This year I went mad and bought loads of stuff for tubs and hanging baskets. There were some really nice fuchias and geraniums in there. they are still ok at the minute but is there any way I can 'save' them for next year or do I have to throw them when they die off. We dont have a greenhouse or anything. As you can tell I dont have greenfingers!!. Advice from the experts appreciated.
Cheers
Sue

:D  Sue - you were obviously reading my mind!!  :D  I'm in the same situation - its the first year I've ever attempted any gardening and I've got some fuchias too and I've been told that I can dig them up from the pots they're in and put them into smaller ones and then either put them in the garage or (if you've got room, in the house) they should then be okay to plant again next year.

I'm sure if this isn't right someone will be along to educate us both!!  I've also got loads of other plants in my pots that my Mum has told me I can save for next year but to be honest I think it will be easier just to replace them!!

Looking forward to getting some advice from the greenfingered experts too!!

Hayley..xx  :D

You have two options - either take cutting from this years plants (but it's too late now :( ) or try and over winter your mature plants.....  I've had the majority of mine survive actually in their tubs last year!  I leave all the plants from the summer and this helps to create a slightly warmer 'micro climate' around the fuschias....  It's a gamble, and you can't replant the containers for winter/spring - but I had some lovely flowers from them this year :)

there are two kinds of fuschia's  hardy and not ... the hardy ones are fine left in the garden throughout winter, (so long as the roots were dug in far enough down) you can trim strangly branches down to just above ground level, helps enourage bushier growth next year.

The others that are frost tender dig up and pot ( if not already in pots) cut all stems down to just above the soil and store in a cool frost free place, not near any windows as frost can travel through glass. If they have to be near glass then cover the tops of the pots with loose bubble wrap or straw.
You can over winter them in doors in a warm place, they will continue to grow. just trim up them up a bit if straggly and water when they need it. you will hopefully have flowers still over xmas. Remember though they are still succeptable to frost though the windows.
With all fushias always remove dead flowers straight away so the plant will produce more. if too many seed pods are left to develope this will shorten the flowering period.

Hope that helps ....
I used to have about 20 different varietys both hardy and tender so learnt quite a few tricks. :D

>take cutting from this years plants (but it's too late now  )

Not necessarly, I take cuttings at any time of year as long as they're still in leaf and root them in water in the kitchen. I often have more success that way than rooting in compost. :-)

kath_barr

have you tried putting cuttings in little blocks of oasis? i found when doing more than one cutting it was far easier to root them if you put the stem in small cubes of oasis in a dish/tray of water, and when theyve rooted it is easy to plant into pots without damaging the roots :)

If anyone is going to take fuschia cuttings now.... make sure the stem is soft on the cutting and not woody otherwise it will just rot away.

Ah yes, I remember having lovely tubs full of plants, until my pup discovered the joys of gardening now I have a few straggly twigs trying to survive :D 

I remember too huskypup, had to uproot most of mine when Maddie moved in! :D Getting rid of the lawn and replacing with slabs and gravel wasn't too bad though I don't need a mower any more. Now what I have got are hidden up the top part which is fenced off from the dogs, and all my tubs went on a higher level also behind fencing :) only those most hardy stayed where they were but even they are prone to being 'pruned' by the girls :P

Thanks for the tip Jane, I'll give that a try. :-)