Fuschias imperilled by negligent newbie gardener!

baz632000

Greetings from  Shropshire. I have 3 hardy fuschia bushes. In an act of unforgiveable negligence I have cut them down to ground level. For the past two years  I waited until spring before pruning, which I believe is the correct thing to do.   Is there anything I can do now which  will increase their chances of surviving a harsh winter?  Or something I can do to at least to mitigate potential  losses ? Any  advice will be greatly received as I am also having a dhalia tuber crisis. There's only so much lamenting my girlfriend can take!

Obelixx

Were you having a serious plonker moment?  Have you still got the prunings?   If you hacked them today you may still get some cuttings form them by putting stems in water until they root.

Give the crowns/base of the plant a good mulch with well-rotted garden comost or bought potting compost.  Make it several inches thick and then pray they survive the cold under the blanket.

There's a thread on dahlias and what to do so have look for that before you do anything else to yours.

baz632000

Thanks. Will do.  

Paul B3

If they're hardy outdoor Fuchsias , it's probably F.magellanica or one of its cultivars . These normally regenerate readily anyway , so I wouldn't worry too much .

Fairygirl

I'd agree - I don't think it'll do too much harm. Hardy fuchsias are just that - hardy. They can cope with quite a lot of grief.
The mulch will give them a bit of protection, and unless you suddenly have a week of sub minus five temps or something, they should be ok, and will come away again. Any new growth that's gets some damage over winter can be left until better weather comes along in spring, when you can give the frazzled bits a little  tidy up. 

baz632000

Thanks so much for all your comments...it's very much appreciate.

Paul B3

That's OK ; you can stop 'lamenting' now and give your girlfriend a break !