My favorite flower is the fuchsia. Delicate, pretty, usually pink and purple, sometimes red and white, though I did see a dark maroon once. Shy dancers, moving gently in the breeze.
I find them easy to grow. Maybe that’s why they are my favorite. The first time I planted a cutting and actually got a full plant from it, I fell in love.
Since then I have propagated quite a few of them. Fall cuttings do better than spring cuttings. Certain varieties-single blooms, do better than the double blooms.
I tried my hand at growing them as a standard-the plant grows on a stem instead of as a mound. That is a long term project. For example, if I plant a seedling today, it will reach its full height maybe next September.
I had some success, I was able to train a plant to half-standard, 18 inches, and then the top broke which put an end to it growing taller.
The next one did grow to the full standard length of 42 inches, but my problem is that I don’t like to prune my plants. So the standard which is supposed to have a smooth trunk and branches at the top, ends up looking like this:
If the plant is not pruned along the trunk, the energy is distributed and the top looks straggly. I will prune this over the weekend and put up the picture.
This year I am going to try to grow a standard with the Winston Churchill variety. Its a beautiful, double flowered, purple and pink variety.
So I took two cuttings and planted them. I am going to try and train them to the full standard height and actually try to braid them together to see if I can get a nice braided trunk and full top.
I have been wanting to try bonsai too. Maybe over the next few weeks, I will read up on it and start it.
These cuttings might not take because of the 100 degree temps coming up in the next few days. But I will keep taking cuttings every few days till I get a couple growing for me.
That was my attempt at creativity today. As they say, imagination is better than reality. Just thinking about how I would grow these cuttings and train them and the results I would get gave me so much pleasure.
Keep on!
