My sporadic quest to keep a Pelargonium & Fuchsia alive for more than a few months has been going on for decades & now continues this year. I'm going to not put the Pel in all day sun, and IDK what I'll do differently for the Fuchsia. Man, I can kill a Fuchsia in weeks. We will see what happens!



My last dragon wing lasted a few yrs & I had propagated a few stems & stuck them in various pots, & then I realized there didn't seem to be any anywhere anymore.


What are you trying again?

Pelargonium not my fave, but I don't know why it should be so fussy. I had a pelargonium in a pot last summer, one with the orange leaf zones? It wasn't totally happy, I think the pot dried out too fast/got too hot. My deck is a lot sunnier since two years ago, when moving shade made it wonderful for pots. I'm trying it again in ground this year, I kept the original in the basement window and got some nice cuttings growing from it too.
I've had a little dendrobium for several years, bought clearance after bloom, to see if I could get it to bloom. Last go round, I stuck it on a stick to be creative.But its way too dry here in winter for that method. I should toss it, but just watched some video and think I will pot it.
DO those sort of count? I guess the only try again I can think of is spider plants. Somehow they always get black from the leaf base up.But someone keeps giving me a new one. I got a really nice curly spider a year ago but it's become a mess after winter in the library with me.

Best luck!! Stories like yours are what inspired me to try another Pel. I'm going to use an unglazed clay pot this time & not put it in so much sun, some spot with shade mid-day. Thinking about putting all 3 of the ones in my pics together. Maybe this will psych them into wanting to keep up with the neighbors? LOL!

I can usually keep a Pelargonium alive for two to three years and then suddenly they just up and die, most likely due to the fact that they get left out during our summer rainy season and they get totally drenched for weeks on end. I currently have two that I purchased in April 2017 that I'd planned to put together in a hanging basket, which still hasn't happened! A few days ago, I noticed that something appears to be chewing holes in the leaves:



I don't ever seem to have much luck with Fuchsias (Fuchsia) and I don't know why I still buy them because I can't seem to keep them alive for very long. Last year I was at a local nursery and ended up buying a pretty Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius 'Red Alert') which I planted in the ground and it lived for about 4 months before dying. A couple of months ago I made an online purchase of a little Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius aequalis Croftway™ Coral Princess) that I misplaced for awhile. I'd planted it in a container with some Petunias and Periwinkle (Catharanthus) and kinda forgot about it. A couple of days ago, I noticed buds forming, so at least I'll get to see some flowers before it kicks the bucket ... as I'm sure it will.

Those are beautiful, Lin! I can totally relate to misplacing plants. Phygelius is a new one to me. Can't wait to see the bloom!

What is with these Fuchsias? A few yrs ago I remember someone posting on a forum somewhere about her bonsai Fuchsias & how she was constantly propagating new ones. Wish I'd paid more attention to whatever in the heck she was doing! LOL!

purpleinopp said: What is with these Fuchsias? A few yrs ago I remember someone posting on a forum somewhere about her bonsai Fuchsias & how she was constantly propagating new ones. Wish I'd paid more attention to whatever in the heck she was doing! LOL!

I wish I knew! I've tried growing the Hardy Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica) with zero success and then someone told me that the Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius aequalis) would be better for the south ... but I haven't had much luck with it either.

I saw a fuschia plant a few days ago and by passed it remembering that I've killed them in the past. So, I bought a tuberous begonia instead. The question is how long will it last? I just can't seem to be able to keep them going from year to year. Anyway, the fuschia blooms was so pretty, I think I'm going to go back and let it jump in my cart.

BTW, I bought some sun pelargoniums, let's see how well those last in this hot climate.

@Deebie, Deborah, It's very hot and humid here in Florida too and Pelargonium (Geraniums) do well, as long as they don't stay too wet.

Deborah, good luck! It would be hard to resist a tuberous Begonia!

Thanks, Tiffany and Plantladylin. For some reason my pelargoniums would quit blooming in the heat of summer. Here in SC we gets lots of rainfall year round. So, I'll have to make sure that it's kept under the eaves when it's raining excessively.

Maybe it's just too hot and humid where you are, Tiff and Lin. They are a standard mothers day gift here, and seem to grow for almost anyone. The years we do luck out and have a hot summer, it's hard on them. If it's up to around 80 degrees, I will water in the morning and late afternoon.

The red and white double one, I believe is the oldest variety, and seems to be the most tolerant for me.

LOL! Are you calling 80 hot? That's "starting to show signs of a warm up" for here. But you're right, some plants just can't handle the combo of high temps & high humidity.

We've already had mid and upper 80's here with high humidity to go along with it but the past 2 days have been quite pleasant, making for a nice change! The older I get, the more I dread July and August when it's miserably hot with oppressive humidity.

I am calling it really hot, and now I see how ridiculous it must sound to you southern bells.

It was actually over 80 the last two days here and ladies, it was HOT. for me. You guys would probably need a sweater. lol.

lauriebasler said: It was actually over 80 the last two days here and ladies, it was HOT. for me. You guys would probably need a sweater. lol.

I bet it would feel glorious to me because I don't think y'all get the awful humidity there, do you? The humidity here is what's so oppressive.

I put the 3 divas in a pot together.

... and what a lovely pot of Diva's!

TYVM!

So far, the plants look happy! It has gotten hotter so I moved the pot over a bit where it will fall into shadows about an hour sooner, so now it's in direct sun from about 8-11 AM.

Hi Tiffany, I also share the same frustration with fuschias...cannot grow them here, they just get zapped out so quick by the heat. But this Spring has been unseasonably cool. But I learn to avoid now plants that will just not thrive here.

Pelargoniums, these ones like our weather, when it is cool and dry the blooms and leaves lasts longer, they just start to struggle when our temps hover already in the upper 90F to triple digits when it is just gets very bone dry here. But they bounce back once temps return to cooler levels. Giving them dappled shade in the afternoon helps a lot. In some sense they behave like I am growing alpine succulents. Likes it cooler with some rain, but needs good dry out time. Our summer conditions here when it comes is intensely dry, zero rainfall and very hot so it slows down a bit in its growth at that time.

Right now the Pels are so happy, our conditions are running 20 degrees cooler than usual so there is a good blooming show and overall cooler growing environment. Typically we should be in the 95F to 100F and normally when temps run that high, there are no more blooms, leaves just stay green losing those nice leaf multi-colors.