[Growster...]

Over the years, Mrs Growster has kept several favourite fuscias going by bringing them into the greenhouse for the winter, and letting them out for the run of the garden in the spring.

One particular one, a bright red and white, unfortunately died last year, but we have lots of cuttings which are thriving. This one was a particular favourite, as she had pruned it into a short standard, about 2' 6" tall, with a crown of about 20". It was always in a large pot, and we've just calculated that it was well over twenty years old!

While we're not out to break any records, are there any other ways to keep these lovely chaps and chapesses in a manner to which they have become accustomed?

[mrs bouquet]

I have one also, which sounds the same as yours.  It was in the ground when we moved in 25 years ago.  We have dug it up and moved it several times, its always healthy and strong and doesn't seem to mind being outside or being moved about.   Lovely plants .
regards,  Mrs Bouquet

[lazydog]

can you split "old fushias we inherited some aswell and the base is large woody mess even when trimmed back to ground level,but they always come back looking great.
But i would like to halve them as well as taking cuttings.

[mumofstig]

No you cannot halve them  You can only  grow your replacement plants from cuttings and throw out the old one if the woody base irritates

[viettaclark]

Sorry to change topic slightly.....
I put 3 fuscias in last year and went for the tall hardy ones thinking they were the ones that bud on old wood thus making a big bush.
There is no sign of bud burst on the old wood but I've got growth at the base.
Is this the wrong type?

[mumofstig]

IMO you will only ever get growth on old wood in the open garden if the winter is mild  

In my last garden I had some grown against a SE facing wall that seemed to keep enough heat in, for them to bud from about 2 ft up the stems each year, but shoots buds from the plant in this garden all shootgrow from the base


edited to make sense

[Trillium]

I brought my fuschias into the house last fall as our winters are simply too cold for them, and they're sprouting from the old woody base rather than the branches. As long as they'll regrow, they can do what they want 

[viettaclark]

Cool!

[chrisnchris]

I think we have lost all our hardy fuscias this year....dozens.
I grew them all from cuttings about 15years ago & they were all planted directly in the ground.
No sign of life from any of them

Out with the old........in with the new

[Growster...]

I have one also, which sounds the same as yours.  It was in the ground when we moved in 25 years ago.  We have dug it up and moved it several times, its always healthy and strong and doesn't seem to mind being outside or being moved about.   Lovely plants .
regards,  Mrs Bouquet

Seems it came from the same stable Mrs B! Checking a few Google images (hope that's OK Aunt Sally?) it looks more or less like a Ricarrtonii, or a Corallina, and is supposed to be hardy!

[Growster...]

I brought my fuschias into the house last fall as our winters are simply too cold for them, and they're sprouting from the old woody base rather than the branches. As long as they'll regrow, they can do what they want 

Absolutely Trillium!

[Growster...]

I think we have lost all our hardy fuscias this year....dozens.
I grew them all from cuttings about 15years ago & they were all planted directly in the ground.
No sign of life from any of them

Out with the old........in with the new

I'd hang in there Chris, we've been surprised as late as May some years!

[Trillium]

I think bringing them indoors in the UK might be a better idea. Considering the excessively cold winters you've had the last 2 years, it could get expensive replacing the slightly tender plants every year.

[Growster...]

I think you're right Trillium.

We have a day herding plants into the various greenhouses, sheds etc around half term in the autumn, and decant the lot roughly about now, when most of the frosts are on their way out, or nearly gone, because we still cover them on bad nights.

[chrisnchris]

The ones that are still dormant (possibly dead) have been in the ground for 15 years. The root "clump"? is about 8"-10" across in most cases. They are always cut right back & the new growth will reach 18"-24"

I have lost a few over the years & that patch only has fuscias on it, I guess about 30.
They were all  hardy varieties, about 6 different if I recall & all grown from cuttings I took from a single plant.
Over a two year period I took over 200 cuttings from those original 6 plants & their offspring, so, not an expensive operation, probably less than £10

I don't have the inclination to dig them all up to over-winter them indoors, the greenhouse isn't big enough  Besides which, it's always full of the non hardy types in pots

I will give them another couple of weeks, but I know that they have always shown signs of life earlier than this before.
It just struck me as strange, especially when you consider the good weather we've had for the past few weeks, that not a single one was coming out to play