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.