The species classes at the Shows, often leaves people with bewilderment, astonished at the wide diversity in shapes, of the plants, foliage and flowers.
For a newcomer it seems so unlikely that the New Zealand Fuchsia procumbens, with it small roundish leaves, creeping habit and highly unusual, upturned flowers with dark red turned down sepals, buttercup yellow tube and bright blue pollen, can be at all related to say the more conventional shaped but huge plants of Fuchsia fulgens or Fuchsia boliviana or indeed the modern day hybrids we are so familiar with. Then again ask yourself, would you have thought potatoes, tomatoes aubergines and the deadly nightshade all belonged to the same family!
For some this presents a challenge, to have a go at growing some species too, for others, though attracted to them, there is a feeling that they will be far too difficult to grow, needing perhaps just as many different, special growing requirements as shapes there are on show?!
Well, there is no mystic about growing species. As there is such a great number of very different kinds of fuchsias, similar or related species have been grouped together in sections, varying from a single specie in one or two sections e.g. F.jimenezia being the only specie in Section Jimenezia, to nine species including the well-known F coccinea, F glazioviana and F magellanica in the Quellusia Section, to well over sixty species, including F boliviana, F loxensi, F triphylla, F Venusta and F denticulata in Section Fuchsia.
A look at how the fuchsias grow in their natural habitat gives a good clue to their preferred growing conditions. In Central and South America fuchsias are found from Mexico in the North right through to Southern Chile and the Magellan Straits in the very South, with the big climatical differences in their natural home habitat (imagine the cool mountain ridges high up in the Andes, home of the magellanica e.g. in contrast with the Caribbean climate!) the plants have naturally developed a diversity of flower and foliage shapes and sizes, and even different types of root systems. Some have tuberous roots, other showing an epiphytic type growth, living on trees as parasites Species fuchsias are also found in Tahiti and New Zealand, where F procumbens e.g. thrives on the sandy shoreline beaches!

Species in general prefer a free root-run to develop more to their true potential, remembering that many grow as immensely tall shrubs in their natural habitat. So, the biggest problem with growing - for - showing is therefore that you have to restrict the pot-size according to the show schedules, sometimes 8 to 10" and at some shows only a mere 6", however our own show allows any size pot, so plenty of scope here (depending on your strength to carry them though!).
Most successful growers grow their show plants more or less on the biennial system. They need a long growing season, so cuttings are taken (or bought in from your specialist fuchsia nursery) in early spring one year and grown on for showing the following summer, giving a total growing time of some 16 months or so. This allows the root and framework structure to develop more fully to its best potential. Pinch out for a good framework during the initial stages of growth in the first season and the following year pinch for shape, bearing in mind though that it ought to be kept as natural as possible! Species need only a minimum of stopping as required by the B.F.S. and as a rough guide, a general thumb of rule is 14 to 18 weeks for the final stop. Once in flower they will flower for a considerably time.
Though the species need to be kept frost free at during the winter months, from early Spring right into Autumn they would very much prefer to be outdoors, preferably in a part of the garden that has some shade or morning sun only, and definitely not in full sun all day. Better still would be a shade house, standing the plants on moist gravel, to give protection from wind, birds, cats etc. and have an ambient growing condition of dappled shade and a moist but well ventilated atmosphere. They certainly do not like the oppressive heat and dry atmosphere of a greenhouse at the height of summer.
Compost, is very much by personal preference, though it is advisable to add a good quantity of extra grit to aid drainage and especially if grown in plastic pots to help with weight. Clay pots do help to keep the roots cool, but especially when still small you can heel your plastic pots in an outer pot a couple of sizes bigger with moist sand sandwiched between the pots to created this effect. Being so vigorous you can pot on quicker into bigger sizes of course, i.e. straight from 3" to 5" pots. When growing on your plants for several years you have to remember that you don't pot them on that often anymore as they are already in large enough pots, so extra slow-release fertiliser could be added to the compost to increase its active life. (Remember that F procumbens, originates from the sandy beaches of New Zealand and henceforth performs much better in a real sandy compost!)
Feeding is again very much a matter of individual choice, if something works for you, stick to it, don't follow all advice you hear, but should you encounter problems, a change might well pay dividends. A good balanced food is the most important thing, preferably with trace elements, so Chempak would do, but good results have also been obtained feeding with Maxicrop, which is organic, a natural seaweed extract, and as such has of course lots of trace elements. (Remember that the species with a tuberous root system do not need quite so much food as the others.)

It is generally thought that F denticulata, F fulgens, F boliviana and F paniculata are relatively easy to grow species, quite suitable for the beginner, well worth growing and making good show plants.
Looking through B.F.S. Show results over the last few years, only a few names cropped up repeatedly amongst the prize winners. F procumbens, F paniculata, F fulgens rubra grandiflora appeared way out in front with around twenty each, followed by F denticulata, F fulgens, F boliviana alba and F arborescens on a dozen or so and a handful of prizes each went to F fulgens variegata, F alpestris, F harstchbachii and the recently becoming popular F glazioviana. A further two dozen different species won an occasional prize (or two), and of course at local shows other ones might do well too. Sometimes it pays to experiment and be different! CD 1998