In Praise Of Fuchs (Hardy Fuchsia)

Member Name: Sexy Kay

Product:	Hardy Fuchsia
Date:	03/07/02 (1042 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beauty

Disadvantages: Rust

Hello my green-fingered friends. I'm here to do a bit of a Charlie Dimcock, or whatever she's called.. Yes, I've got the right credentials. Well a couple of them at least - as you can no doubt tell from the slight nip in the air this evening. Mind you I haven't always been a gardening expert - oh no. In fact, between you and me, my plants never used to live very long . Many wouldn't even wait to die but preferred just to commit suicide. But all of that has changed now, it's amazing the difference it makes when you leave off your bra.

As I look across my estate I feel uplifted as I breath in deeply and take in the splendour and colours before me. Quite outstanding - with the whites, reds and pinks on display. Okay, okay so I've only got a balcony but I do love a good fuchsia, don't you? And I can put on a decent, and occasionally indecent, show.

For some reason I feel in tune with fuchsias. Who knows, perhaps I was once related to Leonhart von Fuchs, that well known German botanist, after whom these wondrous plants are named. It must obviously have been in another life because he lived from 1501 to 1566. The first real mention of fuchsias, however, was by a Jesuit monk called Father Charles Plumier. He spotted them with bloodshot eyes when on an 'all inclusive, drink as much as you want' bucket and spade holiday to the Dominican Republic. This was in 1703 or thereabouts. He was a somewhat serious clever Dick so he called them 'fuchsia triphylla flore coccineo'.

Doesn't that annoy you about 'expert' gardeners? They love to use those long Latin names to impress and build up their parts a little. That reminds me of a story!

There was this attractive woman whose tomatoes just wouldn't ripen, so she asked the guy next door what his secret was. He told her that the only way was to strip naked in front of the tomato plants twice a day and they would then so
on go red with embarrassment. A few weeks later the neighbour asked her how the tomatoes were doing. "Still not too good", she replied, "But you should see the size of my cucumbers".

Anyway, back to fuchsias. They were first introduced into Britain in 1788, or maybe it was 1789. It's not too important - just look at how many there are now. I love them.

What I like are the magnificent colours, and have you ever really looked at the flowers? They are works of art. I've got a pair of lovely pink ones - and pink fuchsias too! Sorry, must be serious. I've also got red ones, red and mauve, red and pink and a fantastic white double flowered variety. Well I say white, but there is the most subtle delicate hint of pink on the outside petals. I've no idea what all the Latin names are, and I don't really care. They are just wonders of nature to be enjoyed.

Now another reason why I love fuchsias is because I find them very easy to grow and so easy to ... to get more of them, whatever that's called. Propogation? Well, no matter, it's easy to take cuttings to increase the number of plants. This is what I do. It's probably not the right way but, hey, it works for me.

When a plant is up and growing I pull off a few of the new shoots (about 6, 7 or 8 cm long, I'm not too fussy) and I plonk these in a jam jar filled with water. If there should be any buds I pinch these out and usually the bottom couple of leaves as well. After a few weeks, Bob's your Uncle, they develop roots. When they have I pop them into plant pots full of compost (bought from a DIY store) and, Fanny's your Aunt, I have some new fuchsia plants. It works every time.

Now if you talk to my lovely dad he'll go on and on (and on) about how to look after fuchsias. But, you know what? Mine look just as good and without all of the fuss. He'll say something like, "Kay, now don&
#39;t forget, as soon as they start growing early in the year you should feed them with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Then as soon as the buds appear you must switch to a high potash fertilizer".

I answer him by saying, "Dad, isn't potash what you have left after you smoke a joint". Not that I smoke.

He also pots his cuttings in a mixture of sedge peat, loam and silver sand. I just buy a bag of something or other that says 'compost' on the front from B&Q. I mix some dirt stuff or normal garden soil with this when the plants get bigger. Seems to do the trick. Fuchsias lust after a well drained soil that's all sort of loamy looking. They also need the correct amount of water - otherwise they get stroppy and let their flowers and buds drop off prematurely.

If they are grown as indoor pot plants I'd suggest that they are immersed in water once a week - when you are soaking your undies, dentures or whatever. In winter water sparingly, but don't let them dry out completely, and they will be your friends for years to come.

I look after my fuchsias, during the growing and flowering season, by simply watering them and removing dead flowers to encourage new ones. This way the display seems to stretch from as early as the beginning of June right through to October. In the winter some of the plants can look quite dead but they burst into life with a tickle and some early sunshine - pretty much like my boyfriend. I usually hack them back with some shears. My dad prunes his carefully, cutting back the main branches every year.

The only problem I've ever had is 'rust' - that's the plants, not me. This can happen in damp, mild conditions. It's not very pleasant. The leaves turn yellowish and nasty black spots appear. It isn't fatal but definitely spoils their appearance and makes them look quite sad and forlorn. There are sprays about such as Nimrod-T, Rose Cl
ear and Systane that can put things right, if treated when the first signs of trouble appear. I've heard that fuchsia can also get vine weevil but I've never seen this, or them, on any of my plants.

My fuchsia are about 60-70cm tall, some maybe a little more. There are other bush varieties that can reach upwards to 3.5m and are even suitable as a hedge. One that is very hardy is called 'Riccartonnii', or Ricky to his friends, and then there is 'Macrostemma' more commonly known as 'Lady's Ear-drops'. I'm sure you don't want to be bored with a long list of other fancy names but I felt the urge to show off a little.

Yes, fuchsia are one of my favourite flowers. I may not look after them as per 'the book' or follow the experts advice but I do give them my love and attention and they respond accordingly. It seems to work. After all, it's what most of us want - so why should plants be any different?

If you should wish to seek out wet and wild fuchsia, living as nature intended, you'll need to hop on a plane to the lower wooded foothills of Central and South America.

One last thing, get it right: Fuchs is pronounced Fooks, for fooks sake.

;-> Kay

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