Date/Time
Date(s) - 14/07/2023
7:30 pm
Location
Kilmington Village Hall
Categories
On Friday, 14th July, we welcomed Derek Dexter as our speaker. His talk was all about Fuchsias which have become a passion for him. Derek has a full-time job but started growing and showing these beautiful plants in 1999. Since then, he has won many trophies pursuing his ‘hobby’, as he describes it.
He demonstrated how easy is it is to take cuttings at this time of year. Choose a non-flowering stem, cut down by half, then strip off the leaves.
Place in a pot in a frost-free greenhouse until the first of January, give a little water and cover with horticultural fleece, tucked under the pot. He tips it out of the pot: if the roots are white, it is healthy and is repotted. If vine weevil is present, he saws off the bottom third of the root ball, and repots. Using warm water, he starts spraying once a day; leaves will develop. He showed us how to make very small cuttings below a joint, with tweezers and a cocktail stick, using a small two-inch pot (up to 24 cuttings!) which he covers with a sandwich bag held in place with an elastic band and puts on a window sill. The cuttings can be placed in a tray rather than pots (cupcake trays are ideal). He pinches out every second pair of leaves, to thicken up the cuttings and keep them the same height.
Hardwood cuttings are made below a leaf joint at eight inches; he removes the leaves and places the cuttings in a five-inch pot, five around the edge of the pot and places it underneath a shelf in the greenhouse. Throughout the winter the roots will be growing and will be visible by the spring. He places the cuttings in trays and leaves for six to seven weeks before planting out. Derek makes the stems trail, if he chooses, by attaching pegs to a leaf (not the stem) at their tips – ingenious!
Hardy fuchsias can be left where they are in the garden, with two inches of leaf mould around the base of the stems. Do not cut back in February, as there can still be night frosts. Check them in the second week of April; do not cut back until then and only if they are ready. Keep checking all for pests and diseases, rust, red spider and thrips. Use SB Invigorator for healthy growth, and treating pests, whitefly in particular.
Derek told us there are thirty thousand varieties of fuchsia(!), with new varieties coming along all the time, and showed us slides depicting some stunning examples. Some names he mentioned were – Sophie Louise, Gillian Althea (his favourite),, Koralle, Tom West, Anita, Susan Green, Lillian Anelle, President George Bartell, Celia Smedly, Garden New Delta Star, Hawkshead Genii and Alfie.
Fuchsia cuttings take 18-21 days to develop roots (rooting powder unnecessary) and from the beginning of March they take 4-5 weeks to be ready to pot up. From pricking out to flowering takes 60 days. When planting in the garden, they like dappled shade during the day. Dead head regularly. There are various pests and diseases that can affect them but the Fuchsia gall mite is a notifiable pest and should be disposed of in your household waste landfill collection.
Among his many tips and hints was the fascinating fact that Derek uses tomato ketchup to clean his scissors, secateurs and hedge trimmer! As far as Derek is concerned, he shows Fuchsias to promote them, but stresses that it is important to remember that showing is for fun!
Fuchsias are clearly a topic of endless fascination and, judging by the number of plants that members bought at the end of the talk, it is a passion shared by many.
Jean Falconer