I hope you didn't miss out on our crazy Half Price Sale. We had many satisfied customers - they realised this was a really good deal and came back two or three times to stock up on more plants!
I am indebted to my dear wife, Carlene, who had to carry the can, with some help from my son, Stewart, for most of the sale. I was "man down" with a viral infection. Thank you, dear, you were a star!!
Now is the time to give your fuchsias a mid-Summer prune. This is a light pruning to tidy up the plant and promote another flush of flowers. So ... where to prune? With most varieties, the plant will tell you where to prune. There will be new young shoots about one-third of the way down the stem. Nip off cleanly just above those shoots, which will be the bearers of the next flush of flowers. Do a quick check for any diseased stems and remove, if there are any. If the plants need shaping, then this is also the time to do it. Don't be scared to prune. If in doubt – prune!!
Your plant may still be young and not need to be pruned. But maybe it just needs some shaping. Or perhaps it is leaning to one side or hanging on the ground. Use some bamboo canes and some of grandma's ol' pantyhose and tie up and support the branches. This is also a good time to re-mulch your plants with some coarse compost and feed with chicken manure/Bounce/Accelerator and 5:1:5 granular fertiliser two weeks later.
With all this attention your appreciative fuchsia will be re-energised and should reward you with plenty of blooms until at least about May. By that time they will be ready for their main prune.
It is time for Carlene and I to sneak away for a long weekend break! So please take note that the nursery will be closed from this Friday, 6th, to Monday, 9th, February. We will also be closed from Friday, 27th Feb to Monday, 2nd March when Yours Truly will be doing the three day, 100 kilometre trail run/walk, known as Three Cranes Challenge, which is part of my Bucket List for 2015. We hope that our closing times do not inconvenience you.
News supplied by Tanglewood Nursery..