fuchsia

I buy a fuchsia
plant most years, either for a hanging basket or to stand in a tub on the patio. They always have such amazing colors and flowers, and the humming birds love them. The one I bought this year is no exception. This one is a hanging basket and the flowers are the double type. They are sold at this time of year in Southern California - I bought this one in the supermarket - and they do well initially because the temperature is just right, they can stay in the shade most of the time, but not get too cold. Anything in between seems to upset the balance and they are then susceptible to mites, and other problems. After April you have to be careful they don't get too much sun.

Fuchsia Facts

Bloom time: Summer to late fall.
Exposure: Bright to partially shady and sheltered from wind.
Soil: All purpose soil.
Average Size: Shrub can reach 3 - 6 ft high and wide.
Growth rate: Fast in good conditions.
Water: Water abundantly in the growth period (don't let hanging baskets dry out).
Fertilizing: Feed weekly until August during the growth period.
Pruning: Prune regularly; at the beginning of the vegetative period, trim them all round.


This type is particularly pretty. The flowers start off with white petals that have small purple centers, and as the flower opens, which takes about a week, the outer petals turn to pink and the center becomes a large purple mass of petals. We have had a couple of very warm days this week, so I hope I can save this plant through to next year.

more rain

It had rained for the last couple of weeks, a few showers here and there, and a couple of heavy downpours. The yard looked a mess, with fallen leaves everywhere and plants that needed replacing. Some were even brown from the sun which had come out suddenly between showers.

So this weekend I bought a couple of new plants and spent several hours in the yard cutting off dead leaves, moving things around and generally tidying up. The main additions were some freesia which I'd never grown before, but they smell heavenly, and some petunias which I love because they look so bright and manage to keep flowering whatever happens.

So now what's going on, I'm sitting here listening to the heaviest rain I have heard all year - we are in April, this is definitely not supposed to happen! I don't know how much rain freesia can stand battering down on them (I know the petunias will be OK), but I guess I'm going to find out tomorrow, or the next day, as I think more rain is forecast for tomorrow.