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Can anyone help a newbie with a newbie question

joannelowe12joannelowe12 Posts: 3
edited April 2021 in Problem solving
Hi, I wanted to greenify my view from the office which looks out at the side path between my house and the neighbours so i fixed 2 wall planters to my fence and filled with peat free compost. Location seems a bit cold but plants get full sun for about 1 hour-ish each day as the sun passes over. One has 3 x heather with no flowers except for 1 strand, the other planter has 2 x fushias. Bought from Morrisons for a few quid as I don't have a lot of money to spend. Been in for about 3 weeks and heathers seem happy enough but the fushias don't. Are these plants suitable? Will the heathers flower? If not, can anyone recommend anything? As wildlife friendly as possible!? Thanks!



Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    It's been too cold for fuchsias to be doing anything much even if they're the hardy sort, so if they were in full growth they'll have been grown on in artificial heat and will have been shocked by putting outside in the cold. They might grow when the weather warms up, so keep your fingers crossed.
    I don't know about the heathers because I've never grown them.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I agree.  Heathers are generally hardier and have smaller leave so are less prone to the cold but fuchsias grown indoors will not like being put straight outside.   Having a greater leaf surface means they also need more water.

    I have a very large hardy fuchsia outside that is only just bursting into leaf.   My trailing fuchsias are tender and are in their pots in the polytunnel waiting for this cold snap to pass.   Once it is, they'll go to their usual places on a north facing terrace with no direct sun but plenty of light and regular watering till the autumn cold sets in.  They've already been pruned, potted on and fed in readiness.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Since it is a shady spot, fuchsias are a good choice - so if the ones you've got don't come back, you could replace them. Other options for shade are begonias and impatiens, which should be freely available. Whatever you get, DON'T plant out for another few weeks until it has warmed up (if it ever does!) and make sure they get lots of water. Unfortunately, baby plants are often on sale before they are ready to go outside.
  • FritillariaScotlandFritillariaScotland Posts: 67
    I think the two plants you chose are spot on for the position you put them in. My heathers are just coming out, in my experience they're not especially fussy plants, they'll do ok pretty much anywhere. Fuchsias like shade and some varieties are astonishingly hardy, I have a shrub at the front door, but it's not up to much yet, it's still a bit too cold. 
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