Flowers dancing in balerina skirts (Fucshia)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Fucshia
Date:	21/06/09 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: pretty

Disadvantages: none

I was in the garden centre a couple of days ago and saw their fuchsia .It brought back memories of how my mum loved them.

*The fuchsia is a native of Mexico, the West Indies and New Zealand . In the late 17th century the first Fuchsias were found and introduced to Europe. From these first plants many varities have been bred.

* The fuchsia flowers from June right through the summer.
The fuchsia has pretty flowers they look like dancers with frilly skirts. A thin green stalk attaches the flower to the stems this stalk swells and makes a seed case then the coloured sepals form a tube, these then split and they curl up. The petals make a "skirt " below this then the stigma and stamens often hang below the petals looking like lots of legs. This is the basic form but depending in the variety the flowers will have more petals, be longer fuller narrower or wider,
The colours reds, pink's, peach, white, purple's, lilac.. Some fuchsias are single coloured some multi


*Fuchsia's can be divided into 3 groups, the hardy, the indoor pot fuchsia and the trailing.

*The hardy.
This one will grow outside just needing pruning in the spring .
There are a few varieties of fuchsia that will grow outside. The most common one I think is the one with red flowers on. This grows very tall can grow up to 3 metres 10 foot tall, flowering from mid summer till autumn. This looks magnificent grown as a hedge. There are a few smaller varieties that can also be grown outside and used in the flower bed.

*The Trailing

I remember we always had hanging baskets outside our cottage , often they would have trailing fuchsias in them. I remember these fuchsias as bold colours.
One "Swingtime"
I remember the name when I looked at the fuchsia page in my book . This one filled a basket growing 2 foot /60cm tall this is a doubled flowered red with white petals. It suits its name.
There is another trailing fuchsia that is pink too

*The indoor pot fuchsia.
I remember mum often had several fuchsias indoors in the summer. One would always adorn the centre of her little side table by her chair she would have a white lacy doyley table cloth and on top of it a fuchsia in a pretty pot.
I remember these as pink and lilac flowers very pretty and dainty

*Care.
Apart from the hardy varieties these plants do not like frost . Dad used to keep his over winter in the greenhouse. Water your plants in the summer but decrease the watering in the winter. In the early spring you can prune back old growth making way for new.



*Thank you for reading. I must admit although my mum especially loved her fuchsias I am not over keen I prefer my flowers simpler.

Summary: A summer flowering plant