Allotments 4 All

I'm a complete novice at gardening, but I have a few fuschia plants and a load of busy lizzies (got the trays fro 49p each in b & q and put them into pots, they look fantastic now)

Anyway, could someone tell me how to take cuttings from the fuschias, and would the buzylizzies reseed themselves, and if not how do I get seeds from them (or do I)?  Thanks for any advice.  ???

Minx. I would do as Wardy suggests. I will tell you that fu*hsia cuttings are really easy  to take... even I have good results.. I have only had a real job with one and that is Dawn Star it is one my late husband bought me. Just  cannot seem to get good results for that one.
Good luck Lorna.

I have grown busy lizzies from seed, but they're frankly not worth the effort since plugs are so cheap. If you have any particularly attractive colours you can take a few cuttings to overwinter - they root easily in water, but remember to cover them with a plastic bag for a day or two when putting into soil.
You can do the same thing with f*chsias if you want to; as Lorna nad Wardy say, they root very easily, in soil or water.

that's terrific..thanks for all your help!

margaret

Your fuschia's you can put in a box of peat and put them to bed for the winter just strip the leaves off them before.
or strip the leaves off them and leave them on their sides in a frost free shed or green house.
In the spring they will start to shoot and you can pot them in a bigger pot to grow on and trim bact to the live shoots.
Bizy Liz look out for the seed pods forming now when fat take a firm grip and pop into a paper bag they explode if your not carefull its fun to get a few seeds if you can.

Its probably not worth grwong BLs from seed. Most are highly bred hybrids (some F1) which will not come true from seed. Even if it were worth doing the seed would be v difficult to collect. BL seed form in capsules which explode when ripe, scattering the seed. All you get left with is something resembling a coiled spring and no seeds.

I think it is possible to take cuttings of busy lizzies. I beleive this is how nurseries propagate the hybrids for sale. Try taking tip cuttings from non flowering shoots. make the cuttings about 1 -1 1/2 inches long and insert into a pot free draining compost, place inside a propagatoror cover with a plastic bag (but dont let the bag touch the cuttings). Keep in a warm light spot out of direct sun. dont over water but dont allw to dry out. Finaly FINGERS FIRMLY CROSSED. I have never tried BLs from cuttings but i dont see why the above shouldnt work. If it works they should root quite quickly, and you have plants for free.

If all else fails you can always buy some plug plnts next spring. Thompson and Morgan do good deals on young plants for bedding.

BL cuttings are incredibly easy - you don't even need non-flowering shoots if you can't find them.

Is it too late now to take cuttings from Busy Lizzie?
Do they require any special overwintering conditions?
I have always bought plugs (did try seeds once, but no success) and I am would love to try to get a few from cuttings.

BL cuttings are best in spring early summer but if you want a go now take a sharp knife cut below a set of leaves take off lower leaves and pop into water will root may take a little longer. Then pot up .
Conditions light warmth and not too wet. You could always try potting up a plant from the garden and overwintering it.

Thanks

I collect busy lizzie seeds every year.  I prefer to collect my own as I get a really good variety of colours each year.  I don't worry about them coming true as it is nice to wait and see what colours I get.