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Something to occupy you for 'a little while' on a rainy day. How many hardy fuchsias can you find in the grid??
Don't give up on it too quickly, there are sure to be a few more than you think there could be!!
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Out and About
During the summer months when all the hard preparation work is finally paying off and everything is looking rosy in the garden and flowery in our greenhouses, between all the watering and weeding, we should give ourselves some well-earned time off and venture out and about.
Look out in the local press for details of Open Gardens. Many are organised in aid of charities such as the Red Cross, Cancer Research or local fundraising.
Especially recommended are the Hidden Gardens of Gristhorpe near Filey in aid of St Catherine's Hospice, which usually takes place in mid July.
Several Yorkshire gardens, many privately owned, are open for Charity under the National Gardens Scheme, the famous 'Yellow Book' has a handy Yorkshire offspring freely available from garden centres, libraries etc. With detailed descriptions of gardens, opening times, admission charges and facilities on offer.
Other events to look out for are the various local horticultural shows. Many have in fact classes for fuchsias and are well worth a visit. It would help the promotion of fuchsia growing if some of our members could participate to boost the entries and give the public more lovely fuchsias to admire! I have listed some of the local shows for you below, but again recommend you keep an eye out for these events in the local press, there are many more.
July 21 Driffield Show Showground, Driffield
July 24 & 25 Filey Allotment Association St Johns Church Hall, West Ave, Filey
Aug 9 & 10 Scarborough Horticultural Soc Community Centre, Crossgates
Aug 30 Burniston Show Scalby Lodge Farm, Burniston
Mystery Plant Cuttings
Trust you are giving it plenty of TLC!
Just in case you missed out on some of the information. The cultivar is a single and the suppliers, Mike & Jackie Oxtoby, have assured me that it is a good grower. Vigorous, so responding well to being potted up. It is also a self-branching cultivar which can be grown without much stopping. Quite intriguing and sure to provide us, once again, with the usual wide array of shapes and sizes for our Mini Show on 21 July. Please bring you plant, whatever state it is in, as part of the idea is to have each plant looked at in turn and explain the good aspects and provide advice where things have not quite gone right. We therefore do need the plants that might not quite be up to scratch as well as the stunners. So, please be a good sport and bring yours along, it will be much appreciated.
Parks & Countryside Department Excels Again
Following on from all the good work during the last few years, when many of the Borough's parks have been spruced up to once again become popular places to visit, Scarborough's Shuttleworth Garden has recently been given an extensive make-over to return it to its former splendour.
The Scarborough Council's Parks & Countryside Department gardeners have been carrying out the new planting at the garden off the South Cliff Esplanade and it now boosts a fine variety of shrubs such as buddleia, potentilla, hydrangea, rosebeds and climbing roses as well as exiting new the new alpine plants in the rockery. The garden is well balanced again and provides good all year round colour and sustainability to attract wildlife.
The make-over has been arranged in consultation with the Scarborough Blind & Partially Sighted Society to restore the sensory bed in the garden, which contains many fragrant herbs such as rosemary, thyme, fennel and lavender. Chief Officer for the Society, Viv Wright, expressed her delight with the result adding that the Society members have enjoyed the garden for many years and are delighted to be involved in developing the modern look to the garden which can now be enjoyed and appreciated by the whole community."
The Scarborough Standing Conference of Women's Organisations contributed £75 towards the work from fundraising during the Queen's Golden Jubilee year.
P.S. When visiting Scarborough remember to visit the hardy fuchsia bed in the Crescent Gardens.
Return of Trophies
Yes, it's that time of year again, when the winners from last year need to return the trophies. Please bring your trophies, engraved and shining brightly, along to our July meeting or return to the Committee by 21 July.
This is really important, so that they can be checked and, if necessary, repairs can be carried out. Like last year we might also be able to arrange a photo shoot, so please endeavour to return on time as requested. Thanks!
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ECONOMY LABELS
Plastic plant labels that have been written on using permanent ink can be brought back to new if they are soaked in a 75% bleach solution for a couple of weeks. Make sure they are thoroughly washed before using again. Alternatively, use a pencil to mark labels, these can then be used again by simply using a rubber (eraser) to remove the name.
Labels made from coloured plastic containers, such as clothes softener, can be used for labelling different types of plants, i.e. blue for hardy, yellow for trailers, pink for trailers etc.
Courtesy of Waltham Forest Fuchsia & Pelargonium Group
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HANGING BASKETS
A teenage granddaughter comes down-stairs for her date wearing a see-through blouse and no bra. Her grandmother just pitches a fit, telling her not to dare go out like that! The teenager tells her "Loosen up, Grams. These are modern times. You gotta let your rosebuds show!"
The next day the teenager comes in and the grandmother is sitting there with no top on. The teenager wants to die. She explains to her grandmother that she has friends coming over and that it is just not appropriate. The grandmother smiles and says "Loosen up, Sweetie. If you can show your rosebuds, then I can display my hanging baskets!"
Courtesy of the Clacton & Louth F S Newsletter
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DON'T FORGET
Various popular garden chemicals are now banned. To comply with an EU directive it is also illegal to store these banned products.
Remember it is illegal and dangerous to pour these chemicals down the drain - contact your Council's Waste Disposal Authority for safe disposal locations.
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DOWN MEMORY LANE
As this is our 20th Anniversary year it would be nice if some of our longstanding members could share a few happy memories with us in the Autumn Edition.
Any Offers??
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Beginners Corner
PESTS AND DISEASES
Pests common to fuchsia are Aphids, Whitefly, Red spider Mite, Vine Weevil and Capsid Bugs.
Pests only become a real nuisance if we allow it to get to this stage of a major outbreak, by failing to deal with the problem at the onset where i.e. a few aphids could easily have been rubbed out. So, it is essential to start off with clean plants in spring and have a strict hygiene regime. Pests and diseases breed and spread at an alarmingly fast rate. It is therefore essential that you regularly inspect your plants to spot problems early and nip in the bud. Pay particular attention to the soft growing tips (the favoured juice snack of aphids) and the underneath of the foliage where i.e. the whitefly (and eggs) are in hiding. Telltale signs are leaves curled round, distorted growth, misshapen buds and a sticky secretion on the foliage that in turn can become very unsightly with sooty mould. Constant vigilance is required throughout the growing season - although one dose of spray might seem to cure a problem another outbreak can occur just a few weeks. Prevention is better than a cure.
A lot can be eradicated with regular sprayings of insecticide. These are chemicals that kill the insects. Contact insecticides do so when the spray comes in contact with the pest. With systemic insecticides the chemicals are absorbed into the plant system and kills i.e. the sapsucking aphids when they attempt to suck the leaves or growing tips; protection lasts for a few weeks. Always ensure you follow manufacturer's instructions. If you do not like using insecticides - you can spray with a 'soft-soap' solution.
Red spider mite also feed on the plant's sap, again attaching themselves to the underside of the foliage. Plants loose their healthy sheen and become dull and greyish, even mottled. Defoliation follows in severe cases. They thrive in hot, dry conditions so combat by providing high humidity. Damp down and ventilate freely. Difficult to eradicate so if only a few plants are infected better to dispose of them then risk it spreading.
Vine weevil adults make c-shaped notches in the fuchsia leaves. They are nocturnal, so go out after dark with a torch to pick them off and squash them. However, the larvae, ½" long white grubs with orangy-brown heads, do more damage. They survive by eating the young white roots of your plants, which then suddenly wilt and collapse. On investigation you'll find there are no roots left to sustain the plant. For prevention: treat with Provado or diluted Armillatox or introduce Nematodes as a biological control method.
Capsid Bug is mainly found in the hardy fuchsia beds, but also on fuchsia potplants stood outside during the summer. These sap-sucking insects, like large greenfly, are especially active in early spring. They cause distortion of growing tips and even blindness, so infuriating as we then don't get the flowers. Spray with systemic insecticide a few times during late spring and early summer.
The two most common diseases fuchsia growers encounter are:
Botrytis: the fungus disease also know as black rot. Caused mostly by insufficient air-circulation coupled with cold, damp conditions. Ensure general cleanliness, remove dead and decaying foliage that may be laying on the soil of your pots, and provide correct growing conditions with good ventilation to prevent outbreaks. Especially troublesome at beginning of season.
Fuchsia Rust: highly contagious thrives in humid conditions. Discoloured patches appear on the surface of the leaves and the underneath will have orange blotches of spores. Pick off all affected leaves carefully, taking care not to spread the spores, and dispose safely. Ensure good ventilation. Spray with a fungicide. , and dispose safely. Ensure good ventilation. Spray with a fungicide.
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Questions & Queries
Q: 'My fuchsia cuttings just seem to be growing up and up. How do I turn them into bushy plants, with lots of flowers, like the ones I saw at last year's Show?
A: To 'shape' a plant and make it bush out you have to remove the growing tips at regular intervals.
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Stopping or pinching out are the terms used for the removal of the small growing tips at the end of each growing shoot. The purpose is to encourage further lateral growth, the side shoots. The first stop is made when a fuchsia cutting has developed 3, 4 or 5 pairs of leaves. The growing tip is then removed (pinched out) and side shoots will develop in the leaf axil, usually one, but some cultivars have two or even three shoots emerging form each axil.
When these resulting shoots have in turn made one to three pairs of leaves, the tips are again removed. This process of stopping can be repeated several times and will increase the size and bushiness of the plant tremendously and of course the flowering potential. Just look at the multiplication. At the first stop at three pairs of leaves, if you get a new shoot in each leaf axil, it will make six growing shoots. Allow two new sets of leaves before the next stop and on pinching out you'll get 24 new shoots. The following stop could produce 96 shoots, which will turn into branches and can sprout a couple of flowers per shoot to give you a well branched plant with nearly 200 flowers!!
Quite simple really, so give it a whirl, you're guaranteed to be pleased with the results and truly amazed at the number of flowers your plants will produce.
However, please remember:
Make all stops on a plant at the same time to ensure even growth.
A stop will delay flowering by about 9 weeks for single cultivars, 10 weeks for semi-doubles and 11-12 weeks for the double cultivars.
Work backward from the Show date to calculate the correct date for stopping!
Allow approximately 4 weeks after each stop for the subsequent shoots to have developed sufficiently to be pinched again.
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The B.F.S. Top Ten by Carol Gubler
Courtesy of the British Fuchsia Society Spring Bulletin 2004
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Well, Shelford has done it again - and has now been top for four years, perhaps the gap is closing as Sophie Louise was not far behind.
The top four fuchsias were well ahead of the rest! The three doubles have reappeared this year and are gradually creeping up the Top Ten, I was particularly thrilled to see Wigan Peer doing so well. It is a fantastic small to medium sized double, the flowers are soft creamy pink and there are so many of them - it is a wonderful fuchsia and well deserves its success.
This year, with its exceptional weather, meant that fuchsias were possibly shown that might not have been otherwise, so numbers were up with over 300 different fuchsias being the winners in the 5" to any size pot classes.
The 31/2" pot classes gave us a top five as follows 1. Sophie Louise, 2. Border Raider, 3. Twinny, 4. Nellie Nuttall, 5. Katrina Thompsen. Points wise - Sophie Louise 105. Border Raider 59! So there was certainly no disputing which fuchsia is the best for growing in 31/2" pots. I am certain that Border Raider will give it a run for it's money for some time -- there is still a shortage of Border Raider amongst the prize winners in the south, perhaps it is the difference in the light? Over 100 different fuchsias were winners in the 31/2" pot classes.
Waveney Gem was again top in the basket and hanging pot classes, closely followed by Janice Ann and Sylvia Barker, there was then quite a gap before the next two which were Auntie Jinks and Marinka - two golden oldies! Again there was a terrific range of plants that won prizes in this section - 135 different fuchsias which ranged from the obvious to the imaginative!
My extra classes this year were the encliandras - a broad range was shown, top was Lottie Hobbie, followed by Snowflake, Waldfee, Hemsleyana & Karen Isles.
There were only 7 points between the first two, which was to me quite a surprise. 36 different encliandras were the prize winners at the shows - quite a selection!
Finally, my grateful thanks, as always, to all the show organisers who take the time and trouble to collect the results and to send them on to me, e-mail was again a popular way of getting them to me. I really appreciate all that you do to collect the results!
My final thoughts, the fuchsia of the year - has to be Sophie Louise, 1st and 2nd in two categories makes it the tops to me! Up and coming Louise Nicholls (bush). Berys (basket) and Marles de Keiyzer (encliandra).
Support your Specialist Fuchsia Nurseries
They do a fabulous job keeping such a fast range of cultivars in existence but can only do so if we support them wholeheartedly so they stay in business.
«Oxtoby's Nursery
74 Westgate, North Cave, Brough, East Yorkshire. HU15 2NJ
)01430 - 423049 http://www.moxtoby.supanet.com
Our nearest specialist fuchsia nursery. Well worth a visit as you can be assured of Mike & Jackie's personal attention and good advice. They put their stock plants on display outdoors during the summer months and a summer visit to the nursery will also give you the opportunity to see Mike's ever so famous Thalia in flower - it's so big it is grown in a massive dustbin!!
«A little further South - Kathleen Muncaster Fuchsias.
18 Field Lane, Morton, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. DN21 3BY
)01427 - 612329 www.kathleenmuncasterfuchsias.co.uk
Again excelling thanks to the personal attention at the husband and wife run establishment. They hold a National Hardy Fuchsia Plant Collection and have more than 300 plants in their garden. Must be a fantastic sight - pencil them in for a visit in late Summer to see their full range of hardy fuchsias in full flower.
«Bellcross Nurseries - show begonias as well as fuchsias.
Howden, Goole, East Yorkshire, DN14 7TQ )01430 - 430284
«If travelling up North pay a visit to Arcadia Nurseries.
Brass Castle Lane, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, Cleveland. TS8 9EB
)01642 - 310782 www.arcadianurseries.co.uk
Although converted to a major garden centre during the last few years, they still give fuchsias a prime place and during the summer months have their stock plants in full flower at their own permanent Fuchsia Exhibition.
«Conveniently just off the A1 - Clifton Fuchsia and Plant Centre.
Clifton, Morpeth, NE61 6DG )01670 515024
www.morpethnet.freeserve.co.uk/clifton-fuchsias
Graeme Ord and friendly staff are on hand to give advice and they offer a vast variety of cultivars to choose from.
Please check opening times before setting off on a long journey
Our Monthly Meetings
The 2004 programme got off to a good start on 21 January with a relaxing informal get-together. Members had the opportunity catching up with each other after the long winter break, and before the interval we also featured a self help question and answer session to solve each other's growing problems and a couple of fuchsia fun quizzes, kindly compiled by Pat McMullen. After the break, to whet our appetites and to remind ourselves again what it is all about, a wonderful fuchsia slide show was presented by our President, David Edmond.
On 18 February the Society were delighted to have local photographic expert John Hume as their guest speaker. He enlighten us on some of the marvels of flower photography by way of a slide show and helped us to improve our own skills, covering the important do's and don'ts for both traditional and digital photography. It proved an enjoyable evening for our members, with photographs, slides and photographic equipment at hand to illustrate the talk.
The slides and photographs of wild flowers & butterflies were truly excellent and it was really good to be able to see the comparisons between the digital and traditional photography. When photographing butterflies i.e. to ensure you get a picture at all, you start shooting at quite a distant and keep taking pictures as you creep nearer and nearer, to hopefully end up with close-ups as good as John showed us. There are of course advantages and disadvantages for both, however, excellent results can be obtained even with basic equipment if you have the flair for composition and happen to be in the right place at the right time!
He also stressed the importance of getting to know your local processor (Yes, he works at Jessops), who might be able to improve the quality of your pictures by the individual attention they can give batches and also advise you how to avoid some of the pitfalls in future. With several members already dabbling in photography and the addition of our first photography class for the Annual Show it created a great deal of interest. A very informative & entertaining evening for budding beginners and more experienced photographers alike. A job well done!
For the 17 March meeting we were pleased to have a return visit for Jim Muil of Kendal, the well-travelled Vice President of the British Fuchsia Society to present an inspirational talk and slide show entitled 'Why Fuchsias'. Jim has been to Scarborough several times over the years, both as speaker and judge.
For our new members especially the start of the evening proved most interesting as Jim took us through the early history of fuchsia growing, the origins of the plants and their introduction in England. Although the fuchsia (the plant we now know as F. triphylla) was discovered by Charles Plumier in the mountains of the Dominican Republic in the early 1700's it wasn't until nearly 80 years later that, thanks to nurseryman James Lye, fuchsias were introduced commercially. This period was the golden age of plant collecting, more species soon arrived and with nurserymen then, as always, rubbing their hands with potential money-spinners extensive hybridising soon took place. And, not only in England but also in France (Lemoine- Dollar Princess, Brutus).
The talk was illustrated throughout by excellent slides, some historical old plates and others more familiar fuchsias growing as we know them. One of the slides showed the full splendour of the fuchsia hedging in Ireland. The fuchsia (after the shamrock) is the natural flower of Ireland. With a few inches of the boggy soil over a rocky shelf which provides good drainage the coast of Ireland provides the ideal growing conditions and the magellanica fuchsias were used extensively to provide shelter for the more ornamental plants in the garden from the rain and winds blowing straight off the Atlantic. It was nice to see some of the slides of the famous 1988 Gateshead Garden Festival again too - how time flies! No one will ever forget that splendid Jim Coleman, a mass of flowers 2ft across, which scooped 'best in show', the enormous Lechlade Gorgon and our Society display, the boat brimful fuchsias with the superb triphyllas as a centrepiece. An entertaining and educational evening by a very accomplished speaker. Much appreciated by the 48 members who attended the evening.
The Society is also very grateful indeed to Keith McManus, who managed to come across the Pennines for his talk on 21 April, in a borrowed car after his own car had unfortunately been stolen. So kind of him to go through so much trouble to honour the booking as it meant he would have to go back that very evening rather than staying overnight as originally planned. How unfortunate then to have some-one reversing into the car at the Church car park, however luckily enough only some damage to the number plate. Phew!!
Rather than the usual hands-on demonstration which Keith favours so he can show what he does rather than just talking about it, he presented a slideshow, but as he is not a man ever lost for words, it was to our delight, not a case of just holiday-style flipping through them quickly. The slides were used to fully illustrated the valuable points he was making. i.e. the basic tools required, which includes a diary to keep a record of your stopping times for future reference and a wheelie bin to mix his compost in. He also showed and explained how he built his self-watering benches in his greenhouses and how he used the back of his East-West facing greenhouses to display his half baskets. You don't really need a glass back there, so this is replaced with external quality plywood and covered in white polythene to reflect the maximum amount of light. His half baskets have over the years been the pride of many shows and displays - proof of the pudding, it really works! The talk, to the delight of the 49 members attending, contained a wealth of tips, too numerous to repeat here. Pick of the bunch must be the reminder to overwinter established plants laid on their sides so the sap is not just directed to the bottom, but retained evenly across the framework and the plants will awaken earlier and break more evenly. Especially important for standards - to which I can testify as I have a number of them standing on the back shelf on my greenhouse looking very sorry for themselves, as bare dead wood for the top half and just a few shoot emerging near soil level. Such a waste! A valuable lesson learned, the hard way for me - for you, take note of Keith's advice! Another enjoyable evening - well done.
Show Preparation
For members considering entering our Show on 14 &15 August, the following points might be of use in the last couple of week before the big day itself.
Inspect your plants daily. This will enable you to detect any pest or disease and take prompt action. In addition by handling the plants you can assess whether they require water (with practice the weight of the pot will tell you if water is required or not). And finally daily inspection will remind you to give each plant a quarter turn to ensure even light conditions that will result in even growth and even flowering.
Remove any litter on the surface of the compost. Fallen leaves or flower buds can encourage fungal diseases such as botrytis to develop and unchecked botrytis can cause whole branches to wither and die just days before a show.
Remove any yellow leaves before they fall (Prevention is better than cure). Don't remove yellow leaves on triphylla-type fuchsias though, as this will only encourage more leaves to yellow and fall - but make sure that all yellowed foliage has been removed on show day.
Continue to feed your plants. A balanced feed such as Chempak 3 is best. Be careful about using high potash feed. Although it encourages the flowering hormones it can also lead to premature ripening of the wood and this can damage the plant's long term health. If however, you have a plant of buds a week before the show that is clearly going to be a few days late, give it a full-strength feed of Chempak 4 every second day until the show. Such treatment is extreme and the plant may not look too good a couple of weeks afterwards, but it can force the reluctant plant into bloom! (Feed with Chempak 2 (high nitrogen) for 2 or 3 weeks after the show to redress the chemical balance).
To improve the freshness and vigour of the foliage give plants one full strength feed of Chempak 2 or other high nitrogen feed.
In general avoid spraying chemicals on fuchsias once the buds start to show colour, as there is a risk of staining blooms. However, we want show plant to be as clean as possible. Stergene is a viable alternative for the use against whitefly. A capful to two litres of water will kill the whitefly and again the blooms shouldn't be damaged as long as you keep the plants out of the sun for a couple of hours after spraying.
Fuchsia rust can be a problem in August. Afflicted plants should not be entered in the show (rust spreads easily and it isn't fair to risk infecting other members' plants). In the case of a mild infection, remove all affected leaves and dispose of them (burn or bin, never compost) and water the surface of the compost with a good fungicide. Don't spray the plants with the fungicide at this time of the year as again blooms will be badly marked.
In the last couple of weeks before the show keep particularly vigilant about extreme weather. Thunder storms can flatten a plant full of bloom and ruin the shape of the plant and even break branches heavy with bud. At the risk if heavy rain, get all vulnerable show specimen under cover. High winds can blow over and damage plants full of leaf and buds. Make sure the show plants are in sheltered spots and place pots within larger clay pots weighed down with gravel. Concrete blocks purpose-made to support pots can also be used. Check that standards are securely tied to their stakes. Plants can also be brought back inside the greenhouse for protection but ensure there is adequate ventilation. Cover windows and door with netting though to prevent bees & wasps entering the greenhouse and making the flowers.
A week before the show you should have a clear idea about which plants will be going to the show. Double check plants are in the correct size pots Fill in your show entry forms as soon as you can and send it in good time.
Make arrangements to take the plants to show. Plants can easily and safely be transported fixed into upside-down cardboard boxes with a cut out hole in which the pots can snugly be wedged in or use concrete pot collars. Keen exhibitors manage to utilise optimum space by packing plant tightly (to avoid movement) wrapped in stockinette sleeves.
Wipe pots or replace with clean pots and replace faded or dirty labels.
Remove yellowing & marked leaves and any spend blooms & seedpods, brush pollen off the foliage, clean out all debris from the surface of the compost and topdress with fresh compost.
On arrival at the Show report to the Show Secretary to collect your class cards and take the time to give your plants a final heck-over. Dress the plants by carefully pulling out of the foliage any hidden flowers. The few extra minutes taken to do this will greatly improve the appearance of your plants!
The above points are by no means a comprehensive guide to show preparation in the couple of weeks before the big day, but I trust it will be of some help.
If you require help staging your plants please see one of the stewards, they sure to be pleased to assist. Most important of all: do enter the show as a quality show reflects well on the Society and will encourage the public to visit again next year and even convince a few people to join us.
Thanks to Malcolm Harris (Coventry Fuchsia & Geranium Society & Nick Dobson Waltham Forest Fuchsia & Pelargonium Society)
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Announcements - re our monthly meetings
Remember you are allowed, and in fact we would like to encourage you to do so, to bring friends, neighbours etc. to our monthly meetings - anyone interested in gardening or just wanting to share our company is welcome.
Books for sale at back of hall and books & videos can also be borrowed from the Society's Library, see the librarian at back of the hall during the interval.
Lovely hall, but unfortunately the seats are a bit hard, so don't forget you can bring along cushions to remedy it somewhat.
Items for the Tombola at the Annual Show can be brought to our monthly meetings during the next few
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Hasty Words
You've said a thoughtless word, although you didn't really mean it.
What can you do to take it back, how best can you redeem it?
Just say "I'm sorry, let's be friends", that's the best way to make amends.
Anne Kreer
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Hasty Words
You've said a thoughtless word, although you didn't really mean it.
What can you do to take it back, how best can you redeem it?
Just say "I'm sorry, let's be friends", that's the best way to make amends.
Anne Kreer
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Hasty Words
You've said a thoughtless word, although you didn't really mean it.
What can you do to take it back, how best can you redeem it?
Just say "I'm sorry, let's be friends", that's the best way to make amends.
Anne Kreer
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North East Counties Fuchsia Group
The next display of the NECFG will be held at Normanby Hall on 4th & 5th September 2004. The Fuchsia Fantasial will be in a marquee in front of the Hall and each participating Society will create a display in an area 9'x 9'. Peter Long and Peter Bendall will take responsibility for our display and the Society is grateful for their kind offer and grateful thanks are also extended to the members who are assisting by growing-on plants for the display.
Funds need to be raised to help fund the event, so a tombola and plant table (hopefully outside) will be run during the event. The Council will produce a postcard with a fuchsia logo etc, and it is hoped that Societies will buy some to help raise funds. Another fund raiser prior to the event will be beakers as this proved very successful in 2002. We hope you will be able to support the fundraising effort and visit the event - any profit that is made will be divided between Societies staging displays.
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In the Greenhouse
JUNE /JULY
Pests are abundant now and at the first sign of an infestation you should spray with a systemic insecticide, or soft soap if you prefer not to use chemicals
Now is the time to plant hardy varieties in the garden - they are only considered hardy if they are planted in the ground. Make sure the plant is a good size with a well established root system. Plant the fuchsia three to four inches deeper than the level of the pot it was in and water in well. Continue to water and feed regularly.
Other plants will benefit from being stood outside, preferably in sheltered semi-shaded position.
Ventilate freely and damp down thoroughly on warm days.
By now plants should be in their final growing positions, whether in pots or baskets, and well on their way to flowering. Turn regularly for even growth.
Careful attention now needs to be given to watering. Test your plants before you water as over-watering will do more damage than letting them go a bit dry. Over watered plants, once they reach the wilting stage, rarely recover whereas plants that have wilted through lack of water will be as good as new after a couple of days of tender loving care. So, if you find your plants looking sorry for them-selves, feel the pot, if the compost feels wet do not give any more water until they have fully dried out.
Continue to check for pests and diseases and spray as necessary.
AUGUST
For continuous flowering 'dead head' plants regularly. This means not only removing any dead or fading blooms, but also any seed pods on the plant.
Keep a sharp look-out for rust when it is very warm and damp you are likely to get an outbreak. If you find red or brownish blotches on the upper leaf surfaces and orange pustules on the lower leaf surfaces then you have got rust. Remove and burn all affected leaves and defoliate plants in severe attacks. Plants and soil should be sprayed with a suitable fungicide, depending on those that are available, following the manufacturers guidelines.
Keep watering well, even on rainy days, and feed regularly with a balanced plant food such as Chempak 3 or Miracle-Gro.
Take notes of plants and how well they perform in various locations.
Visit the Shows, support your fellow growers, and take a note of the varieties that do well and you might like to grow next year.
Continue to check for pests and diseases and spray as necessary.
SEPTEMBER
Fuchsias now look at their best, revelling in the early morning dews that come at this time of the year. Most originate from the cloud forests of Central and South America so this time of the year must seem like being at home.
Continue to feed to ensure an abundance of blooms for a few more weeks.
Start looking for the dreaded Vine Weevil. If any of your plants don't seem to be doing too well; droopy although watered and fed, knock the plant out of its pot and examine the root system. If the white feeding roots are missing scrape away the compost to see if any Vine Weevil grubs are present. If they are, remove the compost and discard in the dustbin (not onto the garden), wash roots and re-pot the plant. Destroy the grubs.
Adapted from an article from the Waltham Forest Fuchsia & Pelargonium Society
Fuchsia Sports and their Worth
by Mark MacDougall
Courtesy of Waltham Forest Fuchsia & Pelargonium Group
"God rested when His work was done and in His quiet hours He gave the world its loveliness. T'was then He made the flowers."
Throughout history, man has been able to improve himself and the world he lives in by exploiting acts of nature. Our ancestors conceivably discovered fire by a strike of lightning. From this rude beginning, for example, all modern heating devices have been developed. In the world of Botany, nature has been instrumental in seeding, cross seeding and reproducing its many species. Self development by nature had been aided by man in later years through his study and knowledge of plant hybridisation.
Even so, nature itself continues to work for the furtherance and improvement of its kind. One important aspect of natural plant change is by mutation or 'sport'. This change or alteration in a plant form or qualities occurs when a sudden variation produces offspring differing from its parents in some well-marked character (or characters) due to changes within the chromosomes or genes.
Natural mutations have been responsible to a very great extent in the development of the modern fuchsias. 'Venus Victrix' (Gulliver, 1840) was a mutation. Through this self-developed, tiny, unimpressive and rather weak variety, all modern white tubed fuchsias have been made possible. Other notable fuchsia mutations aiding the development of today's fuchsias were the first doubles, 'Duplex' and 'Multiplex' (Story, 1850), the first white corollas, both single and double, the first fuchsia with marbling effects and also fertile varieties capable of bridging strains.
Many other desirable mutations are not spectacular, and although important contributions to the strain they are easily overlooked. Examples of this group are mutations in stem, foliage and disease resistance. Without these natural fuchsia mutations briefly listed above we would probably never have the superior varieties we enjoy today.
A number of fuchsias have been known to change leaf colouring through mutation, allowing the bloom to remain the same as the original plant. Many of these varieties are well worth cultivating. An example is the species F. magellanica gracillis variegata, with silvery variegated foliage to differ from its popular green leafed parent. The old variety 'Prince of Orange' sported into the variegated form 'Mrs George Martyn' (Garson, 1944), all leaves having a golden yellow band around the edge. The most popular of recent foliage sports is probably 'Golden Marinka' (Weber, 1955), with flower identical to 'Marinka' (Rozain-Bougharlat, 1902), but differing in foliage from the usual green to a bright hued, banded and splashed creamy-gold. Without doubt other varieties in the variegated class, such as 'Sunray', 'Autumnale', 'Tom West', etc. are sports.
The historical 'Venus Victric' was cited as an example of change of tube and sepal colouring through mutation. An example of this type is 'Columbia' which sported white, flushed pink tube and sepals while retaining all the other characteristics of its parent, 'America' (Nyederholzer, 1941), with flesh pink tube and sepals. The contrast is truly beautiful.
The fuchsia sports, however, are probably best exemplified by corolla colour changes. The corolla mutation is generally from dark to light, that is, from purple to mauve or lavender to white. Occasionally, however, this usual procedure is reversed, such as 'Pink Pearl' which produced the rosy-purple of 'Constance'. The two colours can be seen quite often on the same plant. 'Gypsy Queen' (Bull, 1865) sported both ways. From its original mauve, it sported to white and was named variously 'White Wonder', 'Catalina' and 'Mt Hood'. It also mutated to a purple hued corolla, 'Gypsy Prince (Ervin, 1952). Other well know corolla sports include: 'Lucky Strike' to 'Flirtation', 'Uncle Jules' to 'Aunt Juliana', 'Winston Churchill to 'Holydale', 'Bewitched' to 'Bachelor Girl', 'Guy Monk' to 'Lorna Doone' and 'His Excellency' to 'Hazel March' by Clement Schnabel is an orchid pink sport of his 1959 variety 'Shalimar'.
Perhaps the most classic example of fuchsia sports it that which occurred on the trailer 'San Mateo' (Nyederholzer, 1948), a dark violet corolla splashed with pink. It gave way to the lilac pink of 'San Pablo' (Crumley, 1948), which in turn produced the white sport 'San Jose' (Erickson, 1955). The two sports retain the fine trailing habit of the original plant. A spectacular basket can be made by growing these three together in the same container. Start with young, evenly matched plants. This can also be done nicely with similar series of sports that occurred on 'Enchanted' (Tiret, 1948), a corolla of campanula blue, which gave way to the pale lavender rose of 'Forth Bragg' (Waltz, 1957), which then sported a white corolla 'Miss Washington' (Mouncer, 1961). These three have fine trailing habits and are identical in form, growth, foliage and colour of sepals. Only the corolla part of the flower shows a marked contrast in colour due to the mutation change.
It can clearly be seen that many advances in the fuchsia have come by natural mutation during their cultivation. Sports are an interesting, though sometimes most unexpected phenomena in growing fuchsias.
When a sport is noticed, one should careful remove the lateral on which the sport appears. In this manner the new form created by nature can be captured and cultivated. It may prove to be another important step ahead in fuchsia development, or at least, a lovely variety to add to our list of favourite flowers.
The Last Word
Just enough space left to express my gratitude to the 'guest authors' for granting permission to reproduce their articles.
Trust you enjoyed it. Input from Society members would be most welcome - please forward news and views, handy hints, happy fuchsia memories or whatever else you think might be of interest, to share with your fellow members. Any contribution, however small will be very much appreciated!
Your Editor, Claudy Dixon
The magazine also include a few articles from the BFS CAD's FUCHSIA NEWS which can be viewed on the BFS Website
fuchsiasforfun.@tiscali.co.uk.co.uk
FUCHSIASFORFUN HOME PAGE
Including
SCARBOROUGH & DISTRICT FUCHSIA SOCIETY INFO PAGE
October 2005 June 2005 February 2005
October 2004 June 2004 February 2004
October 2003 June 2003 February 2003
October 2002 July 2002 April 2002
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