I have a couple of California fuchsias (Zauschneria californica "Calistoga") that are healthy and blooming but have gone woody and leafless in the middle (see photos). I planted them last spring, so it's not that they weren't pruned. Can you help me figure out what's wrong and how to correct it?

- They were planted near an oak, so getting about five hours of hot sun during the summer. Too little sun? Competing with oak roots? Lavenders and a Jerusalem sage in same spot are fine. (As you'll see in photo, I just potted them up until replanting.)

- Drought stress? Or too much water?

-They
are sending out lots of lateral shoots for new growth. This seems like
the sign of a healthy plant, but is it also a message of discontent if
the main plant is so blasted in the middle? Please help!