepals Pink with green tips Corolla Salmon pink
Your plant looks like the sepals are reddish-rose to deep pink and the corolla more orangish. Sometimes nurseries give plants a common name no other nurseries uses, but I think your Neon and the f. denticulata are not the same plant, but related. Anyway, it's the closest match to a Neon I could find online and since I was buying more fuchsias, what's one more plant... I need therapy!
Willowwind2: I have a problem with fuchsias and cacti and hummingbird attracting plants. I cannot scroll through an online catalog without buying something, or making lists of what I'll buy when time appropriate. The last month has been time appropriate. I've placed 4 plant orders and 4 seed orders for cacti. I would have bought the cacti plants, but couldn't find anyone who would ship the plants I wanted in pots, and I do not buy any mail order plant that isn't potted. A perfect example is the Earthworks order I received Friday. The Priority Mail box was crushed in several places and my postal person advised me not to accept the delivery, but I did, and because the plants were in sturdy pots the rootballs were not affected, and because I ordered 10 plants they were packed close together, no movement, and the wrapping around the plants themselves was excellent protection against rough handling during shipping. So I highly recommend Earthworks if you are buying mail order or close enough to visit their nursery.
You know, this plant-buying-out-of-control-need usually only happens to me in late winter through spring. But its like, if I don't buy now, I won't be able to get the plants I want next spring. What is this a symptom of?
Being a gardener?
Thank you , thank you! (this is in response to dmail a couple responses up.......)
First of all 'summer sue' was a big typo! I meant to write summer sun!!
I am very unexpectedly in the Sacramento (follow-up medical eval for retirement benefits). Only found out on Friday and this is why my absence I'm on a friend's computer to respond. I promise a longer, better response when I get home, Friday night or Saturday.
Took a side trip today to San Francisco area and went to Annie's Annuals. I have purchased several plants, mail order, from them in the past year. They had just received a Fuschia Procumbens, described as "groundcover with rainbow flowers.....berries good to eat!" -not in their catalog yet. I "had" to get one to take back to Ohio. PC, they also had a couple little Baby Chang.
Anyway my greenhouse was FINISHED the day after I posted. As soon as I get back I will try to post those pics, and pics of this new little guy.
Anyone heard of him??
HATED to leave my GH project, and all these great ideas mid-project...........
HummerG
They may very well be close relatives. I did make this note to myself and need to add it in the comments on the PF.
During the hot Summer days in July 90+ for 10 days...
The color of the buds and blooms were quite faded as compared to the cooler days we usually have. Still overall I really enjoyed Neon.
clpgirl, I can't wait to see photos of your little greenhouse! I hope your medical evaluation passed with flying colors! Isn't Sacramento beautiful?
HG, wanted to let you know that BIg Dipper Farms used to carry Neon tricolor. Perhaps if you called them they could connect you with their supplier, or give some ideas?
PC, I'll be trying to post my little green 'closet' pics tomorrow, once I figure out how to do so. I don't think I can really call it at GH!
I'll start another thread I think since this one is so long. Just settling in after the unexpected trip..............
clpgirl, a new thread would be a great idea! And I will post a photo of my little enclosed shelf space I made, after you do. It is working remarkelby well. Much better than I even hoped for!
And the first fuchsia I chose to grow indoors next to a southern facing window, is doing very well also.
GGK: Thank you for the additional info and pics of Neon Tricolor. My Gartenmeister drops blooms in July when the temps get into the 90s, and doesn't rebloom until the end of August. It's nice to know the Neon holds its own against the heat.
clpgirl: Thank you for the possible link for acquiring a Neon Tricolor. I will most certainly be doing a thorough online search late winter/early spring.
I got my confirmation from Earthworks and f.denticulata and 15 other fuchsias are coming my way. That makes a total of 26 fuchsias I have purchased in the last 2 weeks! I made a trip to Lowes today and bought another set of saw horses and two 48" shop lights to set up another grow-light-area in my basement. (I already have the plywood!) And over the weekend I took cuttings of a lot of tropicals I pot plant for my hummers. I have been very plant busy lately. We haven't had a killing frost yet, but the clock is ticking...
Hummer
Your welcome. Boy oh Boy are you getting into it! LOL You know... Now your gonna have to share some mid winter pics with us all showing your babies and how well they are doing!!! We all might need a pick me up with your Fuchsia basement Oasis!
I started a Neon stem cutting back in August by simply placing it in the ground and it's got plenty of new growth. This is promising for me as well as for you. I think it's going to winter over well and will have cuttings this Spring for you.
:)
