A real treat in store for us at our April meeting when we welcomed triphylla expert Mr. Paul Heavans from Cambridge. A lengthy 400 mile round trip, though not the longest trip Paul had made as he had been guest speaker in Seattle. He described himself as a dedicated showman, but growing for pleasure too, something, he observed, most society members do, just growing for pleasure.
"Very seriously active" as show grower around ten years ago he has been taking it a tad easier the last few years, though not retired. i.e. he put on a fab display for the 10 x 6" pot class at the BFS London Millennium Fuchsia Show.
As a grower it is important to have a target. Autumn is the time to assess what to do for the next show season, though Paul reckons it takes three years to build up stock to show again in earnest.
The triphylla interest was awakened (as for so many) by Mike Oxtoby. Mike was the first person (up North) to take to triphylla growing properly, shaping the plants and achieving such floriferous plants that they became serious contenders at the shows. "Fortunately Mike stayed up North!" Using Mike's ideas, and adding his own Paul arrived at a good mixture and was "doing it down South". Picking up as many tips as he could and adding to it resulted in a "sound cocktail" good enough to have his first attempt at the BFS London Show in 1989, to be rewarded with a first and Best in Show. Not surprisingly he became hooked! Affectionately labelled 'the triphylla man', Paul also had great success, including further Best in Shows, growing baskets and in the multipot classes. In fact only 10% of his show entries are triphyllas, though 'the triphylla man' label seems to have stuck.
Triphyllas not only make good show plants, they are also suitable for gardens. He has a magnificent bed in his garden when the triphyllas are complimented with conifers and winter-flowering heathers. (I can also vouch for them being excellent as dot plants in bedding schemes, even in really sunny positions and Scarborough Borough Council uses Thalias extensively in their containers).
Good triphyllas show plant should have plenty of foliage and side branches. They can be cultivated like other fuchsias but to grow those really big ones some heat is needed and best results will be achieved in the third and fourth year.
For a good result select a strong cutting, taking it longer than usual and trim off lower leaves taking good care not to damage side shoots in the leaf axils. Ultimately that extra buried node will throw up strong shoots from below compost level which are vital to give width. When potting on remove lower set of leaves and drop down, again aiming for more shoots. You can also take a slice of the bottom ('the breadknife method'), the plant again being dropped down and the top of the pot filled up with fresh compost. This repeated drop potting and top dressing results in continuous formation of fresh fibrous roots and leads to more top growth, the root growth being mirrored by the top growth.
Paul's compost consist of five part spagnum moss peat, one part vemiculite (or perlite) and one part grit, supplemented by 120gr (approx. 4ozs) calcified seaweed per 35 litre (approx. eight gallons).
When triphyllas get potbound they become woody and this leads to the dreaded leaf drop. This can be overcome by occasionally cutting a slice off the roots and giving fresh compost. With the fresh compost the momentum is kept going with fresh growth and plants that keep growing well will retain their leaves. Paul keeps most of his plants in a netting shade tunnel during the summer, some outside on gravel beds in full sun and only his small pots are actually kept in the greenhouse.
For stopping times he recommends 14-15 weeks for the terminally flowering types (e.g. Thalia), 10-11 weeks for the mainly axillary flowering types (e.g. Billie Green) and 11-13 weeks for the terminally and axillary flowering types (e.g. Leverkussen). However, don't be afraid to give an extra week, he added, as the plants will still be presentable with dressing.
Immediately after the last show of the season (or even at the show as it is then easier to transport plants home!) cut plants back hard to give as long a growing season as possible. Lay them down on their sides on a gravel bed and damp down regularly. This will encourage growth all the way down the old wood and avoids the ugly bare stems. In September/October we still have good growing conditions to get good coverage with little die-back. One stop, preferably two should be made before Christmas. The plants are then kept alive/