fried fushia arborescens!!! help

[philip kitts]

ive got a bit complacent lately and left everything outside until a -3c gave me a rude awakening ,although most of my babies shrugged it off my fushia was totally zapped..... it was just about to flower, so was very sappy.
has anybody experianced regrowth of this shrub after a freeze?

[joolz68]

Ive just come across this,it doesnt actually say that your fuchsia will make a come back as its frost sensitive but with them giving it a mention as being hardy i felt it was hopeful for you
http://nfsnz.orconhosting.net.nz/articles2.htm
Not much of a help sorry,all my fuchsias are in potting shed and greenhouse in pots im just praying they all make it

[Conifers]

Fuchsias are very good at re-growing after damage. If necessary, it'll even regrow from the roots. So no need to worry.

[PeterS]

Conifer may be right about F. arborescens regrowing as Fuchsias do have that ability. But at minimum I would protect the root. I wouldn't trust it to have much frost resistance.

However, I wouldn't rely on it regrowing. I have kept F. triphylla in a frost free greenhouse overwinter in the past and some died, never to recover, and some didn't. I have spoken to a member of the British Fuchsia society and he confirmed that just frost free was not sufficient for triphyllas. I don't know about arborescens but I suspect it could be the same. So I keep both my triphyllas and arborescens inside the house overwinter under low level grow lights, though a reasonable natural light would do.

At the National Trust House Coleton Fishacre, in South Devon by the sea, they grow them. and I was told they comeback sometimes but not always.

[otorongo]

I have spoken to a member of the British Fuchsia society and he confirmed that just frost free was not sufficient for triphyllas. I don't know about arborescens but I suspect it could be the same.

Plantfiles says triphylla is 10b and arborescens is 9a.

[charliepridham]

Not sure it helps but this grows in the ground here, frost zaps it at about the same time as all the other fuchsias, comes up again every year even after the cold winters of late but is so late and slow it never flowers so I have had to have one in a pot to get the flowers. Thalia dies if left out in the same position.


My pot full flowers 365 days a year with no heat just frost protection

[PeterS]

Charlie - very interesting that F. arborescens flowers for you, in a pot, 365 days a year. I had hear that it did in some places overseas but was surprised that it would in this country.

In Yorkshire, in a pot, I get flowers for perhaps 2 months but not more. I find F. boliviana flowers for longer even in pretty cold weather - then the seed pods are a great feature by themselves.

[charliepridham]

Peter, it comes back into the Conservatory (unheated but frost free) usually around end of October , I sometimes have to prune flowers off in spring just to keep it a good shape, then in April it goes back out, I stand it in quite a sunny spot, I must say that I find Fuchsia paniculata a better plant in terms of flowering, the panicles are larger and fuller than those of arborescens, hardiness wise there seems little in it. Mine set seed every year so I suppose it may be worth trying to hybridize for something tougher but I think they are both from Mexico and in their own sub section of Fuchsia which I expect makes success unlikely!

fuchsia paniculata by charliepridham, on Flickr

Last 3 seasons my Fuchsia boliviana has failed to flower but that lives out in the ground, this year I have admitted defeat and put one in a pot so I get the flowers again as its one of my favourites. I have the white form as well but its no tougher sadly (and I prefer the red)

[philip kitts]

Hi after the last couple of days my fried fushia has recovered and buds are appearing along the branches . I'm really chuffed as I have a soft spot for this plant ,so after a -3.9 its is a survivor with total defoliation after two days of almost sub zero(see wundermap map Thurrock 1) .gonna come in now at the first 3c prediction. Emergency ward10

[stephenprudence]

All Fuchsias get zapped by -3C but most of them regrow.. except F triphylla and other tropical Fuchsias.