Bloomin' Garden

[Sam Wilson]

LiCR,

As our garden shifts into rainy season we have a number of bloomers...

These pics were all taken this morning and rainy afternoon.

[ message 1 of 2 ]

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Sam

[Sam Wilson]

LiCR,

As our garden shifts into rainy season we have a number of bloomers...

These pics were all taken this morning and rainy afternoon.

[ message 2 of 2 ]

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Sam

[Joe Harrison]

Meanwhile, I've got a huge -- like gigantic -- fuchsia plant growing like crazy.  But so far, it ain't bloomin'.  This is its first year, sprouted from seed from a hanging basket fuchsia that never did real well.  Anyone know when fuchsias bloom around here?

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[Sam Wilson]

Hi Joe,

Supposedly they bloom year-round in the tropics, but our experience at 600 msnm has been similar to yours "never did real well."  But you may be on to something, maybe they don't do so well in a hanging basket outside of a vivero!  jajaja.  Of course I buy them when they are beautifully in bloom at a nursery, but then those are the only blooms we get and then a couple of months later, I find that my lovely jardinera has reused the hanging basket for something else. I think we probably over (or under?) water, over sun, and under feed.  Next one I see one at a vivero I'll have to buy one to see if we can take care of it in a better fashion and maybe try to propagate it in the ground.

In order to thrive, fuchsia plants require nutrient-rich soil with a pH level of 6 to 7.  They are a heavy feeder (slow release in the ground, liquid ferts in containers.)  They like consistent soil moisture and filtered light like maybe morning sun, but shaded in the afternoon and they do not like hot (> 27°C).  If you get all of that right (especially the light) then supposedly they bloom like crazy!

My guess has been that what the viveros around us have from time to time are not the fuchsias that are native to Central America but are rather a more spectacular variety from Japan or some other exotic hard to replicate place...

Bottom line is that we have never figured them out, but keep buying them like a lovesick teenager, repeat.

My current technical gardening focus is on keeping about 30-ish little palm trees alive.  I've got little red lipstick palms, areca or alexander (?) palms, and yellow palms all sprouted from seeds growing in medium sized containers and a bunch of traveler palms I've been propagating in the ground around the farm by separating babies from mother plants.  I did pick up a nice grow light for trying to get something green to oxygenate my office/cave but I haven't started using it yet.

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Sam

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[Joe Harrison]

Good info Sam, thanks.  A lot of it confirms my thoughts, but now I'm starting to question whether this behemoth is, in fact, a fuchsia.  I'll take some fotos tomorrow and circulate them to get opinions.   joe

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