NOTTINGHAM AND NOTTS FUCHSIA SOCIETY 

I haven’t been spending much time in my garden recently so it’s no wonder that when I did get out there, I found there were lots of jobs to do!  I needed to prune back my shrubs and perennials in the front garden so that I could see my path clearly again.  At the back, my fuchsia Magellanica, Kerria Japonica and Ribes all need trimming back (this will need to be a job for next weekend!) I still have my wall baskets to plant up and a couple of hanging pots.  Still, I am pleased that I have been able to pot on my seedlings which I have grown from seed this year: Hare’s Tail; Linaria and Nemesia.  Nemesia is quite popular in the Garden Centre at the moment and I am quite taken with the dark pinks and mauves that are around.  My seedlings, however, are more of an orange and yellow, still I’m pleased they even germinated!  I have four sunflowers (that Bob had been looking after) that have taken prime position on my patio and have been repotted several times now and are looking strong and one is just about to flower. 

My planters are all doing very well; the ferns and heucheras making lots of new growth.  My stumpery is equally doing well and I have recently planted three ‘flowering ferns’ which I bought from Lincoln Garden Show the other week.  They are not ferns at all, but corms.  However, apparently, the leaves are fern-like.  I can’t wait for these to grow.  I am making sure that I keep my Acers well watered this year as previously, they have suffered from too dry conditions which have resulted in white mildew (it’s the best way to describe it) on the leaves and I want to avoid the same from happening this year.  I have also treated one with Provado as I also seem to be troubled with our arch enemy, the vine weevil as the leaves are eaten away, again something I want to avoid this year! 

Whilst tending to my garden, I must try not to neglect my fuchsias and have been regularly feeding and pinching out in a half-hearted attempt to get some ready for the show-bench.  Most are looking healthy which is promising!

I need to look at my show fuchsia to see how that is doing, I must admit that this has been pushed to the back of my greenhouse and needs to be inspected sooner rather than later!  Hopefully yours are being cared for better than mine!  

Last month, Eddie Munro talked about growing fuchsias.  Here are a few hints and tips which I noted down: -

Propagating Fuchsias:

• Instead of an expensive propagator, why not use a pop bottle cut in half.
• Plant up round the outer circle of the pot. 

Feeding Fuchsias:

• Best time to start feeding – Spring with a nitrogen feed
• To encourage flowers use tomorite or a liquid fertilizer, or a balanced feed such as Chempak. 

Pests & Diseases

• Best way to eradicate the vine weevil – squash them! However, you still have their eggs to contend with, so use Provado twice yearly.
• To keep off whitefly – use fairy liquid 

How to prepare a 10” hanging pot:

• Use just one cultivar per pot.  Eddie recommends Eva Boerg.
• Five plants per pot.              

Just in case you missed last month’s newsletter: