Fuchsias Lovely, But A Bit Needy

Last week I made the trek to Seattle for the annual Northwest Flower and Garden Show. This magnificent display of flora should be enough to satisfy any garden enthusiast. But when you have an available free day in Seattle before the show begins, how can you not take in some good buying opportunities?

You see, scattered about the Seattle area are numerous speciality nurseries offering the likes of ferns, lilies, and bulbs.

Naturally, they had to be scouted out. If I learned only one thing from this experience, it’s never to travel with friends who own a big van and love flowers as much as I do.

One huge greenhouse in particular is nestled deep in the woods in a remote place north of the city. It is filled to the brim with fuchsia cuttings in 2-inch pots - each labeled as to variety, shape and name.

It was like being in a candy store - dashing from one table to the next, filling a huge carton with delightful characters like Buttons & Bows, Lottie Hobby, Pink Jade, Tinker Bell and dozens more. Bursting with pride over my newly acquired collection, it dawned on me: I had just purchased a mass of prima donna plants that have very special growing requirements when it comes to soil, water, food, light and temperature.

Near the checkout stand was a little book titled, “Fuchsia Growing Guide for the Pacific Northwest.” It stared at me as if to say: “I knew you’d be back for me, you greedy gus.”

Once home, I set to work potting up these fellows - with the expert help of the growing guide.

Soil: Fuchsia soil needs to be rich, loose and slightly acidic. Bagged potting soils should be amended with peat moss, perlite, vermiculite or pumice. The fuchsia guide recommends a good potting mixture: two-thirds soil and one-third of any one of the above amendments. A slow-release fertilizer, such as Osmocote, can be added to the mixture.

Water: Soil should be kept evenly moist, never allowing it to dry out. (Whoops.) Since this is a real problem for me, I plan to add polymers to the soil. These synthetic jell-o-like substances are filled with water. Roots grow into them, drinking the water as the plant needs it. Polymers can be purchased at most of the larger garden centers.

Feeding: Fuchsias are heavy eaters. During March, April and May, feed them with a high-nitrogen fertilizer to encourage many shoots and tips to develop. During the rest of the growing season, feed them once a week with a 20-20-20 fertilizer.

Light: Fuchsias need light to bloom. Thirteen to 14 hours of filtered light is best. They strongly resent direct sunlight or dense shade.

Temperature: Naturally these persnickety plants grow best in temperatures of 50-75 degrees. Not exactly the norm for our summers. When our daytime temperatures reach into the ‘90s, fuchsias tend to curl their toes under and pout.

Planting: Any pot will work as long as it has drainage holes. Never plant them deeper than they were growing. Make sure the planting soil is moist before planting.

Pinching and pruning: Keep in mind fuchsias produce flowers on new growth. If you are planting cuttings as I am, you’ll need to pinch the tips back to two pairs of leaves.

According to the guide: “The pinch should be made about 1/8-inch above the second pair of leaves, (counting up from the bottom of the stem.) New shoots will develop from each leaf pair and when these develop two sets of leaves, pinch again in the same manner. Flowers develop only on each tip, so the more tips you have, the more flowers you will have.”

Old plants that have been saved over the winter usually have a woody branch structure. Cut these four to six inches from the soil.

If the fuchsias respond to this special care, I may be in store for a spectacular display - there will be trailing varieties for baskets, uprights for the tree forms and miniatures, with delicate little blossoms (my favorites).

On another note: The Washington State University Master Gardeners’ Yard and Garden Lecture Series continues Thursday with “Translating Ideas into Gardens,” presented by Bob Scarfo, associate professor of landscape architecture at WSU/Spokane.

Scarfo believes we all have talent when it comes to color, shapes and textures. We just need someone to point this out and assure us that we, too, can design.

I will be giving the lecture on March 16 - “Solving Landscape Problems.” We all face landscape dilemmas - tall decks, privacy, steep banks, cyclone fences and so on.

All problems have a solution - and it’s not relocating.

Both lectures will be held at the County Extension Office, 222 N. Havana, from 7 to 9 p.m. Preregistration is recommended by calling 533-2048. The cost is $5 at the door.