when to cut back an overgrown fuschia?

[inconceivableme]

We have one that's desperately overgrown. I've read conflicting advice on when they can safely be cut back. Any consensus here please?

I looked it up recently for mine and the book I looked at said after there's no danger of frost - will be interested to hear what others have to say too because it's my first year with one

My Wonderful late grandpa, grew amazing fuchsias, his advice was to prune a third off after the last flowers had dropped then wait until after any chance of frost had passed and prune really hard, removing any dead wood.

I follow this advice and even though I cut back to about 8" by the end of summer both my fuchsias are about 5' high and covered in flowers.

Probably depends how hardy it is, and how big.

If it's really huge, I would have thought you could take quite a lot of it down now.

Go to one of the dedicated fuchsia sites, and get their advice.

www.thebfs.org.uk/index.asp

Keep all fuchsias uncut over winter, as any pruning will not heal and the sap will run out in spring, also if outside cover with fleece as frost will kill off any shoots less than 1cm thick, hard frost will kill the entire plant. traditionally fuchsia would be kept in a cold house (unheated greenhouse) there is an exception Fuchsia Riccardii a hedging Fuchsia from Italy, it should be cut back in spring (end of May) removing any parts that frost has killed. The hedging fuchsia is grown in Jersey, Isle of man and Cornwall as a non spiked hedge - gives an idea as to its hardiness..