Has anyone grown a hardy (zone6) Fuchsia magellanica 'Ricartonii" or 'Mme Cornelissen' in Zone 6 and had it live through the winter? One of my books says Z6 with winter protection, deciduous in colder regions. Grows to 6 feet. What kind of winter protection would work? Wrapping it in leaves and Remay cloth? I don't mind if it dies back to the ground and resprouts. I have been intrigued by this species for years but have never tried one. I could keep it in a pot in the garage but would be interested to know if I can leave it the ground. Get lots of snow (heavy) cover. Thank you so much.
Hi Ron, We have hot days, cool nights. May is usually gorgeous until official planting time, 24 May, then it seems to be cool and rainy for 5 weeks. Summers are reliably warm and sunny, about 80 F, occasionally get an early frost in Sept, but usually in October. The climate is very good. Snow Dec, Jan, Feb. usually gone for the most part by mid March when my snowdrops and snow crocus come out. This year they have been snowed upon several times including today but are still gamely blooming on. Soil is well drained, possibly glacial till, no standing water, slopes every which way, add mulch/compost whenever possible. Have lots of maple and elm leaves, plus weeping willow, apple, lilac. I think the soil is neutral though lupins thrive in my garden. Does that mean slightly acidic?
If the soil is well drained, it is not glacial till. Glacial till is one of the most impervious soils anywhere and is one of the most sought after materials to line the water side with in earth dams, to prevent water penetration. It has a clay base mixed with gravel or stones. If it is well draining it is more likely lacustrine silt, which is often confused with clay, mixed with sand and possibly gravel.
Depends on what the glacier moved over and eroded! Some glacial till is very free-draining, if the glacier was eroding sandstone.
Hi, The underlying rock around here is granite (I think) but no sandstone. There are big eskers along the Columbia a few miles down the road with cobbles of granite, green stones, etc. It's like a rock supermarket along the Columbia. I don't have clay, the soil does not stick together. However when dry the water rolls off the top like water on flour. What a relief it's not glacial till. There is a streak of sandy soil at the top of the yard, but for the most part in the front its subsoil, an inch or two of topsoil and a lot of tree roots.