This forum came to being just in the nick of time! I have *burning* questions
I noticed something a few days ago that surprised me, though perhaps it shouldn't have. I took all of my upright and semi-upright fuchsias from my porch pot area and put them into my new shaded garden with some of my daylilies and sea thrift. They wintered superbly, and are now leafing out and starting to bloom. One of them, to my surprise, had a shoot that rooted itself in the ground and not only established that branch as a new plant, but had an underground shoot that burrowed out and away forming another cane.



I had already planned to try migrating one variety back to a shaded spot in my furnace-blast garden, so we transplanted that shoot there. I really don't want the fuchsia to encroach on the daylilies, though. Will I need to keep an eye on all the planted fuchsia or is this possibly just the habit of a particular semi-upright?

I did also take some cuttings from my hanging plants that luxuriated over the winter in my tiny porch greenhouse. I have never been successful with starting cuttings except in the early spring when the stems are still red and they seem to just take off as long as one stripped leaf-node gets put into moist soil.



And, is the plural Fuchsia or Fuchsias?!

The plural is fuchsias.

I agree, Tina, that tip cuttings work best for propagation. As for the one that's growing by means of "underground runners," I have a few that do that also, but I'm not sure whether I only notice it on them because they're the largest and most vigorous fuchsias in my garden. Maybe all fuchsias do that. It would be interesting to hear what @midnight21 has to say about this.

Well its cool to hear that you have also noticed it, zuzu! And, indeed, it is the largest, greenest fuchsia of the bunch. I'll be curious to see if the transplantation takes hold, and would love to hear any other reports!

Hello All

The transplant should be fine, as fuchsias, (that is the plural) do this very well. You have given the answer yourself. Shade and a moist soil. They love it. If you give me a bit of time, I will try to do an article of how I take cuttings. I have taken thousands, honestly, in my lifetime, and I get a success rate of about 98%. They are so easy. Please give me time though, as I am getting the garden in shape for our open days, and at a young 74, I am finding it more and more of a strain.

All the best

John

Thanks, John, I truly worry when I try something that is new to me, so hearing others' encouragement helps me focus on giving new transplant their best start, rather than neglecting them a little because of previous losses. Take all the time you like - at our ages it is right that we take life on whatever schedule best suits us (and so many of us here at ATP are just Dirt Old so we empathize!). I know we'd love to see you share an article about your high rate of success with cuttings. To illustrates my anxiety ... for two years I tried cuttings, even with growth hormone, later in the summer and they never took. That's why I gave up. Fortunately, one spring I cut those most tender new growths back and tossed the bits and pieces in a pot that was holding soil for another planting. Before I tossed out those cuttings I got pulled away from the garden for a week, and when I came back the new shoot tips were thriving. But, if there is a sure way to get more mature cuttings to root throughout the growth cycle (I have heard others say they get cuttings to start in the late summer) I'd love to learn it!

would a fushia thrive in shade through the hot,humid summer of central/southern florida?

Hello ??? (I'm not going to call you rootbound). What's your name?

Fuchsias love a cool moist bit of ground. They come from the shady areas just below the frost line of the Andes mountings. They will take a bit of sun, as long as they get that bit of shade as well. So I will let you decide which you want to try.

John

" @rootbound " My Fuchsia do well in temps above 100 degrees through three summer months each year, though we do not have the kind of humidity that you do. If you like the look of Fuchsias, it certainly might be worth a try to see how they fare. There are many sources for online starts that are under $5, so it would not be very expensive to try them out! If you do, we'd love to hear (and see through photos if you like) how they like the shaded Florida sunshine.

What do you do over winter with root bound hanging fuchsias? Someone way back told me you need cut root in the winter. Is this true? What else do you need to do for wintering plants?
Grimm gardener.

In the Uk we are advised to keep the potted fuchias frost free. One method is to bury the plant under the ground in a frost free place i.e. a greenhouse. Dig it out in Spring and it will be ready to go and also take cuttings of.