MY HOBBY FUCHSIAS (Buying guide).

CLICK ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE IT
 Here is a blog on Choosing and buying Fuchsia's. First off you have got to decide what you intend to do with your fuchsias. Are you going to want hardy plants to put in the garden, perhaps to make a large bush or to trail over say a wall, or are they to plant into a permanent large pot because you have little or no garden.Then you have to decide on flower colour and size. If they are for summer bedding then choose an upright bushy type again size and colour as you prefer. As far as most people are concerned the other type is for your hanging baskets or half baskets you need a trailing variety again flower colour, flower size etc is your choice.The following are my favourite varieties. Firstly Hardy varieties "Tennesse Waltz" this is my no 1, its very easy and forgiving to grow (an ideal starter)usually a semi double with the sepals rose madder and the corolla lilac/lavender its an upright vigorous grower. Then here are a few more good ones" Garden News"is the first a double large flowered variety, very vigorous and tall growing type with pink Sepals and Majenta-rose Corolla this one is very early flowering. The last of hardies I will describe is "Snowcap" a semi-double this has Scarlet sepals and White Corolla with reddish veins, this one is very easy to grow and is versatile as to its habit.Next on to upright style bush types that can also be trained as standards or half/standards (not all are suitable) I have a few favourites of this type the first is" Peppermint Stick" this one I love its so versatile, its Sepals are Carmine going paler towards the tips the Corolla is Royal Purple splashed with Pink, this is an upright bushy/self branching variety very prolific in flowers and easy to grow. Next comes" Swingtime"this is described in most books as an upright but I would describe it as a very versatile lax grower, Most people love the colours of sepals bright red, with a lge double corolla of milky white with a faint red vein, these flowers are extremely prolific and the weight and amount make the branches trail. The last I will describe in the upright catagory is "Royal Velvet" this is another beauty, the growth is upright and vigorous (ideal for a standard) and the large flowers are very very prolific,the leaves are a dark green and the Sepals have an almost luminous Purple Corolla with red Sepals. The final catagory is Trailers, for Baskets, half baskets or any say rockeries etc. My favourite in this is "Harry Gray" a small but very prolific flowered double with a bushy habit. The flowers are White occasionally tinged pink with the sepals flesh coloured pink, planted up in a basket this one is stunning. Next is "Red Spider a free branching very vigorous grower, with a long tube and Sepals that are deep Red and curl up, the Corolla is a dusky Red.Again a lovely Fuchsia.The third and final one in this group is "Marinka" (also a varieagated variety called Golden Marinka) this is another very vigorous plant all the tube and Sepals are a deep dark Red and planted carefully to make the most of the available light is stunning and a real show winner. Here are pictures of two of my favoured varieties "Tennesse Waltz" and "Golden Marinka".