As the long, generous flowering season of fuchsias draws to a close, the challenge with hardy varieties is nursing them through the coming months. Unsurprisingly, many of these Central and South American plants are too tender to survive a Scottish winter. We treat these varieties as annual bedding plants, growing them in pots or hanging baskets. If you want to grow them as perennials, you need to bring them into a conservatory or a heated greenhouse now.
But the hardier specimens reliably thrive in coastal west and southern Scotland or the more sheltered parts of the south east. A cold, inland garden could be challenging. Please don’t write in to tell me your fuchsia does well in Dalwhinnie: every garden has its own microclimate and can break all the rules.
Even if it won’t succeed in one of Scotland’s highest villages, Bernisser Hardy does live up to its name. In a recent trial, Which? Gardening recommended it as a best buy. The magazine trialled it in Clarkston, Glasgow, so the plant should do well in the west. If you want a hardy plant, look out for varieties such as this one with small flowers – they’re usually much tougher than those with large, flouncy ones.
However hardy a variety, everything depends on the severity of the winter. Devastatingly harsh ones still occur. If, unlike me, you live in a sheltered area, you can take steps to give your fuchsias – and other small, woody shrubs – a fighting chance.
Start by laying a thick mulch round the plant. This keeps the soil warm and prevents the ground from freezing, thereby damaging roots. Cold winds can kill next year’s buds so protect the stems by wrapping fleece round the shrub, using sticks to prevent the fleece from touching the stems. Alternatively, construct a wigwam, with conifer branches or other fanned branches like hazel.
Garden centres and online firms carry a range of fleece jackets and bags if you don’t fancy the DIY approach. They come in all sizes and usually have a draw string to secure the base and a zip or Velcro fastenings for easy fitting.
Don’t leave the covers on during mild spells as they reduce air circulation and create a humid atmosphere. Since the covers can be erected and removed in a few minutes, only use them during a cold snap. You’ll need to shake any snow off the cover to stop it squashing the fuchsia.
After a mild winter in a favoured spot, many fuchsias grow taller, but the stems may die back after a very cold winter. You’ll then need to cut them to ground level, but don’t do this till you’re sure the branches are dead. Removing the old vegetation when the weather warms up allows new buds to emerge at ground level.
Roots have a much better chance of surviving the winter in the open ground than in a pot. But you should be able to nurse smaller, container-grown fuchsias through that killing spell, especially if you can move the pot under cover. For extra insulation, wrap a thick layer of bubblewrap round planters and pack several small pots closely together.
Plants get some protection, 1C-2C, in a cold greenhouse or polytunnel, but even here you may need a fleece jacket during a cold snap. But it would be easier and cheaper to drape fleece over the plants and, without the risk of rain or snow, you could lay the material on top of plants.
If the container is staying outdoors, allow for good drainage by lifting it off the ground with pot feet or sticking a few old slates or bricks underneath. Fuchsias rot unless growing in well-drained soil, and soggy compost freezes hard during an icy spell.
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