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Hardy varieties of fuchsias can over winter with minimal care in the ground. But, non-hard fuchsias can only overwinter with special care. Remember that no standard is hardy, even though many hardy fuchsia varieties make good standards.

Keeping all standard varieties at a minimum of 40 Fahrenheit or 5 Celsius during the winter is critical. This will make sure that the plant won’t die back.

Can I keep my fuchsia over winter?

A hardy fuchsia or bush fuchsia planted in the garden will die off during the winter. And it will shoot from the base the following spring. And if you let a standard fuchsia die back, it will also shoot from the base. In the next season, you will end up with a bush. Standards must be kept ticking along throughout the whole of the winter.

However, growth will slow down. And for this reason, it is important to avoid overwatering. Roots left sitting in constantly wet soil will soon rot away. Keep a close eye on the standard – it ideally needs to be just moist.

A light trim around the head of the standard in the autumn will help promote a good shape for the next growing season. And it will also make it tidier for storage. Of course, this will also help you see when new shoots form the following spring.

Once you can see new growth, a bit of fresh compost and increasing the watering will see the standard fuchsia burst into life and be ready to give you another year of love.

But remember, you should still pinch out the early season growth. It will result in a bigger, better standard with even more flowers.

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Should fuchsia be cut back for winter?

Fuchsias should not be cut back for winter if planted in the ground. They need their stems for insulation and food through the winter.

But fuchsias in containers should be cut back for the winter. Cut the stems to about three inches at the top.

Can you keep fuchsia indoors over winter?

You can keep fuchsia indoors over winter. Inside your home, you can put your fuchsias into dormancy. Although your fuchsia will look dead, it will be fine. Fuchsias can sleep through the winter indoors.

It’s best to place the fuchsia indoors in a cool, dark area. The place’s temperature should be between 45 and 55 Fahrenheit (4-7 Celsius).

Over winter, your fuchsias inside your garage or basement. Place the plant indoors and reduce watering. It’s normal for fuchsias to lose leaves during this time. The plant will look dead, but it isn’t.

While your fuchsia is parked indoors for winter, you should water it monthly. Don’t add water until the soil feels moist to the touch.

When should I bring my fuchsias down for the winter?

You should bring your fuchsias down for the winter before the first frost. They don’t require light for overwintering indoors. You can put your fuchsias into dormancy inside a garage, shed, or greenhouse. Your fuchsia will look dead during this time, but it will be fine.

How do I overwinter my bush or basket fuchsia?

Nonhardy fuchsias need to be given frost protection during winter. It doesn’t matter how you grow your fuchsias during the summer, plunged into beds, in their pots or just on the patio in baskets or pots or planted out. Hardy varieties are grown in pots for effect and also need frost protection; otherwise, the valuable root system will die off.

What to do with fuchsias over winter?

Before the first frosts of winter come, lift plants from borders and put the root ball into the smallest possible pot. Reduce all the plants to one-third of their summer size. This will mean that you can store them more easily, and cutting back hard will give you more vigorous growth in the next growing season.

Fuchsias are naturally deciduous, dropping their leaves during each growing season. And that characteristic will reduce the possibility of harboring any pests and diseases. I recommend removing as many old leaves as possible at the end of each growing season.

Sooner or later, the leaves will fall off anyway during the winter. Unfortunately, leaf litter in the greenhouse is an ideal breeding ground for potential problems.

There are several ways to provide a frost-free environment:

Overwinter Fuchsia in Heated Conservatory or Greenhouse

A heated conservatory or greenhouse provides an excellent frost-free environment for fuchsias. In fact, if you can keep these environments at a minimum of 40 Fahrenheit or 5 Celsius, the fuchsia plants will keep ticking over during the winter much as a standard. This method will give you a bigger plant with flowers earlier in the next growing season.

Overwinter Fuchsia in Unheated Greenhouse, Shed or Garage

The fuchsias will be kept just above freezing in an unheated greenhouse, garage, or shed. This will ensure that your fuchsias will go into a much deeper dormancy. And for this reason, the lack of light will not be a problem.

But you will need to let the plants dry out. However, don’t let them go completely crispy and dry. Also, if you expect a hard frost, it would be smart to give the fuchsia plants extra protection. Horticultural fleece, straw, polystyrene chips, or hessian will all offer one or two degrees more of winter protection.

Laying down fuchsias

“Laying down” is a traditional way of overwintering fuchsias. The process of laying down requires a large pit. Make sure you dig in an area of the garden where the ground will not become waterlogged and line the pit with a thick layer of straw.

Fuchsia plants can be cut back hard. Then, you can lay them on top of one and the other. Add a layer of straw is put in place, and then the pit is backfilled to give a minimum of a six-inch depth of dirt.

The plants are then left in the pit until the following spring. When the plants are removed from the pit, they will sport long white shoots, although this means they have got through the winter and successfully cut these back hard to promote stronger growth.

If you cannot provide a frost-free environment, it may be best to take a few cuttings in the autumn. These can be grown during the winter indoors. As long as you place them on a sunny windowsill, they’ll do well. But be careful your plants don’t get too hot in the spring sunlight.