They're in 10" hanging pots, which are in a place of low intensity sunlight for about 3-4 hours from about dawn to about 10am and shaded ambient light for the rest of the day.

The temperature outside is about the same as it would be inside of the greenhouse due to our unseasonably cool month with lots of rain and wind. So I figured I didn't need to harden the plant, because we don't have the heat or humidity of summer, yet.

One I believe is a "Devonshire Dumpling" and the other is a "Roesse Blacky".

I'm trying to understand as much as I can about the plant and standard care. It seems that there are conflicting opinions on a few things.

1. Watering
Most of the things I've read say DO NOT OVER-WATER, which depending on the plant could mean almost anything.
I assume it means to keep them plenty moist, and to not let them dry out, but also not let them sit in water. A lot of growers then go on to say that they need lots of water. This morning they looked a bit saggy, gave them about 2 cups of water and they perked up a bit, and left it at that. I also read about how misting them when they get warmer, in the evening is a 'safe-way' to keep hydrated without over watering.

2. Fertilizing (chem. breakdown)
From what I've read I have two accounts, one is that miracle grow will do the trick, the other is that a mix of 5-10-10 fertilizing is best for them. I understand that because they put so much energy into blooming that they need the nutrients. Since neither of these fertilizers are specifically for the plant, I'm guessing that following their directions for 'flowering plants' would be ideal.

3. Dead-heading/'New Arrival Pruning"
For new grows of this lovely plant, or flowering plants in general, this seems like an art that needs further investigation. The -bloom- is attached to the -seedpod- which leads into the -steam- and then into the -branch-, from what I've read, some growers say to 'pinch the pod off'.

Does this mean to cut directly behind the pod, in the middle of the steam or back to where the steam leads off the branch. I'm being careful not to disturb any of the buds or new growth which might be leading off the branches crux. I'm sure I'll figure it out, as I'm noticing the pods tend to get darker and shiny as the blooms begin to wither.
Between dead-heading and 'new arrival pruning' (removing damaged portions of leaves/branches from transit) I'm worried that I might be over doing it, does anyone know what the percentage is that could be harmful to the plant? I'd say I haven't removed more than 10% of the plant.

I've read some of the posts, so I really may have overdone my post---but I wanted to be clear. :-/ The FAQ don't really cover the extreme newbie topics.

Preventative care is so much better, IMO, than damage control and buying new plants.

Thanks for all the help.

Ideal places are like coastal Oregon and northern California, Madiera, Ireland, west coast of Great Britain, Atlantic coast of France and Spain, much of New Zealand, south-central Chile (where some are native), Tasmania, etc.

1. Watering

Fuchsias are NOT particularly fussy about OVER watering. Just make sure that their soil stays reasonably aerated. Because they are in hanging baskets they are unlikely to have standing water at their roots (unless you have one of those types with a saucer under it--which is bad), which would suffocate them. In hot weather you might have to water them DAILY. I would water over misting. They like humidity, but the problem is that fungal spores stick to wet leaves. Misting works better in drier climates like that of California.

2. Fertilizing (chem. breakdown)

FEED ME, SEYMOUR! Fuchsias are heavy feeders. They are not picky about brand or type, but liquid fertilizers work well with Fuchsias so that's probably the most common thing to do. Miracle grow works fine for Fuchsias. Besides, in hot weather you'll have to water frequently so you have to fertilize frequently to avoid leaching out all the fertilizer, OR you can use time-release pelleted fertilizers.

The usual warning about nitrogen making growth at the expense of blooms doesn't seem to apply to Fuchsias--they bloom on new wood and they NEED some new growth to bloom. A "balanced" all-purpose type is usually OK BUT if they get chlorotic, check if you need fertilizer for acid-loving plants. That's usually only necessary in parts of the country with strongly alkaline water.

3. Dead-heading/'New Arrival Pruning"

As for new arrival pruning, I suggest waiting until you can see how the Fuchsia is responding to its new environment, and see how vigorous your particular type is. Highly-bred (overbred) Fuchsias are sometimes lacking in vigor; if yours is one of them go easy on it and only pinch it when it needs it. Wild Fuchsias and some hybrids are rampantly vigorous, and if that is so you can safely prune them fairly severely without worrying. Fuchsias have amazing regenerative abilities and can regrow vigorously from seemingly badly damaged wood.

The "pods" are actually berries and by the way they are edible although usually bland (I happen to have the one exception, F. boliviana, which produces mildly sweet and somewhat palatable berries). When ripe they are soft, juicy, and dark reddish-purple. If you get hummingbirds (that would be "Ruby Throated" in your part of the world) then you might actually get berries. Most of the time yours probably won't be pollinated and will fall off on their own. Darker and shiny--hmm, maybe something IS pollinating them! If you do get berries, you can snip them off if you like. Exactly where isn't too critical--you could snip the stem that connects the berry to the branch (ie, just past the berry, before it connects to the branch), but leave the branch alone. The stem that connects the berry to the branch doesn't do anything else and is expendable.

That was, by and by the most informative lesson on Fuchsia Q&A ever.

I came back from work and it was about 80 today, my little greenbabies are not so happy. Mildly wilty in a sparsely moist pot; I watered them, and plan on checking in on them in about an hour. It's pretty shady, and generally a little windy on the third floor of this apartment.

My BF is a transplant from California, which might explain the fascination with Fuchsia---he thought they had a strong scent to them though, which they don't.

Oh boy this is going to be a hard summer. Just FYI, there is at least one species that takes heat better than others: Fuchsia triphylla. It's surprisingly common and it has several forms and hybrids. It is not coldhardy at all and would need protection in winter.

>>My BF is a transplant from California, which might explain the fascination with Fuchsia---he thought they had a strong scent to them though, which they don't.

Most of them are quite scentless, being pollinated by hummingbirds which have virtually no sense of smell. BUT Fuchsia paniculata sometimes has a scent, and so do several of its hybrids. These are fairly obscure and you are unlikely to ever meet a scented Fuchsia. There are Paniculata-Encycliandra hybrids that are scented, and these include "Lechlade Tinkerbell" (trace), "Neopolitan", and Gondoliers".