Forum home Talkback
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Fuchsias! to prune or not to prune?

ToadyToady Posts: 56

I've been gardening professionally for nine years and always pruned Fuchsias to ground or near ground level at the end of April, this year I've been told by one of my customers not to prune them because they have so much new growth on top.

Any feedback from others with greater experience than myself of previous mild winters where this has occurred and what the outcome may have been appreciated.

Please all feel free to comment, the more the merrier.

 

«1

Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    It is perfectly acceptable not to prune fuschias if they have retained their top growth. Force of habit means I have done mine even though many of them kept their leavs throughout winter.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Forester2Forester2 Posts: 1,477

    I prune to keep a nice shape but not too hard in case we have a late frost.

  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811

    I cut back most of mine March time, however I have three Hawkshead which still had lots of leaves. I decided to leave them as I wanted them too look bushier, they are newish plants about 2 years old. . Sadly a very late frost nipped them so they look very shabby. I've reluctantly decided to leave them for this year but will revert to giving them a hard haircut along with the rest in March....not out of this Spring and already talking about Spring 2015!

  • I cut back hard as well. I always feel tempted to leave higher growth but I think it makes the plant leggy, or at least not as bushy unless you give them a hard Spring prune. My thinking is that they will always produce new growth where you cut so it's best to retain the shape of the plant by cutting all the plant down to about 3" max.

  • ToadyToady Posts: 56

    Thanks all, will leave them this time and observe the outcome, serves as an experiment too!

  • franco6832franco6832 Posts: 105

    I am conducting an experiment myself. half and half. the unpruned ones are already  putting up buds but the pruned ones have not started any top growth at all.

     

  • ToadyToady Posts: 56

    Well, it's not June yet and flowers already, 

  • valrobbovalrobbo Posts: 20

    I think it is up to the individual, the fuscias I have in the garden I have a tendency to cut down to ground level. If left to their own devices the sap is slow to rise and the stems can look unsightly and this is at a time when we want the garden to start looking nice and fresh. Many of the old stems are irregular and crossing over each other, so a good prune is necessary anyway and the sap does not always reach the ends of the old stems, so they have to be trimmed off.

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    I always wondered how hard to prune my hardy fuschia. Thank you.

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
Sign In or Register to comment.