Wishing all members a happy and prosperous growing year in 2024
Now we are well into autumn, the outside garden hardy fuchsias that have survived the light frost are still looking quite good at least in the south. However soon the first frosts will have blackened all the leaves and they will go dormant for another year. Once the leaves have come away then you can prune back the stems about one third to remove any green stems and minimise any loosening of the plant by strong winds over the winter. The main prune is done in mid to late March or early April next year. Note if you have had fuchsia gall mite on your hardy fuchsias, some are recommending to cut down hard in Novemeber to remove any mites overwintering in the bark of the stems.All the fuchsia will benefit from some extra insulation around the crown of the plant such as a layer or straw or similar. This especially applies to any hardy fuchsias which have only been planted this year.
The showmen will have already cut a lot of their plants back in August and by now they will have good green shoots on and either have been put away in the heated greenhouse or soon to be so. These plants are also used to take cuttings which can be overwintered in the greenhouse. Make sure the greenhouse is cleaned and sterilised and the plants are free of pest and disease before putting away for the winter. Any Standards or other fuchsias you wish to save from containers or the garden also need to be dug up, pruned, de-leafed and potted up, and then put away in the heated greenhouse to start to grow again or other frost free storage areas as dormant plants.
Your Autumn Bulletin will arrive towards the end of the month and I hope you enjoy the content. For members, it will contain your 2023 renewal form and plant distribution form and for Affiliated Societies, the affiliation renewal form. Please don’t forget that the renewals are due on the first of November.
Why not have a look at the links page and visit some of the fuchsia nursery websites and see what they have new for next year. Some have a catalogue or lists you can download as a PDF file, others you may have to contact for a printed copy sending an SAE or stamps to a certain value. Those that advertise will also have details in there adverts in the Bulletin. Some nurseries open early in the new year, others send out by mail or carrier. Getting your order in early means you will get your plants early the next year, as soon as the weather is suitable to post them out.