Standard Fuchsias & Geraniums in corner of balcony 2010-12-13 001

Lovely geranium and sensible to cover and protect the fuchsia would be a shame to lose them.

I've had these Fuchsia standards 7 or 8 years now & every year I stand them on the table in the most sheltered corner of the balcony to pass the winter.

I've never put newspaper around their bare stems before but this year the frosts have come so early & have been so hard that I fear they may not survive the winter. So a week or so ago I thought I would do this. Newspaper is supposed to be a good insulator so it should help them with just a tiny bit more protection to come through the winter. I don't know what else I can do to help them survive. We live in a small flat & there is no room for these big plants inside. Even the coldest room in the flat is too warm to keep them dormant.

They seem to be well protected there, especially since it faces south west - should be ok I think

All the growth on the tops has been killed off very early this year. Other years I still have a few flowers & leaves into the New Year.

The heads actually protrude above the bag as it has no top. This has never worried me as the main branches have always sprouted again in late winter/early spring but with the colder weather so early this year & perhaps more heavy frosts I want to be sure that the bare stem, the most vulnerable part of the plant, doesn't get frozen. The plant itself would probably sprout from below soil level again but I would lose the stem & head that have taken all these years to form.

A good standard fuchsia takes a few years to develop. It would be a shame to loose them. It's great you've given them more protection this cold winter

They are doing so well , it must be a sheltered balcony I have hardly any plants in flower at the moment!

That's why I have added the newspaper around the stems.

Only that corner is sheltered, PP, which is why I keep my plants on a table there. That Geranium has had a few of its leaves frosted even though it's in that protected corner. You can see some of the damaged leaves still, they look greyer than the other leaves. I've now started to cover them with a few sheets of newspaper, too.

I don't think the Ivy Leaf Geranium in the conical basket will survive this winter. There are two plants in the basket, one has a double purple flower & the other has a single red one. They have been there for years, never being moved, summer or winter. I don't remember having moved it during last winter, in spite of all the snow & frost we had.