South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2006 | March | 3
From the archive, first published Friday 3rd Mar 2006.
This week, gardening columnist JAYNE BENNETT shows her fuchsias the light.
THIS week I am in my element - it's fuchsia time again! My home, Fuchsia Cottage, seems to have been positioned specifically with fuchsias in mind.
As my garden faces north-east and is of the long and thin variety, most of my border space is in semi-shade - perfect for all fuchsias.
A magical change is currently taking place in my greenhouse, as the over-wintered plants react to the better light and are bursting into life.
The most noticeable change is in those plants which, until recently, resembled little more than sticks in pots, and which have been kept under the greenhouse staging for the past few months.
These are the plants which shed all their leaves for their hibernation - any leaves which remained on the plants were removed prior to storage.
My fuchsias were stored on their side and packed closely together, then covered over completely until this, the first week in March.
If you haven't got a heated greenhouse, a shed or garage would do just as well, just so long as the fuchsias are kept frost free (and this is absolutely vital), and at a temperature just above 1C.
If you have a cold frame, keep the plants at least 15 inches away from the sides and pack well with straw.
My preferred method of encouraging new growth is to spray the plants with water initially, before turning to more substantial watering of the roots.
When the new eyes, are visible, I prune the plants back - still keeping them in the heated greenhouse.
Some of my fuchsias, however, are already green, because they are being cultivated using the biennial method, which means that they complete their flowering in the second year.
These are cuttings which were taken last May, and have had their growing tips regularly pinched out (a process known as stopping,) so that the plant becomes really bushy and sturdy, although it has not yet flowered.
By September, it is time to start withdrawing water to the plant, because you are aiming to keep it resting, in a semi-dormant state during the winter months of November through to January.
The main downside to this is that a constant temperature of between 4C and 7C must be maintained (and my husband wonders why our electricity bills are so huge!)
In early spring, the fuchsias can be potted back into a pot one size smaller, which gives the plant a boost for the new season in new, fresh soil.
Alternatively, if you have neither the time nor the patience to pot back, then simply re-pot the fuchsias - but it is important to replace the soil with fresh compost and, if necessary, prune the old brown roots (these will be easily distinguishable from the new white roots).
While you are at it, check the roots for signs of vine weevil damage. I have had a particular problem with the vine weevil grubs this year and they have devoured the roots on quite a few of my fuchsias.
Now is the time to deal with these grubs - the unpleasant larvae of a flightless brown beetle which lays its eggs on the soil surface and eats notches out of leaves.
But you never know that the grub is there until it is too late.
The grub is instantly recognisable - it resembles a small maggot with a dark head. It curls up into a C shape when unearthed and should be destroyed immediately.
Whatever you do, do not re-introduce infected soil back into your garden's eco-system.
*If you are interested in knowing more about fuchsias, then check out www.lockyerfuchsias.co.uk. Lockyer's Nursery is based in Coalpit Heath and is famous for its award-winning fuchsias - as well as giving great advice.
Jobs for the week
*Buy some spring bedding plants to brighten up the dull days, for example pansies or primroses. A great selection of summer bedding plug plants are also now available, such as pelargoniums and impatiens, ready to be potted up for the summer.
*If you have been growing green manure, such as trefoil or alfalfa, it's about time to chop the top growth down with shears and dig it into the earth, so that the material has time to rot down.
*If you've been thinking about planting a new hedge, now,s the perfect time to do it.
*Carefully move dormant conifers and shrubs if they are in the wrong position.
Gardeners' Diary * Eastwood Gardeners Club has just one place left on its trip to Monet's garden at Giverny. Please contact Pam on 01454 412932 * Slimbridge Horticultural Society meet on the second Tuesday of the month (7.30pm) in Slimbridge Village Hall (opposite church). For details call 01453 890601. * Pilning and Severn Beach Gardeners' Club meet on the first Tuesday of the month (7.30pm) at the Christian Family Church, Beach Avenue, Severn Beach. The group is particularly keen to attract young gardeners to the group. There is a summer outing planned to Stapehill Abbey and Gardens, call 01454 631252 (evenings) for details. * Wotton Gardening Club meet on the third Tuesday of the month (7.30pm) in the Club Room in Gloucester Street, Wotton. * Manor Hall Gardening and Social Club meet on the first Monday of each month (2-3.30pm) at Manor Hall, Coalpit Heath. Call 01454 774279 for details.
*If you are a member of a gardening club or society which has a programme of events running throughout the winter, please email me at jaynegarden@blueyonder.co.uk, or write to me at the Gazette.
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