Tennessee Waltz

'Tennessee Waltz' is like a double form of 'Coquet Bell' in a way. They both have a very similar growth habit and they are very similar in coloration. Yes, the colors in the photo don't look as blue as 'Coquet Bell,' but that is because the flowers are more open. When the flowers on 'Coquet Bell' are more mature, they turn this color. 'Tennessee Waltz' is both a heat hardy and winter hardy upright fuchsia! Sources quote it as growing to two feet, but I am hoping for a larger bush since the winters are not as cold here as the area where this information came from.

Temptation

'Temptation' is actually such a beautiful bush, it has been frustrating to get a good photo of it. I never have the time or the camera at hand when it is in full bloom. And then I get too busy and forget. For a long time, there was not enough room in the sun for it to get the amount of light it needed to be covered with flowers, except in the early spring before the fruit trees filled out with new leaves. But this spring, it is going to be a stunner and I am determined to get a good shot of it. This is one which could sort of go either way. It could be used as a hanging basket. Although it doesn't really hang. It puts out a great deal of sideways growth though. This one would be wonderful planted on a slope! Or near the edge of a raised bed.

Ted Sweetman

'Ted Sweetman' makes me wonder who he was, that someone would honor him with such a beautiful flower. This is one of my most favorites, next to 'Preston Guild' which is my logo. And it is another one of those which I almost lost. But after being transplanted into new and better soil in a large 15 gallon container, it has rebounded wonderfully. It didn't skip a beat during the heat wave last summer and hasn't needed to be covered even once this winter. Watch for it when the photos of the whole bushes are being posted.

Sylvia Barker

'Sylvia Barker' is going to be another one of my favorites. The simple flower and definite upright growth pattern are what I am looking for. I like the long white open sepals on this one. They look so delicate. One can see why fuchsias have been called "Angel's Earrings!"

Swanley Gem

'Swanley Gem' is a small compact bush which would probably get bigger if it was in partial shade instead of the full sun. As how big a bush is going to grow is not just a matter of how long the growing season is in your area, or how cold it is going to get in the winter. The full sun will cause denser growth and sometimes even smaller flowers. Many plants can appear to be completely different varieties or even species just by the dramatic differences in their form due to the conditions they are growing in. Since one of my goals is to show that upright fuchsias are fit to grow out in the full summer sun if properly cared for, I don't mind the side affect of the denser growth and somewhat smaller flowers on some. It adds interest to the collection to have various bushes of different heights and forms. I really like the flared simple skirt on this one and how the violet becomes scarlet at the base of each petal.

Sunshine

'Sunshine' is so well named. Wait until you see this one in full bloom as a bush. I keep it in my front yard along with a few chosen others like the 'Duchess of Albany,' 'Will Rogers,' 'Thomasina,' etc. If you've been reading all these entries, then you know I am not fond of pink, but when this bush is covered with these simple blossoms and the sun is shining down, it is a wonderful sight. I am also looking forward to using sprays of this one in floral arrangements later on this year. If you can't wait to see the bush when I go through the alphabet again with those photos, you can always visit the website and see it there now :-)

Sundial

'Sundial' is a stunningly beautiful upright fuchsia bush! Mine is still a small bush, but this is one I am really looking forward to seeing get larger this coming spring. It is another one of those which survived our heat waves late last summer, when quite a few others got a bit scorched. And it has done very well surviving this winter. This winter has been one of those when it has snowed on the nearby mountains several times. Of course, as many of the fuchsias get covered with a special breathable cloth when there is any known danger of freezing. Even so, the ones which were not covered and sustained damage, are already growing out of that damage. Look to see a new photo of Sundial as a full sized bush when the new round of photos of all the fuchsias in my collection are re-posted as bushes!

Seaforth

'Seaforth' is a cute and vigorous bush. I think it is going to get big. It did very well last summer and is wintering over just as well. I am not big on pink, but I like the form on this bush. Some upright fuchsias head straight for the sky, even some of the smaller varieties. Some put out huge new shoots every year which would be called canes on a rose bush, and these can rival the output of any rose bush! Some tend to grow more sideways. They are not trailing fuchsias at all, they just tend to spread sideways faster than upwards. Each type of form lends itself to a different point of interest in the landscape design.

Scarlet O'Hara

'Scarlet O'Hara' is scarlet! LOL, this is one red fuchsia. It has a compact growth habit, so it isn't going to get tall very fast. It would make a great tree bonsai. And by that I mean a large bonsai or clipped form. Something along the lines of the sculptured forms used on many conifers found in designed landscapes. The leaves are larger and thicker than those of many of the other upright fuchsias I have so far which are described as compact bushes. Most of those have smaller leaves which are not as thick. I am describing the leaf itself, not the number of leaves. This bush did very well this summer out in the full sun and has proved itself to be winter hardy in my area as well. It is going to make a nice contrast to the others.

Santa Claus

'Santa Claus' is a delightful little red and white fuchsia. There are quite a few red and white fuchsias out there, in all three forms of single, semi-double, and double. It can get difficult to tell them apart. This is where the form of the bush and the leaf can be the primary means of making the proper identification. 'Santa Claus' is a small dense bush which will probably be able to grow larger in this area than in a colder zone. But whether or not it is capable of this remains to be seen. It might stay small like 'Black Prince.'

San Leandro

'San Leandro' looks allot like Rubeo, but the flower is much bigger and the colors are different. The bush has a more upright form to it and the leaves are very different. Sometimes photos can be deceiving. Especially with fuchsias because the flowers change colors as they mature. So two photos of different stages can appear to be the same flower when they are not. And two photos of the same flower can appear to be two different fuchsias! Which is why it is my intention to do my best to document not just close ups of the flowers as one finds on most other websites, but to also document the entire bush. And perhaps even close ups of the leaves. I have mentioned this before, but it is important. The leaves of the different varieties of fuchsias are as distinctive as their flowers and the trained eye can identify a variety even when it is not blooming. 'San Leandro' is one of my favorites. This photo shows you how much the colors can change!

Rubeo

'Rubeo' is a borderline upright, such as 'Quasar' and 'Temptation.' Well worth having in a collection of uprights though. The different forms and heights add interest. They just need to be pruned into more upright positions. Which also lends them well to being trained as bonsai trees. And they can always be allowed to drape a bit over the sides of a large container or wall. Personally, I try to keep them from blooming close to the ground because young hummingbirds are not always as cautious as they ought to be. The cats keep gophers from destroying the upright fuchsias in the ground, but it makes me very sad when they occasionally catch a young hummingbird. Since my collection provides for the hummingbirds year round, at least I know they are able to raise many more young. The adults are well aware of the cats and almost seem to enjoy teasing them!

Royal Velvet

'Royal Velvet' takes the description "double" to a whole new level. There can be no doubt that this one is a double, not maybe a semi-double! The colors are wonderful. And as an upright bush it is doing very well so far. It did fine in last summers heat, as is doing fine this winter. This one is really going to put on a show this spring.

Royal Robe

'Royal Robe' has wonderful colors! I am really, really looking forward to seeing this one become a full sized bush. So far, it is doing very well. It was one of the last little 2" starts I purchased late last summer right before a heat wave. Which is weathered very well. And it has made it through the freezes this winter with flying colors. As an experiment, I got an idea from a thread in the DavesGarden.com Fuchsia Forum called "Companion Plants." I have viola's naturalized all over here. I am always delighted to see what new color combo is going to pop up. And they have come up in almost all of the new fuchsia varieties I planted last summer. Sometimes they have grown larger than the little new fuchsias themselves! But I left them in there as winter protection! The viola's didn't seem to mind the freezes at all. And they kept the little new guys safe. 'Royal Robe' is one of those which benefited from a surrounding cover of viola's this winter.

Rose of Castille

'Rose of Castille' has wonderful colors, and perhaps it is just me, but it grows incredibly slow. There could be a reason why there is a 'Improved Rose of Castille.' The colors on the improved version though, are totally different. I refuse to give up on this one, despite how close it is in color to one I really love, 'Minnesota!' I confess that the apparent slow growth rate on 'Rose of Castille' caused it to get less attention than my other older bushes. So I finally re-potted it and put it in a new location. Funny thing is, the winter freezes which everything else are growing out of, seems to have triggered this one to suddenly start growing like it never has before! One aspect of fuchsia culture I would like to learn more about is the parentage of the varieties. Because the "Sections" and various species within the Sections, come from different zones and have different biologys. Some come from areas where instead of a freezing winter, they have a dry spell which triggers defoliation, not the cold. Some come from areas where they are evergreen and bloom year round. Even the elevation the original species came from will have a dramatic affect on how it grows. So the parentage has a huge impact on how a variety grows and how it deals with various conditions. Perhaps my 'Rose of Castille' finally has just what it wanted in order for it to do well.

Rose Fantasia

'Rose Fantasia' is a cute little bush covered with these simple blossoms. The information on this ones says it will only get about two feet high. But that source is a northern one, where fuchsias often freeze to the ground in the winter. It ought to be able to get taller as the trunk developes if it is located in an area where it can grow almost year round. Unless it turns out to be a very slow grow like Black Prince. Which is not a bad thing. I love Black Prince and where mine is located, it would not be a good thing if it were to get any taller than two feet. I do believe 'Rose Fantasia' is going to get bigger than two feet, due to how much it has already grown in it's first year.

Rohees New Millennium

'Rohees New Millennium' appears to be one of those which will need to be pruned into growing as an upright bush. But that may not be true. When I purchased this one, it had been pinched the way they do hanging baskets fuchsias. Which causes allot of lateral growth instead of upright growth. I know I have mentioned this before. It is just irritating that most fuchsia growers treat all of their starts the same, and in the process, practically ruin the uprights. If they did that to fruit trees, people would be angry about getting bushes instead of trees because the main trunk would be ruined from the beginning. For now, this one has all of it's branches going sideways. And I don't want to prune that growth until it has gotten bigger. Tying them up just creates a mess and shouldn't be necessary at all. The blossoms on this one though, will make the wait worth while!

Reading Show

'Reading Show' has such a rich deep blue corolla. When the entire bush is in full bloom, it is such a treat to see. I think a white blossomed annual ground cover would be a nice companion plant for this one. 'Reading Show' is one of my older bushes and like 'Quasar' has survived many a hot summer out in the full sun and the occassional freeze every winter. It did sustain some damage this last December. But not as much as the Walz Bella next to it. Sometimes that happens. One plant will be fine and the one next to it will be damaged. It is already putting out new growth though, so I am not worried. A bit of a trim and it will be blooming again in no time. It is going to be a star in my floral arrangements this spring!

Quasar

'Quasar' is just spectacular! It is a low mounding bush which is often used as a hanging basket, but mine is doing just fine as an upright in a 15 gallon container. I don't usually go for the big puffy blossoms, but hey, this one has my favorite combo of white and blue. It is a good strong grower, tolerates the summer heat in the full sun very well, and has made it through five winters here. So I call it a hardy upright fuchsia in my book.

Preston Guild

'Preston Guild' is the "flag ship" fuchsia of Pedricks Corner! For those of you who have been to the website, you know this is the fuchsia used in the logo. Gee, it must be my favorite! What can I say. It is an upright with simple white and blue flowers. Now, does it have a good tasking berry? You might be surprised to learn that I have not yet tried one. I'll let you know this coming spring. I lost the original to gophers, but like Pink Pearl and Mood Indigo, I had made cuttings. There is now a new large bush, but it hasn't been given much of a chance to bloom yet because I have been making more cuttings from it. I can report though, that it is a summer heat champion and so far, a freezing winter champion. The freeze that fried Billie Green didn't damage 'Preston Guild' at all. Last, but not least, this is also one I am training as a bonsai.

President Phil

'President Phil' is one of the new additions to my collection. Once again, I am really looking forward to seeing how well this one does and to seeing it as a full sized bush. So far, it has a definite upright growth pattern, but I have not yet found a source to give me an idea of what size of a bush I can expect. By the time we are back around to the "P's" in the second round of blog posts showing each variety as a bush, you ought to be able to see how it turned out!

President Leo Boullemier

'President Leo Boullemier' is living up to it's classification on many lists as being a very cold hardy upright fuchsia. Not a fast grower, but then I added this one to my collection late in the summer and maybe it is getting ready to surprise me. Meanwhile, wow, what a name! I need to Google this person to see what comes up. There are a number of fuchsias named after heads of state from various countries. Which is not unusual in the flower world. Numerous roses are named after American presidents and movie stars. But I would have expected a big showy flower for a presidents name. This cute little number looks like the skirts of a twirling dancer!

Pink Panther

'Pink Panther' is not as upright as I would like it to be, but that is just me. It is going to need to be pruned into a more upright form. But that might open the door to some creativity as the bush gets bigger and ages. The trunks of fuchsias can have very interesting bark. So this one might also be a good candidate for a future bonsai.

Orange Crush

'Orange Crush' lives up to it's name. Makes me feel like walking down to the corner market to get an ice-cream. I love the long creamy peach/orange flowers on this one. And it is a strong grower as well. It is also one of the fuchsias I am experimenting with growing as indoor blooming houseplants. So far, one of the little cuttings I rooted from this bush is doing so well that it is about to bloom and is a foot high already! If you'd like to see it's progress, go to DavesGarden.com and read the fuchsia forum there we got started in September of 2009. That is where I post photos on the progress of various cuttings and other projects. Like my bonsai fuchsias. Yes, bonsai fuchsias! There is even a website devoted to fuchsias as bonsai.

Ocean Beach

'Ocean Beach' is one of the few that start with an 'O.' So far, it is doing very well and should be a nice sized upright bush by the coming spring. I really like the peachy apricot tones on this one, which is often often called Salmon. I wonder if it was a beautiful sunrise at the beach which inspired the name.