I lost at least 3 Fuchsias last winter. We had a big freeze in November and a severe freeze in February after a relatively mild spell. It did a lot of damage.

My Fuchsias are all shrubby upright types grown in the ground. I do not do hanging baskets and do not have the time to take care of such things.

Now I have a number of gaps on the bank I grow my Fuchsias on, and have been looking around all year for replacements. I have not been successful.

I tried Flower World, which in previous years has had quite a few different varieties, but this year it only had a very few, a lot of them mislabeled. Anyway Gartenmeister Bonstedt is hopelessly tender here, and there were problems with all the other varieties they had too.

I tried most of the big local nurseries. Never did see more than a few varieties, and a lot of them were mass-produced small-flowered dwarfs intended to be grown as bedding annuals. I am doubtful of their performance as shrubs and wasn't impressed with the flowers or the colors.

I already have a seedling Magellanica type that I am fond of because it usually doesn't freeze back. I am partial to relatively hardy Fuchsias when possible. I strongly prefer singles. I like clear colors (not muddy or grey colors), and preferably something that has other than just the default color scheme of red sepals and dark purple petals (washed out pink sepals and grey petals is not an improvement, and I have no idea why so many modern Fuchsias have those colors). I like medium to large upright plants with fountain shapes.

Some of my survivors that I like are Deutsche Perle (which could be more vigorous) with its off-white sepals and pale carmine petals, and Celia Smedly with its pale sepals and candy pink petals. Aztec doesn't seem very floriferous for me but its a big leafy plant with red leaves; big red flowers if I recall correctly. I think I still have "Rouge Cardinal" with huge red flowers. One that has done surprisingly well, that my wife likes, is the one called "speciosa", with small flowers but big leaves blushed with a little color. It looks as though it should be tender but it is one of my most vigorous.

I like delicate salmony colors. Those are often not very hardy but I think there are a few exceptions.

Of the Fuchsias I did have until various mishaps, Billy Greene WAS rather pretty with its hot pink blossoms but the late freeze killed it. Should have mulched it. Too bad. I can't find any of the great Fuchsias I've lost over the years. 'President' was a robust plant with enormous blossoms but it was smashed to bits by car thieves trying to get away from the police dogs (long sad story).

For some reason every single start of Fuchsia magellanica forma molinae I took from the last place I lived (where I am sure my 8 foot specimen is still alive and well) never made it. Used to be rather common but I have not seen it lately.

I like species as well as generally older classic hybrids. In addition to a magellanica type (a volunteer that showed up in my garden, with dainy leaves and flowers with short tubes like a riccartoni) I have F. campos-portoi (very much like a magellanica but from Brazil and actually slightly hardier than most magellanicas), F. regia, F. thymifolia, and F. procumbens.

I don't have time for a Fuchsia society but if I did that would probably be the place to get all the old Fuchsias I loved. I got some good plants that way in the past.

Am I missing any great retail locations for Fuchsias in or near Seattle? There used to be nurseries specializing in them back in the 1950s, but they have fallen out of favor since then.

Thanks for any clues. I'm also willing to trade if someone wants something I have (subject to availability).