You should be fine. If it's still green, you didn't kill it, but you may have stressed it a bit. If you want to mow shorter going into winter, it's better to cut back gradually, but going from a 3 to a 5 may not be that big (although as tiemco pointed out, we really don't know what 3 and 5 mean, so you may have gone from the tallest setting to the shortest, which would be less than fully optimal). But for future reference, snow mold is rarely a problem in the intermountan west. You'd think it would be with all the snow we get, but with our humidity levels, it's actually pretty rare. When we do get snow mold, it usually kills a small amount of grass, but the mold dies off in a hurry as it warms up and dries out.

A picture would really help. You say it looked as if it had been 'neglected for many years.' That sounds a bit strange for a fuchsia - they don't usually live for many years if they are in pots unless they are very well cared for. Was it in leaf? In flower? Are you certain it is a fuchsia? Can you give us more information?

I can't advise about the tap root, but have a little experience with over-eager tree peonies here in coastal NJ. They do seem to be more hardy than they appear, but are so lovely, who wants to take a chance? I was worried these past two winters about flower buds swelling and leaves unfurling when some pretty severe freezes were still anticipated. I made a "tee-pee" with bamboo stakes and some clear solar pool cover material I had left over from my greenhouse-insulating project ... I imagine other materials would work. I put a few water-filled 1-gallon milk jugs inside, and piled some shredded leaves inside (not too high) and around the base of the tee-pee. Each year they've come through just fine, with neither frostbite nor fungus. I do watch on sunny days, though, and remove or vent, to be sure temperatures in there don't get too high. Good luck with your tree peonies ... maybe with care and time that potted one will be fine.

No, all is ok. First how long was the branch off the plant. If more than 5 days, you are fine. If just a day or two, just cut the bottom at a 45 degree angle and leave it to dry for a week. Then you can water root it in a solution of water with a few drops of superthrive or B-1 or wet the base, dip into rooting hormone and plant. Water once and then keep on a warm base until it leaves out (1-3 months) It is hard to not water, but the stem has enough water. Mist the top but keep the base dry so it sends out roots looking for water and does not rot. Water rooted plants have some trouble adjusting to soil if they are rooted too long. I have found that if water rooting is only done until the roots begin as a cottage cheese on the bottom of the cutting, then the cutting is planted, there is a higher survival rate. Most people, I believe, just plant the cutting without water rooting and keep the bottom heat on. I have had success at both but mostly just plant because of the number of cuttings I plant. Others will have their methods and successes. Bill