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My Fuschia bushes have died

sue.lewis127ERGWpuKJsue.lewis127ERGWpuKJ Posts: 2
in Problem solving
What can cause my fuschia bushes to die? Can they regenerate?

Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    edited March 2023
    Were they the hardy sort or the tender sort? The tender, half hardy ones should be in a frost proof place in winter. We've had quite a cold winter, even some of the hardy ones, especially when young, sometimes don't survive. Some are tougher than others.

    Hardy fuschias can look dead at this time of year. You can cut them down in spring and they make new growth from the bottom when the weather is milder.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Some of my hardy fuchsias are only just showing the first hints of new green growth, so there's time yet for them to come into growth. They're deciduous in all but very mild climates. If they aren't hardy and were left outside all winter then they were probably killed by the cold.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Don't write them off yet @sue.lewis127ERGWpuKJ

    I have both hardy and half-hardy fuchsias in pots that I move to the unheated polytunnel for the winter.  They've all looked dead for about 3 months now but I started watering them a couple of weeks ago and some now have teeny new shoots at the base.  I'll leave them another couple of weeks to see where more shoots develop and then cut them back to just above.

    The hardy shrub planted at the back of our house by previous owners is still looking dead but will start shooting in the next couple of weeks as things warm up.
    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
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    There are 3 types of Fuchsia:

    1.  Tender.      These will have been killed.

    2.  Marketed as "hardy":     Some will have been killed, others will re-emerge from the roots like an herbaceous plant.

    3.  Hardy.    The wood stays alive through most winters, the new growth can be damaged in late frosts.
    My magellanicas are not showing any green in the scratch-test no matter how far back I go.  I hope something is alive below ground. 
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • sue.lewis127ERGWpuKJsue.lewis127ERGWpuKJ Posts: 2
    All my Fuchsia bushes are hardy. I’ve had an enormous fuschia bush for over 30 years and it’s the first time I’ve not seen any growth at this time of year. At close inspection this morning, I’ve seen a tiny bit of greenery right at the base. This gives me hope that they’ll all come back. Must’ve been the cold winter. Thankyou so much for your comments as no gardener wants one of their treasured plants to die. 😀
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    i think the cold spell has held them back this year,  few weeks back our night temp was -6°.  Some are just showing minute leaf buds,  I haven’t even cut them back yet as it’s been so cold.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    It is still early I would also wait a while.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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