I planted this fucsia earlier this year and it’s done really well. Just wondering what to do with it when it gets really cold? It’s got some chip bark mulch on top, but would I need to wrap it up or put it away somewhere to protect the roots from frost? I’m in the south west and don’t have a greenhouse unfortunately. Any advice appreciated, thanks!
by Turbo_Heel
4 Comments
Treat it like a plant blanket keep roots cozy, water lightly, and shelter from frost.
It’s a hardy fuchsia so it should be fine. It’ll probably die back a bit over winter but come spring it’ll come back to life.
Feed in spring and through the flowering season as nutrients run out quickly in containers.
The main thing is to make sure it does not dry out. Check the soil, if not damp then water even in winter
Fuchsias are usually treated as bedding plants and hanging baskets aren’t really large enough to keep plants longer than 6 to 12 months – the larger the plant gets, the bigger the root run and that Fuchsia will quickly get rootbound. Also, the compost will likely be getting fairly worn out. If you want to keep the Fuchsia, you can cut it back, put in a pot with the roots in compost or similar and keep in a cool but frost-free garage or similar, keep it on the dry side. Then pot it in a larger pot next spring.
Doesn’t look like a hardy variety to me. All Fuchsia fruit are edible – sweet with an almost black-pepper aftertaste that you either love or hate, give it a try.
The usual thing with baskets is to replace the compost and plants every 6 months or so – winter bedding followed by summer bedding. If you want a permant planting, succulents like sempervivum and sedums are probably the best bet, but those woven baskets will likely start to rot and fall apart after a year or two. Personally, I’m really not a fan of baskets – they are very resource and labour intensive.