Some fuchsias are more nectar-rich

Q: Is it only the species fuchsias that have nectar? I've noticed the hummingbirds spend very little time in my fuchsias, which are mostly hybrids.

A: I couldn't find the answer to your question in any of my books, so I turned to the librarians at the Miller Horticultural Library (you can reach them with gardening questions at hortlib@u.washington.edu, or Plant Answer Line at 206-897-5268). The trusty researchers found the answer from Web pages about hummingbirds, but suggest a good source for further information would be the British Fuchsia Society, at www.thebfs.org.uk/answers.

As you suspected, hummingbirds are ignoring your hybrid fuchsias for the far more nectar-rich species fuchsias. Hummers, like most birds, lack a sense of smell, so are attracted to color and nectar, not fragrance. No wonder they turn a cold wing to the hybrids and go for the species that originated in the wild. It makes sense that since species and birds evolved together over centuries, the birds would prefer the wild plants over hybrids, which are much more recent man-made inventions.

Q: I inherited a peach tree and an apple tree with several large blueberry bushes. When my friend sold his property to a large developer, it was a choice of transplanting the trees in my yard or seeing them get bulldozed over, so we transplanted them. I realize that the middle of August is not the best time to transplant, but there wasn't any choice.

My problem is, the apple tree's leaves are beginning to turn red. Is this normal for this time of year, or is the tree suffering from trauma?

Also, the peach tree is approximately 20 feet tall or taller, and I don't want it to grow any taller or I won't be able to harvest any fruit from the topmost branches.

I read somewhere that the upward limbs on a peach tree should be weighted down to extend horizontally. Is this true? When and how should these trees be pruned? Could you recommend a book that would guide me through adopting these trees and blueberry bushes?

A: I'm sure your apple tree is traumatized by being moved during the heat and drought of August, but at least it escaped the greater trauma of the bulldozer.

Pour on literally buckets of water (as long as the soil drains adequately), and even if your tree loses leaves early this year, it probably will recover and leaf out next spring, depending on how well you prepared the soil and how carefully it was transported and transplanted.

Your peach tree will continue to grow, so you may want to invest in a ladder.

For the best information on how to care for fruit trees, you can access the expertise of Washington State University through the Dial Extension Gardening Service at 206-296-DIAL or the King County Master Gardeners Hotline at 206-296-3440. For a detailed chapter filled with knowledgeable advice on how to prune fruit trees in our climate, get hold of a copy of Cass Turnbull's "Guide to Pruning" (Sasquatch Books, 2004).

Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.