Ned-H3 winter hardy fuchsias 5.Standard for testing of winter hardiness for fuchsias |
| What is the purpose of the standard for winter hardiness? | ||||
| During evaluation of earlier trials it appeared that none of them could be said to have been carried out under 'normal' circumstances. What were the Standards to be adopted to consistently check the suitability of a winter's severity? Which were the other supplementary conditions that need to apply? | ||||
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| To ensure
that the Dutch tests could not be criticised for the lack of a formalised Standard the
team developed its own Standards, to test for winter hardiness of fuchsias. Only cultivars
that met the standard could be awarded the Ned-H3 classification. The Standard was built over the first five years as the trial progressed. The timing of the first flowering was recorded for each cultivar. Winter hardy fuchsias must shoot anew from out of the ground as early as the start of April. No growth started from the branches as these has been frozen. Certified winter hardy fuchsias have to have a fast growing speed to offer a sufficiently long flowering period. The trials concluded that after a mild winter, fuchsia plants were in full flower from the middle of June. The 'record' is held by F.magellanica 'Fuchoj', [refer photo next]. In the first part of Mai they can allready free flowering. In March 2000 there re-growth (from branches) after a mild winter again 10 Ned-H3's in my frontgarden.a. again.. |
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| How did we classify the growing speed and the flowering start? | ||
In the
following manner:
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From 1987 were the flowering starts recorded. It is noteworthy that for each cultivar the
date remains constant. Even though that following the severe winter, the relationship to
the cultivars remained similar as in earlier seasons. In doubtful cases did we use
the standard N/G. Had the testing been able to have been carried out over a more extended
period, a definitive Standard may have been possible.
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| When does a winter have sufficient quality to be good enough to test for the winter hardiness status and was could this be laid down? | ||
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working group had been confronted with trial periods that had been mild. That changed with
the winter of 1986/1987. Following that severe winter 90% started to shoot from their
roots. We could conclude that not every winter hardy was in fact winter hardy. A second subject of the standard was to try and register all those fuchsias that survived a winter in Velp of sufficient severety to make the trial valid. Sixty cultivars were exposed to the severe winter of 1986/1987, the first that met the severity Standard set by the working group. One to three of the 35 varieties developed shoots out of the roots during April. Not before the spring of 1991 were we able to test the winter hardiness of our fuchsias again and they became the status Ned-H3 begin October 1991. We choose to use this 'mark' to establish a clear relationship with the English H3.
The working group recorded all five winters as per the above table. The official Meteorological reports from the aerodrome Deelen not far from Velp was used. The period recorded was November 20 to March the 15th. The data represents the minimum night and the maximum daytime temperatures. The table has recorded in a diagram the quality of each of the five trial winters, and well in the following way. On the basis of the official weather reports from the meteorological measuring point airfield Deelen (to this regio belongs Velp/Rheden) there is set out in a diagram the measured minimum night- and maximum day-temperature during the winter period 20 November till 15 March. The table of winter 1986/1987 ('Quality winter A') that met our Standard is shown as well the table of winter 1990/1991 ('Quality winter B') (1990/1991) in 'Reference Standard - Graphics Quality Winter A and B'. |
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| What other supplementary Standard belongs to a normal determination for recording a winter? | ||
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first is the recording of the frost number (refer 'The 'Frost number' is in part dependent on the quality of the winter'). That number is for 'Quality winter A' 32
and for 'Quality winter B' is that 18. These frost numbers are calculated from data
recorded at the main location of the KNMI in De Bilt. They are not available for the other
Dutch locations, such as Deelen. An additional standard is the counting of 'ice-days', that are days that it remains freezing during daylight hours. In this case we have provided the figures for Deelen. As the figure by supplied for Winterswijk, were not complete it was decided to graphically display the Deelen figures. For 'Quality winter A' is the number of ice-days 24, for 'Quality winter B' is that 11. To give an impression how such a graphic would look like for the coldest winter for the 150 years to 1999, is the chart shown below for 1962/1963 (measuring point De Bilt). This winter had a frost number of 84 and the most 'ice-days' with 35. At the end of this winter many of the tree nurseries in Boskoop suffered a lot of dammage to trees and plants that were normally considered winter hardy. The expectation is that those fuchsias considered as winter hardy, would not have survived this winter. |
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| An example of a very mild winter is given in understanding graphic 'Qualitity of the winter 1989/1990' measuring point Deelen. Such a winter has no value, if one wants to test fuchsias whether they are winter hard. | ||
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| The next measure is the recording of specific weather conditions, whether they are beneficial or detrimental to the cause. So, a thick layer of snow is of benefit to the plant, compared to a strong cold and drying wind. The latter is harsh to the any plant. | ||
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| What are the more precise details to distinguish 'Quality winter A' and 'Quality winter B'? | ||
| 'Quality
winter A' has as temperature is concerned, a much lower temperature than a 'Quality winter
B' classification. The coldest we recorded at the testing grounds was minus 21°C (0°F),
but there was a good cover of snow. We are unable to show the number of days of snow, 'Quality winter B' is thus less harsh. the temperatures are not as low, and the winter is not as long. However it did have cold windy days. There were days that the weather felt as if it froze minus 25°C. These facts were the motive for the working group to review winters A and B as about equivalent good trial winters and to use them in future as Reference trial Standard for testing hardy fuchsias (in USDA-zone 7). |
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| During the Eurofuchsia 1992 meeting in Haarlem by motion of the French fuchsia society the Reference trial Standard is accepted by the connected countries as starting point for testing fuchsias to hardiness. In the year 2000 there is to establish - via consulting fuchsia society magazines or internet sites - that of this is n't sure much to come right. A principal cause is a language problem, namely the fact that the book 'Winterharde fuchsia's', in which all givens about the Reference trial Standard is fastened, only is published in the Dutch language (this book is meanwhile out of print). Perhaps the English version of the site 'Ned-H3 winter hardy fuchsias' of this Gelderse Fuchsia Info-site may bring exchange in it. However, December 2002 is that not yet the matter! |
'Gelderse Fuchsia Info-site' - 
November
2008
