Recently a hummingbird visited the garden.  Yup.  November in Victoria & still the hummingbirds hang out.  Here is one of the reasons why:

Hardy Fuchsia is one of my fall favorites.  I like that the deer seem to leave it alone.  And I really like to see something blooming so late in the season.

There are 4 decent sized Hardy Fuchsia in our garden to keep the hummers fed through the fall.  Most years the shrub blooms straight through Christmas.  Then our winter cold kicks in and it dies back fairly quickly.

Luckily for the hummingbirds, that’s when other bloomers like snowdrops, cyclamen and hellebore show up to pick up the slack.

Occasionally, when I really feel the urge for a tidy garden, I trim the tired shrub back right to the ground.  It’s always come back in the spring, and seems to easily reach mature height & be blooming again by July.

Some years I don’t bother to trim it back, but you decide.  Here’s a comparison shot from one spring  when it wasn’t trimmed back. Which do you prefer?

I’m still undecided.

If it’s trimmed back, it’s tidy & my attention goes to the spring blooming Pacific Bleeding Heart that’s spread so nicely around its base.

If it isn’t trimmed back, it looks a little shabby, but nicely fills that air between the 2 clumps of cedars.    Please weigh in on this one & let me know if I should bother trimming this winter?

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