Prune fuchsias in March, expert suggests

14:22 15th February 2011

Gardening and greenhouse enthusiasts may be interested to learn March is the time to prune fuchsias, according to one TV gardener.

Responding to a reader's question in the Daily Mail, BBC Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don said next month is when individuals should "cut back all last season's shoots to within one or two buds of the previous season's growth".
If they are overgrown, he added, old shoots should be trimmed right back, as should any that are overlapping.

For plants that look past their sell-by-date the best plan is to "cut the entire shrub to ground level and start again with the subsequent new shoots," the expert remarked.

In answer to another reader query, the TV gardener advised anyone with New Zealand cabbage palms to keep them warm using bubble wrap until the risk of minus five degree temperatures has gone.

Once things are bit warmer it is essential to get rid of any covering as leaving it on can cause rot, he commented.