Hello Millie, welcome to the Fuchsia club...:-) It is pretty hard to recommend specific varieties of Fuchsias for anyone, because we all have different tastes and likes.Also, it's not always easy to find a recommended variety where you live. From your page I am guessing that you have some experience in growing plants. Fuchsias are not much different from growing other perennials or annuals. The way I started was by buying a plant in a local nursery (it turned out to be Gartenmeister Bonstedt) and keeping it alive for a summer (that was my initial plan). I followed the instructions on the labe, but also started reading as much as I could get my hands on. The original plant is still with me (6 years later), hs produced lots of offspring, and has given me many summers of pleasure. I now own other varieties as well, both trailing and upright, and I was succesful in raising my own standards for ordinary Fuchsia plants. You see, if I can grow, most people can... :-) Bottom line is, just give it a try, see what kind of plants you can find locally and try to keep them alive and thriving for a summer. Then venture out from there. Good luck, and let us know how things went.
Marc

Marc,

Can you please give us a bit more detail of your way of caring for these plants. I would like to know how you treat them in hot summer, and over winter.

shic_2006, I am not sure what exactly you want to know. All my fuchsias are kept in regular pots, both plastic and terracotta. The pots are about 10-12 inches in diameter and about that tall. I buy the standard potting mix from Sam's Club. I keep my fuchsias out of the direct hot mid-day, but try to expose them to either morning sun or late afternoon (after 3pm) sunlight. I water daily in the evenings, and I fertilize with a water soluable (Miracle Grow) fertilizer every week to 10 days (sometimes it has been every two weeks depending how busy I am with other stuff). I pinch out dead flowers when I get to it, but mostly while I water. I expose all fuchsias to colder weather in the fall, but never below 35 to 38 degrees at night. Once it threatens frost I move them into my garage, cut them back about half, keep them under growing lights and on the dry side. The garage stays at around 50 to 55 degrees during the winter. I am also careful not to keep the garage door open too long during the cold winter weather. During the winter rest period no fertilizer, and little water. I keep the plants pinched, because the growth is not really strong, because of lack of strong sunlight. In early April I start to move them outside again, on the east side of my house, close to the walls, in the dappled shade of still bare trees. After it warms up sufficiently I repot and move them to their summer location. That's about it. I think they do fine for me, given that Indiana doesn't have the climate of the British Isles, and that's all I can ask for. What about you, shic_2006? How do you keep yours?

Hi, Millie.

I recommend starting with the varieties available at big box stores (e.g., Walmart, Home Depot) or even local garden shops rather than from special fuchsia nurseries. Their buyers/growers ought to be familiar with the cultivars that are easy, profuse bloomers, and suitable for your area; therefore they would keep them in stock rather than the fussier types.

A fuchsia specialist would have a larger selection, but this would include the more difficult and less showy (and consequently, less rewarding for the newbie) varieties. Moreover, it seems that most/many of these nurseries are located in Washington and Oregon, and they probably wouldn't be familiar with your climate.

-Crazy

Thanks for all of the tips & replies.
I will keep an eye out, hopefully I will find
some at one of my local stores.

Thanks,
Millie

I'm so excited, I found fuchsia hanging baskets @ HD last night! I picked the 2 best looking baskets and brought them home with me.

Thanks again for all of your replies.

Millie

Congratulations, Millie. Do you know what varieties you found?

Home Depot is actually one of the best places to shop for fuchsia in the Salt Lake Valley. I order things from the mail-order fuchsia nurseries, but then supplement that selection with any (and almost every) variety I find locally. This year I picked up 8 just at Home Depot: Hanna, Blue Hanna, Alison Patricia, Patio Princess, Paula Jane, Billy, Ringwood Market, and Lena Dalton.

-Crazy

Millie, keep an eye on those baskets when it gets hot. Fuschias do like their water in the heat.