The simplest and easiest way to understand what the difference between species and cultivars is to look upon it as stated in Carol Gubler's Glossary to the BFS publication 'All About Fuchsias' as  follows:
SPECIES  = 'The "original" Fuchsias found in the wild in South America, etc.
CULTIVARS = Technical term for what is commonly known as a variety.

A 'sport' in botanical terms is a mutation. The Royal Horticultural's Encyclopaedia of Gardening describes a sport as thus:
"..a sport is a genetic change in a plant, natural or induced, that may be exploited horticulturally by propagating the mutated material in order to introduce a new cultivar. Mutations can occur in all parts of plants but those of horticultural interest are mainly colour mutants, doubled flowers and variegated shoots occurring on normally green-leaved plant".
Sports can occur anywhere, at nurseries, outdoor in hardy beds and in your own greenhouse. Some famous ones include: Rose Fantasia (Pink Fantasia), Lady Thumb & Son of Thumb (Tom Thumb), Beacon Rosa (Beacon), Heidi Weiss (Heidi Ann), and various golden and variegated versions i.e. Popsie Girl (Orange Drops) & Golden Marinka (Marinka).

This is probably the most common fungal disease and we all get it from time to time. Left untreated it will wipe out young plants and cuttings and will quickly spread over a large area.
The first sign is a furry growth which carries millions of spores that can travel on the slightest breeze or can be carried in water splashes. By the time you see it the spores will already have travelled to all the surrounding plants. Infection often occurs where the plant tissue is damaged, which makes cuttings particularly vulnerable as they have been removed from the mother plant and had leaves removed.
As well as the furry growth, botrytis can also produce small black bodies called sclerotia which are often quite resilient and when they fall off an infected plant can remain in the soil or compost ready to reinfest at a later date.
To keep botrytis attacks to a minimum it is essential to check plants regularly and remove dead, damaged or dying leaves, faded flowers and all plant debris from around your plants.
If botrytis is found, remove all infected tissue. This should be done far away from the rest of your plants if possible because as soon as you touch the infected plant spores will become airborne.
Ensure ventilation is good and that there is a good circulation of air around the plants. Space your plants out - avoid overcrowding!
When watering in the greenhouse water the compost not the plants, take care not to splash the foliage.
Spraying with a fungicide based on carbendazim may help to control an infes-tation already present and may also help as a preventative on uninfected plants. However, badly affected plants are probably better to put carefully in a plastic bag, sealed and put in the dustbin or burnt. Do not put on the compost heap.
As with all problems with our fuchsias the key is good hygiene. It really pays to handle your plants as often as possible. Checking them regularly and thoroughly, though time consuming, will really pay dividends and in fact be time-effective in the long run, as  minor problems found are nipped in the bud on the onset, and major infestations avoided.  (with thanks to Ken Pearn, adaptation from  his Rotherham Fuchsia Society Newsletter)
Another tip from Ken: When cutting back climbers such as vines, honeysuckle and jasmine, take the opportunity to use the waste material as hardwood cuttings. Best material is the middle section, the tops are too green and soft, lower sections too woody. Cut into 9" segments with straight cut across the bottom just below a leaf joint and a sloping cut at the top just above a leaf joint. (It helps to know which way up it should be because you're in for a long wait if planting upside down). Plant several to a pot in John Innes No3 with added grit, place in cold frame. In Spring you should see fresh growth!

What a night you missed if you weren't at the Crescent Hotel on Friday 22 November. Thirty four members of the Society joined together to enjoy an evening of good food, good company and it has to be said, merriment. The setting was very conducive to a relaxed atmosphere, the staff were courteous and helpful and the food excellent. Two members that I know of, not mentioning any names, but one lady with her own transport and a gentleman with a long name, managed to obtain second helpings of the puddings!
Raffle prizes were donated by the committee members and ticket sales raised £42.50. As agreed by the committee, this was made up to £50 and was donated to the Lauren Downey Fund. Lauren is a young girl from the Scarborough area who has been blind since birth. The fund has been set up to enable her to be provided with a special computer to help her with her schooling. This can be updated as she progresses through her school years and should see her through her mainstream education. The committee felt this was a worthy cause and once again is something 'on our doorstep'. We hope you agree.
The evening ended with friendly chats over those lingering drinks, before the taxis arrived to carry us all off home.
Well done Eleanor for such a good research, sorry you didn't get the hunks to carry you in! Well done Christine for the efficient organisation. Just another one of those little jobs you fitted in to your busy schedule!
                                                                                                                                      CAROL TINDALL

In response to our donation we received the following letter from Fund Trustee Jackie Hunter and also a lovely Christmas card which can be viewed at our monthly meeting. Also a Christmas card from the Scarborough Friends of Guide Dogs for the Blind, who had received the 2002 Social proceeds.

"Dear Scarborough & District Fuchsia Society
On behalf of Lauren Downie and her family, I would like to express thanks for the donation of £50 that you so kindly sent to Lauren's fund. We are very grateful for the donation. This money will enable us to purchase modified braille equipment for Lauren that will provide her a lifelong means of communication. At the moment we are trying to raise £4000 to purchase a modified computer.
Lauren is the only totally blind girl in mainstream school in Scarborough, and as such does not have access to the full range of aids for the blind found in the more specialised residential schools. The fund raising effort we are currently engages in aims to rectify this by providing equipment Lauren can use during school time, but most importantly whilst at home. This will enable her to develop crucial skills at a very young age without the need to be separated from her family by attending a residential school in another county. Our fund-raising effort has so far raised approx. £1850 which has been used to purchase Lauren's personal brailler, (this is a machine similar to a typewriter that produces a hard copy of braille), braille books from America, modified educational games and other braille equipment.
May I also add my personal thanks for your very kind donation".

Due to finally getting a  long awaited hospital appointment our booked January speaker, Mr Peter Wilson from Kendall, unfortunately had to cancel. Naturally we wish him well and hope to reschedule. As luck would have it local gardening expert, Ron Womack, kindly agreed to fill the void.
For those who are not already familiar with Ron, until a few years ago he used to run Womacks Nursery on Filey Road in Scarborough and he has a regular gardening column in the Scarborough Evening News.
Never lost for words Ron started off slightly hesitantly as this had only been the second time ever that he was doing a talk without a vast array of plants in front of him, his "comfort cloth"! Soon enough though he got into the swing of things again and treated us to a most informative and entertaining evening.
The first half was a talk about winter care of houseplants which was followed by a gardener's question time after the interval.
Ron commented on the extreme dullness we have been experiencing during December and early January. Something I can echo - since our return from a glorious sunny New Zealand at the beginning of December I think I have seen the sun only three or four times! This naturally has an adverse effect on the well-being of our houseplants, they do need adequate light to flourish. In his own case this was coupled with replacing his old windows, which had "the northeasterlies playing tunes on the louvers", with new double glazing. Having gone for plastic window frames he is convinced, and determined to investigate further, that the new plastic had an severely adverse effect on his own houseplants. He was rather dismayed to find that, having given the recommended treatment to his two-year old poinsettia of cutting back in June, subjecting it to the dark cupboard treatment and then the bright light at the recommended doses, that his plants had beautiful new bracts, but with the ethylene emitted by the new plastic the growth just collapsed and turned black in the middles. (He did better than most of us though - we would have killed it off long before that, somehow never getting that second year!)
Lack of light often leads to weak drawn growth and leaf drop - Ron commented that even the good old spiderplants were looking drawn. Plants are shedding foliage as they are trying to adjust and we, the carers, should likewise make adjustments and i.e. reduce watering, no need for summer quantities when there isn't the same foliage surface to enable the plants to evaporate the surplus.
General cultural advice also included moving plants when not flourishing in their present position, like an east or west window, rather than one with a northerly aspect and grouping them together, perhaps on a tray with pebbles that are kept moist. This aids survival as it creates a mini environment and minimises evaporation. Another beneficial way to improve the health of our house plants is to give them an occasional tonic of foliar feed. If leaves receive food this signals to the plant that it is a good reason to keep the leaves rather then shedding them.
After the dullness of late autumn/early winter it can however, come as a bit of a shock to plants, when they get a sudden dose of good sunshine in February. Ron recalled people at the nursery, while still situated at Hornsea, getting sunburn at that time of the year - so what will it do to our house plants in south facing windows. Yes, remember like humans plants need gradual not sudden bright sunshine. The power of the sun can be terrific and can shrivel up a tray of seedlings in a couple of hours. This also applies to the newly emerging growth on  overwintered and now re-awakening fuchsias in our greenhouses and young cuttings. We should be aware of the problems of this sudden change in climate when after dull spells we get sudden hot days. The answer, says Ron, is to use fleece. This provides gentle shade but allows the plants to breath freely. Always apply before leaving for work at this time of the year, better safe than sorry. Also use auto vents, to prevent the greenhouse turning into a sauna.
Ron gave growing hints for most winter favourites such as amaryllis, poinsettia and cyclamen as well as the all season favourites of streptocarpus and African violets which will stand us in good stead. He admitted though that growing African violets was his Achilles' heel - he could only keep them alive just long enough to sell them! The basic rules are however simple enough: avoid cold draughts, provide good level sunlight by way of east or west windowsill, put on layer of gravel to ensure humidity, avoid cold water, make sure it is lime-free (hence the morning pot of tea treatment works as boiling the water naturalises the lime!). In many cases we have a good crown of growth but somehow don't get the flowers. This is a common problem that Ron assures us can easily be overcome by creating a period of semi-draught to induce flowering. If always well-watered and fed the plant after all does not see the need to flower! Sounds so simple, if you have the answer eh!
Naturally Ron's hints, tips and sound cultural advice could fill umpteen more pages of this magazine, but somehow I think the Scarborough Evening News would rather see us turning to their publication, Ron's column appears every Saturday and makes good reading indeed. He certainly showed his great knowledge by sailing through the gardener's question sessions after the interval which covered a wide range of subjects from what to grow in south-facing conservatories (get blinds and electric fans!) to avocado plants, peace lilies, monkey puzzle trees (keep under control by growing in pots!) and finally to the eternal favourite of how do we get rid of white fly. "The man who knows that will be onto  a winner" quipped Ron, Yes, won't he just!! The whitefly problem can be lessened by good husbandry though, as weak plants attract more insects, and by putting new plants in quarantine first, to avoid infesting your existing clean plants. This best tips was kept to last (and though so simple I had never heard it yet). Do not just squash whitefly, nip off the whole leaf, so that you are sure not to be left with some eggs to hatch out!!
As said a most informative and entertaining evening, the first of many in store  this year, and again grateful thanks to Ron for standing in at such short notice.

Amongst this year's new releases our 'local' specialist fuchsia nurseries, Mike Oxtoby and Kathleen Muncaster, look like having some real gems amongst them.  Some, a welcome addition to the hardy ranks, others potential show stoppers or long flowering patio pleasers. Try some out!!

OXTOBY'S NURSERY
PRESIDENT JIM MUIL (Bielby/Oxtoby 2003) Single This plant is a lax upright that flowers in heavy terminal bunches, and requires an early stop for best results . White tube and upturned sepals with green tips. The corolla is a lovely rose with darker pink edge, which gives a nice bright effect to the medium sized flower. Early to flower and goes on all year. (Test grown as My Pet)
KATE TAYLOR (L.Greenway 2003) Double A fine strong growing upright with large, striking, fully double blooms of very good substance. The tube and shiny upturned sepals are red purple. The full corolla opens dark violet purple and matures to beetroot purple, a completely different colour combination in a large double. A must to try.
JUELLA (Bentley 2003) Single This is a sport from a long term garden hardy with the most striking golden leaf that stands out from all other leaf colours. A red tube and sepals with blue corolla on a medium sized flower make this a good combination when grown in pot or garden and has proved hardy when tested in the West Midlands .
BRANCASTER (Clitheroe 2003) Single This fine plant carries its flowers to perfection , being short jointed has already had success on the show bench. Tube is blush white with the long thin curled up sepals pale pink. The corolla opens a beautiful blue mauve and fades to red mauve .Can do well as an upright or hanging pot.
BERYS ELIZABETH (L. Greenway 2003) Single This gentle looking plant has light green or slightly golden small leaves and a good branching habit and the growth is lax making it ideal for hanging pots . Pink tube and deeper pink horizontal sepals . Corolla is violet with a deeper edge to petals . A really nice combination that looks very clean and fresh .
HARBOUR LITES (D. Edmond 2003) Single This is the first release from the top showman David Edmond and as you would expect of him it is special and of the show bench type, with good growth that can be upright or even in a hanging pot. Tube and upturned sepals are a deep fuchsia purple on top, magenta under the sepal. The corolla is bright white with magenta veins. Has caused a sensation where it has been seen while on test
We would like to thank our very good friends for allowing us to release these exciting new cultivars for you to try and enjoy .
KATHLEEN MUNCASTER FUCHSIAS
Introduced in their catalogue with "Our thanks to the hybridisers for the privilege of introducing this sparkling variety of new flowers on good plants".