Not-So-Big

'Not-So-Big' is so well named and so cute. But I think the name refers to the flower and perhaps not so much the bush itself. Because it has such a definite upright growth pattern. I have a feeling it has the potential to be one of the taller bushes. Remember, the magellanicas have very small flowers also and they can become huge bushes. I'll be looking forward to showing you how this one does.

Northway

'Northway' is a relatively small and compact upright bush. Like 'Black Prince' and 'Marin Glow' in it's form. It just occurred to me that the three of them placed nearby each other would be a nice combination, I am going to have to move them in the spring! The description used for 'Northway' doesn't mention orange, but to me, when this bush is covered with these blossoms in the spring and summer, they have a dark orange tinge to them. The weather and the amount of sun a fuchsia gets, can have a dramatic affect on how dark the colors are and even the size of the blossoms. Not enough sun, and the colors will be lighter. Too much sun, and the flowers will be much smaller than normal. 'Northway' is another one of my favorites.

My Mum

'My Mum' is one of the new additions to my collection which I have high hopes for. I bet you know the drill by now ;-), it has the simple corolla I prefer and a definite upright form. I also seem to prefer the ones with white sepals. How about you? But this one is still not the one I am looking for......one of my neighbors down the street has had a fuchsia growing against the chain link fence of their front yard for over a decade. It has made it through many a heat wave, winter freezes, and even snow. The colors almost match this one, but not quite. I am going to have to go ask them if they will let me have a few cuttings. Perhaps they will be interested in trading!

Mrs. J. D. Fredricks

'Mrs. J. D. Fredricks' is again, one of those I made certain was among the first varieties in my initial collection. It grows into a good sized upright bush covered with these small, single blossoms. Over the years, it develops a strong woody trunk. So it would also be great as a large bonsai or container specimen. Pink is not one of my favorite colors, but this one is an old fashioned charm. This is also one I plan on using in future foral arrangements, as it can put out ample long new shoots every spring.

Mood Indigo

'Mood Indigo' is a survival story. I had a large beautiful bush of these growing in the ground. And early last February, I made some cuttings from it. Which is a very good thing, because one spring day all of the blossoms on the bush suddenly wilted. When I went to go see why only this bush, among all the others near it, was in such distress. The bush slowly fell over and I was able to pull the remains of the base of it's trunk out of the ground with ease because a gopher had eaten all of the rest!!

So although slugs and snails are not interested in munching on fuchsias, gophers certainly are!

Those cuttings quickly grew into new bushes and the blooms you see here. This is one of those small double blossoms that I really enjoy. And I really like the color combinations on this one as it opens. It is hard to see in this photo, but the sepals have green tips and the unopened flower buds are almost as interesting as the open flowers. Absolutely one of my all time favorites.

Minnesota

'Minnesota' is one of the new varieties in my collection I knew I had to have as soon as I first saw a photo of it. The simple small flower with the white and purple just captured my attention. It is proving to be a strong and vigorous upright bush. It is going to put on quite a show next year when it is larger!

Mini Rose

'Mini Rose' is another little cute one! And another one of the new additions to my collection which I am so looking forward to seeing grow into bushes next spring. These small leaved and small blossomed upright fuchsias often prove to be the ones that turn into large bushes covered with flowers. Don't forget, once this alphabetical list is complete and the missing ones from my collection are filled in, I will be starting over with photos of them all as bushes. Along with more information on each one. Such as reported heights and weather tolerances. I haven't done this yet, because the information available can sometimes be misleading. For instance, a test garden farther north of this location, is going to have shorter bushes than one farther south. Northern test gardens are usually testing for cold tolerance and southern ones for heat tolerance. I hope to provide a middle ground.

Melanie

'Melanie' is a delightful little bush with a dark Aubergine corolla on these simple little blossoms. It is still a bit small and now it is winter, but if I were to take a photo right now, you'd see it is covered in these flowers. And it is the second day of winter! I am sure this is going to be a beatiful bush come spring time.

Martha Brown

'Martha Brown' as you can see from the bee visiting one of it's blossoms, is a small double flowered upright fuchsia. Sometimes the form attributed to a fuchsia flower can be confusing. Most of the time you will only see three forms listed: single, sem-double, and double. But then there are the super tiny flowers on minutiflora and mircophylla, the little flowers on Lycioides and the magellanicas, the really big single flowers on Cardinal, etc. etc.

So just because a flower is listed as a double, doesn't mean it is going to be a huge blossom with lots of petals. And it seems like the real grey area is with the semi-doubles. I don't know how many times I have seen a flower listed as a single, when it obviously has more petals than a single but not as many as most doubles. And a flower listed as a semi-double, which to me, simply looks like a large single.

'Martha Brown' did very well in this summers heat wave and we will see how she does compared to Gordon's China Rose. The two are very similar so far.

Marin Glow

'Marin Glow' is absolutely one of my most favorite fuchsias. It is a slow grower and has a dense compact growth pattern. So it doesn't get very big. But I don't mind! I just love the colors on this flower. The corolla reminds me of the sky after sunset. When there is still just enough light on the horizon to see a rich purplish dark blue. I bet this one would make a great bonsai. It for certain makes a great container plant that doesn't need transplanting or pruning for years. This one was among the first ones in my collection, which now stands at 125.

Margery Blake

'Margery Blake' is going to be another one of my favorites. She has a definate upright bushy growth pattern and such cute little flowers! In this photo, it is only in a one gallon container. I am really looking forward to seeing how big it can get and seeing a mass of these little flowers next spring.

Magellanica 'molinae'

Actually, this should read "Fuchsia magellanica 'molinae' " since this is a species also, like 'Lycioides.' Except in the case of magellanica, there are many varieties of this species and it has been used to create some of the popular hybrid cultivars. This hardy upright fuchsia can grow very tall. I have seen a large bush growing all the way up to the second story window of a house! Mine has a large thick trunk on it with what I consider beautiful bark. It has a fine crumbly texture with lots of different shades of orangish brown. The hummingbirds love this bush and can usually be found hanging out on it when not in action! To me, this species is why many people call fuchsias "Angels Earings" or "Dancing Ballerinas." It can take full on hot summer sun and the occasional freeze during the winter. Mine has survived winters that killed my lantanas, hybiscus, and hydrangeas. Planted properly, it can survive harsher winters than we have here on the central coast of California. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the pink corolla to there dainty flowers have a blue or lavender flush them. I hear there were once hedges of this fuchsia all over San Francisco. So I have planted a hedge of it myself and it is doing very well. The fine foliage lends itself well to clipping.

Lycioides

'Lycioides' is actually a different species than the vast majority of hybrid cultivars avaliable out there. So the name should actually be listed here as 'Fuchsia lycioides' since it's name is not a "common" name. And it also happens to be the only known species in it's "Section." Species of fuchisas are divided into 12 Sections. The flowers are small, but so red! And it loves the full summer sun! Which makes it a favorite of the resident hummingbirds. In the evening, they are usually competing over it for their last sip of the day. It grows tall and developes a trunk over the years. Occasionally, it will suddenly defoliate for no apparent reason. Some fuchsias are native to tropical areas where the dormant season is a dry season, not a severly cold one. And some of those lose their leaves for a short period of time, just like many of our fruit trees do in the winter. But as soon as Lycioides loses it's leaves, it is growing them back, so no worries there. The other quality of Lycioides I enjoy the most are it's berries. They are smaller than a blueberry, but almost black. They remind me of Black Currants and they have a wonderful raisin like flavor to them. Since this fuchsia has such an abundance of blooms, I can usually pick the berries by the handful and enjoy them while I make the rounds.

Lottie Hobbie

'Lottie Hobbie' is one of those I thought I didn't want to grow. Like 'Amber Rose' and 'Galfrey Lye,' the foliage is very fine and I assumed it would be weak and/or difficult. A friend gave me cuttings when I requested some from their mystery fuchsia bushes. They had told me about two very old fuchsias in their yard for which they had no names. I was very dissappointed when I saw the cuttings I was brought. But I planted them anyway.

Now I am really taken with this one! It has proved to be one tough bush! The flowers are so tiny and it had just begun to bloom when I took this photo. Then the freeze hit here and it is still under a protective blanket along with many others, so I am not sure how it faired. Some of the ones which weren't covered, were burned in the freeze. I do know though, that it made it throught the summer heat wave without a single blemish! Tiny leaves are often an indication that a plant is able to withstand hot weather and/or cold weather. Just as needle-like and fleshy leaves are.

This one would make a terrific clipped hedge, topiary, or bonsai.

Lord Byron

'Lord Byron' is going to be a small and compact bush. It is allot like 'Black Prince' in it's growth rate and pattern. But the flowers are smaller and such a dark shade of blue purple! This one would make a great bonsai.

Little Ronnie

'Little Ronnie' is going to be a beautiful bush! I can't wait to see this one burst out next spring. It has been very cold here and a couple of specimens in my collection sustained some damage. It wasn't possible to cover every one of them and to be honest, part of the process is to see which ones can make it through the winters without assistance. But I ought to have covered the F. boliviana's. They look like they were put too close to a roaring fire :-(

But they are not dead and knowing how the weather can suddenly get warm here even in December and January, I expect them to make a full recovery and they will be covered the next time there is any danger of a freeze.

Leslie

'Leslie' is a very upright double fuchsia I sure is going to make a good tall and strong bush. This is going to be a short post, as the weather here has been unusually cold. It even snowed in the mountains just a couple of miles away. It will probably go below freezing tonight. So I have been running around trying to cover everything that could get damaged. Hopefully, the special cloth I bought for this, will do the job! It is very light and breathable. So the light and air can get through if they need to be under it for a while. It is also what I use for protecting cuttings while they root. I usually don't need to worry about my large established plants. But this year I have almost 75 new varieties and not only are they all younger, I don't know how any of them are going to cope with freezing weather yet. We will see!

June Bride

'June Bride' is pretty little simple flower on a compact bush which is almost always covered with these flowers. Definately heat hardy and hopefully winter hardy as well. It reminds me allot of Voltaire, with the flair in the "skirt." But Voltaire didn't do as well in the summer heat. Which may have been my fault for transplanting it at the wrong time. If you've read my prior posts, then you know I have mentioned this before. All too often, how a plant does is no fault of it's own, but the conditions it is being asked to endure!

Jessimae

'Jessimae' is a cute little white and pink simple flower on a low growing bush. What sets this one a bit apart is the bright green of the leaves. A much brighter green than the norm. Fuchsia foliage is as unique to each individual cultivar as their flowers are. With experience, one can tell each cultivar just by it's foliage and growth habit, even if there are no blooms present. It is also possible to tell which ones are probably decended from the same species used to create all of the hybrids. People have been hybridizing fuchsias since at least the mid 1800's.

Jack Sieverns

'Jack Sieverns' has a beautiful shade of blue purple! This is another example of the color called "Aubergine." It is a low growing dense bush if grown out in the full sun like mine is. All of my upright fuchsias are grown out in the full sun. So they grow more compact than they would in the shade or semi-shade. And they produce allot more flowers than they would in the shade. This one is turning out to be a new favorite.

Iced Champagne

'Iced Champagne' is a heat wave champion! And that is unusual because white flowers of any kind are known for being easily damaged. So although white flowers can be beautiful, I rarely grow any in my garden because of that. This photo doesn't really pick up the subtle creamy pink tinge these blossoms have. It is a compact bush that puts out allot of blossoms all at once. Unlike most of my other fuchsias though, it is one that tends more towards all or nothing. By that I mean, instead of a variety of buds, flowers, and berries all at once in various stages, this one tends to have all buds, then all flowers, then all berries. But it doesn't hesitate to constantly repeat the cycle all year long.

Hollydale

'Hollydale' is a good strong upright very bush. The petals of the corolla have an interesting curl to them. This bush is going to provide an interesting contrast to the other colors in the collection. And I am sure it is capable of growing taller than the height usually quoted in sources where it is much colder during the winter than here.

Hermiena

'Hermiena' is a low growing compact bush covered with these wonderful little flowers. It did very well during the late summer heat and I have high hopes for it this winter. I confess, the small flowers with white sepals are my favorites. Starting with the blues, and all the way to the oranges. Isn't this one beautiful!? What a purple!

Hayward

'Hayward' what can I say? It is beautiful. Definately an upright bush. It hasn't grown as fast as some others, but sometimes that is a good thing. There are a few others that grow a bit slow and all of these would make great long term container bushes and/or bonsai. Especially since, for bonsai, you don't want something that grows fast and puts out huge new shoots. But don't make you decision against it yet, it could just be the conditions it has been growing in. The flower is worth it though, don't you think?

Harlequin

'Harlequin' is a delightful tiny purple flowered upright fuchsia. This isn't the best photo, I hope you can see the red marbling in the skirt. It has a bit of a fine growth habit and I believe it suffered from being transplanted into too large a container right in the middle of a heat wave, because it has lagged behind the others purchased at the same time. But now that the weather has cooled off, it is growing very rapidly. So it was filling it's container with roots all of this time and is now ready to get going! I know I keep saying this, but it is true, I am looking forward to seeing this one as a larger bush. Sometimes, what appears to be fine and delicate, turns out to be huge and sturdy. F. magellanica is a good example of what appears to be thin little branches turning into a bush almost large enough to be called a tree. And it can put out new branches that grow up to six feet in one year, like the canes of a rose bush! So we will see if this one can do the same.

Hanna Blue

'Hanna Blue' is a cute little compact bush with lots of these little dark blue flowers. One of those which would be good in a container for years, without concern that it would outgrow it. It is a new one in my collection, so we will see how well it does during this winter. It did just fine out in the full summer sun!

Gypsy Prince

'Gypsy Prince' is a sturdy upright with big double blossoms. The flower buds look like big red Christmas Ornaments. This close-up though, shows a busy bee collecting pollen this November. It is not a fast growing bush, but one with a definate upright growth pattern if given enough sun. New starts head straight for the sky! And the branches are strong enough to handle lots of flowers.

Grace McCarthy

'Grace McCarthy' is one of those which could be either a hanging basket or a mounding upright. Of course, I am growing it as an upright. I am posting two photos as an example of how conditions can have such a large impact on the size and color of the flowers fuchsias produce, that they can almost be mistaken for two different cultivars. The photo below is of a bush grown in the shade. It isn't the best photo, but you can tell how much larger and darker the flowers are than the recent close up above. Which was grown out in the full sun and the heat. The flowers are smaller and lighter. But they are both 'Grace McCarthy.' Th one above was made from a cutting from the one below.

Gordon's China Rose

'Gordon's China Rose' is a compact bush with small double blossoms about half the size of most doubles. I like the pink veining in the lighter pink corollas. This is one of the winter hardy upright fuchsias. So I am hoping it will also prove to be a winter bloomer like many of my others. Here it is almost Thanks-giving, and I've got color everywhere! When I post 'Gypsy Prince,' you'll see a photo I just took of these big red flower buds that look like Christmas ornaments to me ;-) I am thinking one of the photos might be good for Christmas cards this year.

Glitters

'Glitters' has an interesting shape to the petals in it's corolla. And it has a very definate upright growth pattern. I mention this often because there are varieties which can go either way, upright or hanging (aka lax). Even some which are obviously uprights, are sometimes dense and bushy with allot of sideways growth occuring at the same time. Whereas others shoot straight upwards without a doubt! Glitters is one of those. The bamboo stake was a temporay necessity for this one because it had been in too much shade and had not grown the nice upright trunk it was capable of growing once it had been moved into a sunnier location.

Garden News

'Garden News' is a double pink with peachy tones that won me over from my blue favorites. It is a compact bush which can easily reach four feet with proper pruning. Full sun will encourage lots of blooms, but it definately needs good soil to cope with the heat. I have four in containers ranging from 5 gallon to 15 gallon. All out in the full sun. The one that was damaged in this summers heat wave was the oldest and largest one in the 15 gallon container because I hadn't used a quality potting mix for it. It is recovering well though.

Galfrey Lye

'Galfrey Lye' is one of those that I bought and believed for a long time was a mistake. It was stringy with thin branches. So I stuck it in a far corner. I liked the little white and ruby flowers, but it wasn't until it grew up into my cherry trees that I realized how beautiful it could be.

All it needed was some pruning to grow a strong trunk. Which is now has as a four foot high bush without the need for cherry branches to support bunches of these little delights. But those branches that did grow up into the cherry trees get to stay there, for reasons I am sure you can see.

Foxgrove Wood

'Foxgrove Wood' is always covered with masses of these cute little blossoms. It is a sturdy bush with somewhat fine branches, so it needs pruning to keep it's form. This one has a place of honor right inside the front gate! Need I say more?

Duke of Wellington

'Duke of Wellington' is doing well so far. Not a fast grower compared to some. I know I say this often, since more than half of my collection were just 2" starts this spring and summer, but I am looking forward to see a full sized bush of these beautiful blooms. In almost every instance, I was purchasing "blind." All I knew was I was buying upright fuchsias with names that were not in the list of ones I already had :-). Even when they had printed labels with descriptions, it is almost impossible to guess at what the flower is going to look like. Fortunately, the digital age is making it easier to find out what to expect, so much easier!

Duchess of Albany

'Duchess of Albany' is absolutely breathtaking at a full bush in bloom. What can I say? Mine is about two years old now and is huge. It puts out big long thick branches like 'Cardinal' does, but even thicker. You may have noticed that I changed my profile photo to a vase of fuchsias sitting on my fence. That is because they make great cut flowers.

Something most people might not ever think of because most people think of hanging baskets when they think of fuchsias. But many fuchsias can put out grow to rival any rose bush! And the flowers last just as long in a vase as roses do.

Next spring, I will also show my fuchsias as cut flower arrangements. Especially the 'Duchess of Albany.'

Dollar Princess

'Dollar Princess' is a cute little double blossom on a compact bush. The branches are a bit thin, but it grows well and they are strong enough to support allot of these cuties. This little troopers claim to fame is that it is both heat and cold hardy! So don't let the little leaves and thin branches fool you. It was still just a month or so from being a 2" start when I took this photo, better ones are on their way.

Delta's Parade

'Delta's Parade' like it's close relative 'Delta's Groom,' is almost always in bloom here in zone 9. The flowers are small doubles and the bush needs some assistance via proper pruning, to acquire an upright form, but it is certainly worth the effort. I can't take the credit for this wonderful photo. My friend Robert took the photo with a much better camera than mine. When one thinks of fuchsias, these are not the colors that come to mind. Aren't they wonderful though?

Delta's Groom

'Delta's Groom' is a purple paradise! Black carmine! Especially when they first open. This bush has been in bloom continuously for the last two years. Despite the fact that I never remove the berries, as one is told to do to keep them in bloom. I have never found that to be necessary on any of my fuchsias. And despite the cold weather in the winter, this one and it's close relative 'Delta's Parade,' always have at least a few blossoms on them and usually allot of blossoms!

Of the two, 'Delta's Groom' is the larger more upright bush and is one of my larger specimens. Right out front with my other favorites.

Cunning

'Cunning' makes you wonder. It is a delightful little flower, but why is it cunning?? This one has a decidedly upright growth pattern and is a vigorous little bush. Not one of the faster growing ones, but doing very well. The "skirt" is a bit different. Kinda crinkly. But hmm, who named this 'Cunning.'

Cover Girl

'Cover Girl' is one of the newer varieties in my collection. And I am sure she is going to be another favorite! She has the perfect combination. Simple flower, very upright form, and a blue skirt!

Coquet Bell

'Coquet Bell' has a ruffled edge to it's "skirt" that adds a flair to this blue tinged blossom. It was one of my heat champions this summer and has been covered with blossoms almost all year long. So many flowers, it is hard to just walk by it on the way to the others. The color blue always demands my attention. It doesn't grow very tall and it doesn't grow very fast, but I certainly consider it worthy of the wait. The bush you see in the second photo is two years old. It almost died in it's first year, because it was in the ground and the gophers got to it. So perhaps by next year it will prove me wrong and grow taller.

Convention 2004

'Convention 2004' would look allot better had I not transplanted it right before our summer heat wave. I should have waited until it was bigger and the heat wave had passed. So this is another example of a fuchsia which was not performing well, but it is my fault, not the fuchsias. Fortunately, it did bloom though, and I was able to snap this photo. It has improved remarkably since then, with the shorter cooler days. Once I have posted a sample photo for each fuchsia in the collection, I will begin the sequence again, but with all of them as bushes, not just close ups of the flowers. So you can look forward to a photo of a much bigger, more robust bush of these beautiful double blossoms. Of course, if you can't wait for that, you can always visit the website where I have posted photos of every fuchsia which has gotten big enough to be called a bush ;-). This one isn't there yet, but I have high hopes for it.

Coachman

'Coachman' is going to be one of my most favorite upright fuchsias. Because of it's much denser growth habit than Chang. And because it is orange, like Chang. I know, crazy huh!? Because blue is my favorite color and here I am collecting orange fuchsias!

But orange and blue are complimentary colors that go so well together :-)

And I do have lots of other colors, as you will see.

Coachman is growing very well. A bit low, but strong. So I am going to need to prune it into a more upward form. This one would make a great sculptured hedge like they do with junipers and other dense evergreens. You know, when they cut and clip them into all of those shapes? Like cheerleaders with pompoms. Like topiaries. Ah! Fuchsias as topiaries! Interesting possibilities.....

Cloverdale Star

'Cloverdale Star' is one more good example of how fuchsias change colors remarkably as the flowers open. It is the blue tinge to the skirt of this simple blossom that I like the most. The color is called "wisteria blue." But it is a fleeting blue, as you can see from the photo below. When fully open, they are pink. This little bush is a compact grower which I am sure will get much bigger and the trunk matures. I am looking forward to the show it is going to put on when it is big enough to be covered in both the new and the mature blossoms at once!

Chiquita Maria

'Chiquita Maria' is a beautiful well rounded bush growing under my nectarine tree. So it doesn't get as much sun as most of my fuchsias. Yet it is always in bloom. It does get some full late afternoon sun. And allot of full sun once the trees lose their leaves. I have made some smaller ones from it and they are doing just fine out in the full sun. I've had this variety for several years now, so I know it is also capable of surviving short freezes.

There is one quality about fuchsias I have been meaning to mention, snails don't like them!!! Snails and slugs will chew up everything around them, but I have never had any damage to any of my fuchsias from snails or slugs. And here on the central coast of California, snails and slugs are a year round problem!

Charlie Girl

'Charlie Girl' is a compact upright bush which weathered this late summers heat wave without a hint of burn. It was amazing, because I'd of thought big fluffy double blossoms would be the most prone to damage from the same heat that fried my roses. I'd like to repeat though, that often, whether or not a fuchsia or any other plant is able to deal with scorching weather without damage, is co-dependent on how healthy it's root system is. So quality of soil, nutrients, and water can be a decisive factor independent of the plants individual abilities to withstand extremes in weather. I am really looking forward to seeing how big this one can get.

Chang

'Chang' is one of the first varieties of upright fuchsia I went looking for years ago when I decided to seriously begin adding varieties to my tiny collection at the time. It was always one of my favorites for several reasons. The first one being, of course, that it was an upright. Secondly, that is had the simple single blossoms I prefer. And thirdly because fushsias with orange coloring were a bit more unusual than most. It has a bad reputation in some books as being difficult to grow. And that is what I was expecting. Now I have to wonder what those people were doing wrong. Because I have found it to be a vigirous upright growing much faster than all of the others around it, except for Mood Indigo, Billie Green, and Burgundian. Then I thought perhaps they were refering to a difficulty in propagation. But there again, I haven't experienced any problems. In terms of the weather, it is another heat champion. What remains to be seen is if it is cold hardy. As it is supposed to be. When viewing the second photo, remember it was a 2" start when I bought it in May of this year. And I have used it to make cuttings four times already by now. I am certain it is going to be a much bigger bush than the 1.5 feet listed at one source.