Fuchsia ‘Celia Smedley’

This upright-growing Fuchsia can be recommended to all Fuchsia-Enthusiasts, and at most to those in favor of the red-white combination. It grows quite fast and produces large single-blossoms in abundance from spring to fall. It is rewarding to cut it back and use the cuttings for propagation, for they build roots without problems. But the hybrid will be sold by most Fuchsia-Nurserys, therefore it is not necessary to do so, if not desired.

Counting that Hybrid among the most advisable is not solely my opinion, for it is placed among the Top-50 Fuchsias at the German Fuchsia Society (DFG).

Fuchsia ‘Celia Smedley’

Given the robustness and the lush flourishing of this hybrid, introduced 1970 by Roe from the UK, it is not surprising that this Fuchsia did not loose its popularity through all these years.

Fuchsia ‘Celia Smedley’

at last concerned to the work in the greenhouse.

The hibernation, if called so, comes ultimately to an end, and the anticipation of the new season goes up. Some question keep the same every year: what plant did not eventually survive the winter in good shape or not at all, and are there some being even better than the last years? How often and what quantity of watering is required within the greenhouse? And, controlling for vermin, shall i use insecticides already?

The last question has to be answered, in my case, with a undoubted yes, for there are way to many aphids on the young sprouts and leaves.

And, beside that, i made the the experience up to now, that it is quite beneficial to spray the plants against the dreaded Fuchsia-Fungus in advance early as the new leaves are grown. Therefore i did treat them some days ago with a combination of insecticides and fungicides.

‘Libelle’ with aphids

The next time, using the sprayer in the greenhouse, i will use only lukewarm water with a leave-going fertilizer and a bit detergent- to make the water better lubricate the wood. This way i try to avoid to much watering; but the need of the plants for water is ever increasing now, since the temperature within the greenhouse rises above 20°C easily even with short periods of sunshine.

And, still, there is more to do:

Cuttings in March

E.g. taking cuttings and planting them, best done from Fuchsias who will have to be cut back early for growing bushy plants. The Moon-Calendar suggests best to do that while the Moon is on a descending direction. As it can be seen in the photo, i do heat the floor to encourage the growth of the roots.

One of the most time-demanding work in the next weeks will be to repot many of the plants from the last years. Partly i will only replace the substrate, partly they will near larger pots if they have grown out of the old ones.

Some of my plants did already grow blossoms. It may be advisable to remove the blossoms this early to make them flourish more profound later, but sometimes i want to rejoice in them even a short time!

Fuchsia ‘Nordseebrandung’

Fuchsia ‘De Oelewappers’

Fuchsia ‘Lauchefeld’

Fuchsia ‘Ruppel Belleke’

Fuchsia ‘Omar Giant’

This Triphylla-Hybrid was crossbred by the Dutch grower Dr. Drude Reimann, who owns the largest collection of Fuchsia species all over the world.

Caring for these many Triphylla Fuchsias she gained a lot of expertise and, in 1983, crossbred with “Challenge” the first white Hybrid of this species, truly a sensation at that time. This Fuchsia of the Week was crossbred however from the red triphylla “F. magdalenae” and the red hybrid “Tom Zanoni”- as well crossbred by her- and she introduced the hybrid in 1991. It was named after the renown Fuchsia-Expert and Explorer Dr. Paul E. Berry from Missouri, who was especially fond of- again- “F. Magdalenae”.

Fuchsia Paul Berry

This explorer did not only travel a lot to describe the wild growing plants, but- by doing so- did find new species of the Fuchsias, his enthusiasm ever growing. He is without doubt more than worthy to be honored by this beautiful Triphylla-Hybrid!

It was good luck that my husband got me interested in this hybrid straight away by showing it to me during a visit of the Fuchsia-Nursery Gutmann at Vienna. Of course i bought it right away. Back home the plant was placed in a sunny location and did grow amazingly fast and straight upright, while the branches were bent down diagonally by the abundantly and non-stop growing blossoms in a light orange color. It took quite some water to accomplish that- with low concentration of fertilizer till end of august. And- again- during the winter in the greenhouse i did find by regular visits that this hybrid does certainly need more watering than others not to dry out completely.

Now, in May, it does not flourish, but i am looking forward to the upcoming season.

Fuchsia Paul Berry

I did choose this Fuchsia because it is alway blossoming early in April within the greenhouse, every year.

It was crossbred in the USA about 80 years ago, and introduced in 1936 by Evans and Reeves, named like a beautiful town in California. Evans & Reeves did introduce during 20years about 60 hybrids to the public, an astonishing number that days. Its lineage is listed as “F. lyocides” and “Fireflush” within the International List of Fuchsias, compiled by Mr. Willi Grund from Germany.

To me it is, by two ways, an vintage but venerable specimen: First, by its heritage, and second, because i obtained it at the closure of the “Fuchsia Paradise Fuhrmann”, and at that a 30 year old regular from Mrs. Fuhrmann herself, from her old stock. While being reduced to a “skeleton” each fall, it branches out regularly in early spring and starts blossoming in April. When placed outside the greenhouse, it is given a place in plain sunlight, though this hybrid tolerates that.

Fuchsia Glendale

Some do count this hybrid among the hardy plants (frost resistant), but I can not, due to no experience in that regard, contribute to that opinion: by no means would i risk this veritable Fuchsia-Tree!

Beside Fuchsia Michiels i do know no other nursery selling this hybrid. But of course i do not now the repertoire of every nursery nor will i ever. In my opinion it would be a pity if this Fuchsia would finally vanish, and don’t think or want that to happen.

Fuchsia Glendale

This is a typical Fuchsia from the atelier of the Fuchsia-Gardener Marcel Michiels from Belgium

Crossbreeding the Hybrids “Manfried Kleinau” and “First Lord” the result is “Ann G”, listed in 2008 with the “Keuringskommissie” in Belgium.

Fuchsia Ann G.

This is a beauty to my liking: middle sized double blossoms, resistant to direct sunlight and blossoming in abundance from June through October. The color is in my opinion fascinating: the salmon-colored sepals show light green tips, and the petals with the same color will give sight to corollas in titian red while opening; an unusual combination, with a glorious result.

The growth of the hybrid is semi-hanging. It branches out quite good, but does grow somehow slowly. Therefore it might be cultivated within the same pot in the same place if given enough fertilizer. I do that while watering continuously from April through August. There is no pest-problem, but it is regularly visited from innocuous insects.

I picked this hybrid though i am visiting the Nursery Michiels this week. It may be otherwise obtained at Fuchsiengärtnerei Guttmann in Vienna.

This is a perfect time to travel to Belgium to visit the Royal Greenhouses in Laaken. And 3 weeks later i will do a short trip to the Lake Neusiedl close to Vienna. This is a good possibility to link some short vacations with my FuchsiaMania!

This hybrid was introduced in 1988 by the Gardener Edwin Goulding from the UK, who crossbred more than 130 Fuchsias between 1981 and 2001.

E. Goulding presented many Triphylla-Hybrids, among them for example “John Maynard Scales”, that one being the Fuchsia of the Week 37 in 2014. He lives in Easten England and is the President of the “East Anglia Fuchsia Fellowship”. He published many articles in dedicated journals and above that published on book, the first edition released in 1955, the second in 2002: Fuchsias, the complete Guide.

Fuchsia Alde

Mr. Muolding often relied on “F. Fulgens” to experiment with, this one being as well the mother-lineage of “Alde”. The pollen-donator was “Lye’s Unique”. The tubes of “Alde” are, compared to other Triphyllas, a bit clumsy and short, and the blossoms are not solely at the tip of the branches, but also along them.The corollas are middle-sized, and the sepals, with their brighter tips, do open quite wide.Not typical as well to a Triphylla Hybrid is the semi-hanging to hanging growth, but quite typical is the tolerance for direct sunlight.

Overwintering is no problem within a greenhouse. But one has to take good care to prevent it from drying out completely; that almost happened to me one time! But, for being safe, i already checked it out and are relieved: it may be still obtained at Fuchsia Michiels if need be.

Fuchsia Alde

This hybrid is from the Netherlands, a seedling of “Insa” discovered and grown by Dirk Crom.

The new hybrid was introduced in 1998 on occasion of the 800’th anniversary of the city Naaldwijk, situated in the southern Netherlands.

Naaldwijk 800

Quite some of the hybrids of this breeder descent from the Fuchsia “Insa”, a hybrid crossbred by Karl Strümper from Germany. “Naaldwijk 800” is a stout, semi-hanging hybrid, growing very long branches and should therefore be cut back regularly. Given that it will flourish until frost with striking single blossoms showing lucent red sepals and aubergine-colored corollas.

In my opinion this hybrid benefits from tolerating direct sunlight and rain and wind well. Overwintering is easy, but branching out is quite late, but rapid if started.

Naaldwijk 800

The hybrid may as well be grown as a hanging basket or- given enough sustainers and treated with patience- as a large bush. Propagation is easy,the same as shaping the plant to one liking.

Fortunately it is readily available at the Nursery Michiels in Belgium and the Nursery Bieri in Switzerland.

Fuchsia Naaldwijk 800

Because the will be some snow again this week, this Fuchsia with its whit corolla is somehow adequate.

But the pink sepals convene with my hope that this might be only an intermezzo!

Fuchsia Waldis Ria

This hybrid was introduced in 1997 by the breeder Waltraut Dietrich from Munich. Unfortunately the renown breeder did not give information about the lineage, but that might not be a large disadvantage given the result “Waldis Ria”. It grows upright and does branch out by itself, and therefore the result a thriving bush, flourishing in abundance given enough fertilizer. Direct sunlight and wind is no problem to this hybrid. The more sunlight there is the more color of the sepals will change from a faint to a deeper pink.

Being as well beautiful as healthy and robust without special demands is probably the reason for it to be listed among the Top 50 Fuchsias by the German Fuchsia Society.

Given these benefits i am surprised that it is not readily available in to many nurseries. Fortunately Rosi Friedl in her Nursery  sells it, close to Munich, the town Mrs. Dietrich lived at while crossbreeding her hybrids.

Fuchsia Waldis Ria

The Fuchsia was the first one listed by the American Fuchsia Society (AFS), submitted by Victor Reiter in 1948.

I did not find anything worthwhile about the lineage of this triphylla-hybrid, but the breeder won me over by the hybrids crossbred by him, as for example the Fuchsia of the Week 04/2015.

Mantilla

Then name “Mantilla” may be easily understood by the aspect of a hanging basket: a mantilla is a head wear with a veil, and the Fuchsia named like it does grow- as triphyllas seldom do- hanging down. And flourishing in abundance the analogy with the veil is quite obvious.

Every single blossom is a special beauty:

Mantilla

Not solely the lucent red color, but as well the lean form with its long tube and the large corollas certainly did make this hybrid well renown and even one of the most favored Triphylla-Hybrids until today. Therefore, luckily, it may be found within the repertoire of in the better part of Fuchsia Nurseries. If overwintering should not be successful, one can readily obtain it again easily. Fortunately i had no problems concerning overwintering this hybrid for some years within my greenhouse. To the contrary: the first buds show up as early as late winter, this year 3 weeks ago. This gave me the idea to present this Fuchsia this early within the season!

Mantilla

It was grown by the diligent Gardener Marcel Michiels from Belgium,

crossbreeding the hybrids “Roesse Blacky” and “Bella Rosella”. The result was presented to the Keuringskommissie in 2004 and given the name of the renown Fuchsia-Gardener from Augsburg/ Germany, a good friend of him since many years. Since Angelika Fuhrmann celebrates her birthday this week, i want to forward my best wishes and congratulation this way!

Fuchsia Angelika Fuhrmann

This hybrid does definitely show the lineage from “Roesse Blacky”. But the blossoms, growing from long stems, are without doubt  larger, even if not as large as they are with “Bella Rosella”, the second parent plant, which is among the favorite Fuchsia of M. Michels. But the form of the blossoms of  “Angelica Fuhrmann”, due to the long pistil, is more elegant. Blossoms of this size with such a intense aubergine-purple color are truly striking, but seldom do they  tolerate direct sunlight as good as this hybrid!

Overwintering in the greenhouse is without any problems, but growth is not to fast. In does take some years to cultivate a larger plant, particularly since regular cutting back is recommended to further a compact, bushy growth. This might as well be a benefit to those who do only have restricted space at their disposal, e.g. a balcony.

Fuchsia Angelika Fuhrmann

This Fuchsia may be obtained by some specialized nurseries as Michiels in Belgium and Friedl in Germany.