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Fuchsia advice needed, please

PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
in Plants
I grew this fuchsia from cuttings last year and it did well - it is a hardy variety (Mrs W P Wood if anyone is interested). However, I am not sure it has survived. There were signs of new growth on the woody stems, but this has been killed off by the frost. I have not yet pruned it, but is it worth it? I can see no new basal shoots at all. The parent bush is full of leaves and is growing vigorously. I wonder if it is because it is in a pot? I am in the SW.

Any advice gratefully received (eg if I do prune it, where to?). Thanks very much.


Posts

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,349
    It doesn't look very happy. Scrape a bit of bark here and there will your thumb nail,see if its green underneath.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,216
    They are more vulnerable to frost damage in pots than in the ground (because the roots get colder). I would leave it another month before giving up on it, particularly if there's any green under the bark. It might sprout new growth when the weather turns warmer. If it does make new shoots, you can prune it down to where the new shoots are, but I would leave it alone for now.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    @Nanny Beach @JennyJ, thanks both for that advice. I've just checked on the base of three branches and they are all green under the bark, so I will leave it a bit longer. I was too blasé about it and didn't protect it enough over-winter - lesson learnt.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,216
    Great, it sounds like it'll be OK.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,269
    Well, in fairness to you, you wouldn't expect snow in April.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,216
    It depends where you are. Snow in April isn't unusual here (not every year, but not unexpected). It doesn't tend to last long though. Overnight and early morning frosts some days during April and into May is normal but they're not normally hard penetrating frosts.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    The only predictable thing about spring weather is its unpredictability! My lesson learnt is `expect the worst`.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,216
    Very true @Pianoplayer . Some years when we get to late May I kick myself because there haven't been any late frosts and my non-hardy plants could have gone out earlier, other years we're getting regular frosts up until then.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • SueG1SueG1 Posts: 38
    It looks fine to me, there are green leaves coming through on some of the twigs, so just leave it and I'm sure it'll come back.
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Well, I decided this was showing zero signs of life, so tipped it out of the pot. Glad I did - it was chockerblock with vine weevil grubs  :# Hideous little things. Spent ages sifting the soil to get the s**s out.
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