Hi Teresa,
Well I'm zone 8 in the UK and they don't survive here in the winter. Yes by all means grow them in the garden in the summer and pot then up and trim them back by a third before the frosts come in late Autumn. Firecracker's leaves might get spoilt by summer rains though - Kath:)

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll leave the Firecracker in a pot then.

What is the general rule for pinching the tip off these plants. Both the Firecracker and Firecracker are about 10" tall right now. The Firecracker is in a pot with 3 plants. Each plant has 3 strong stems. It is nice and bushy right now. The Gartenmeister is not as bushy. Each plant has two stems to each plant and the fifth pair of leaves is just coming out. Should I pinch them back or leave them as is?

As they are now 10 inches tall it is a bit late for pinching back, this is usually done after each stem has produced 3 pairs of leaves. It won't hurt the plant if you do decide to pinch back now, but will delay flowering - Kath:)

Hi Teresa,

Gartenmeister also is not hardy in zone 8. It is listed as H1 at Earthworks Fuchsias (link below). It seems that the hardiness ratings are H1, H2 or H3, with H3 being the hardiest. If you go to the Earthworks web site, click on Catalogue 2004, then on Uprights. As you move down the list, you'll see the Hardiness rating along the left edge.

Earthworks has 600+ varieties of fuchsias, altho they don't list Firecracker. I visited the nursery in April and came home with about 20 upright and 20 trailing fuchsias. At $.60 per start, it's hard not to select LOTS of them!

Patrick

Here is a link that might be useful: Earthworks Fuchsias

Thank you to both of you, Kath and Patrick. Your advise has been most helpful. I have learned a lot about fuchias from your responses and from the FAQ here. I appreciate your suggestions.

I rescued a Firecracker at Lowes a month ago for 1.00. It is the first Fuchsia I have been able to keep alive this long and grow.

marquest~ that looks just like the one I just 'rescued' from HD. I just started a cutting from it, I hope it takes. They are cool little plants.

My Gartenmeister is in its third summer of re-bloom. I bought in summer of 2002. It is in a large black "nursery pot" which is inside a thick wooden pot that I think started life as an ice bucket pot. The wood is thick. I cut it back to about 4 to 6 inches, and shelter it on my deck close to the house. Winters in my Oregon coastal city are fairly mild, but the February winds are terrible. Then my potted fuchsias get more shelter, even taking them into the garage for a week or two. In April I evaluate and cut back again on all my fuchsias, to where I see nice green growth. Then I start the fertilizer process. Every week. I use a 20 20 20 formula until July, then go to a Blossom Boost formula every 2 weeks. A good one for shady in - ground - growth is Swingtime. This year she's 3 ft high and as wide. A nice companion for hanging basket fuchsias is Vinca Major. Comes back every year and makes nice large blue flowers while the fuchsias are in their "stick" stage. And a pretty vine to complement either upright or hanging fuchsias.

I've observed Gartenmeisters which clearly overwinter reliably--in San Leandro, California. That makes it Zone 9 or more likely Zone 10. They definitely don't overwinter outdoors in Zone 7. I gave up on bringing them in for the winter, and just re-order new ones every year. I love them, but they look so ratty by the time it's safe to put them outside again, and they never really recover by the time the frosts return.

I brought my gartenmeister in last fall and kept it in my cool basement, pinched it back in the spring(rooted that in water), it is now beginning to bloom.I have done this with those labeled annuals also.

I just discovered this forum, so my posting is a bit late. I have a zone 8 neighbor who has grown a Gartenmeister in the ground successfully for a number of years. It is planted next to his house on the north side, so perhaps it is a bit protected. The plant is huge and very healthy. The mild winters that we've been experiencing of late may have something to do with it. My own GartenmeisterÂforgotten in a pot over one winterÂdidn't make it.