Fuchsias - Introduction to this site

The-Fuchsia-File is devoted to what is rapidly becoming (if it has not already become) the gardener's favourite flower. I'm told that here in the UK, more fuchsias are sold than any other plant, and in my humble opinion this is well-merited.

Initially in these pages we will display brief notes on a wide range of fuchsia cultivars. (Incidentally if, like myself at one time, you are confused by the use of the two terms "cultivar" and "variety" the fact is that they are commonly used interchangeably. Strictly speaking, however, a variety is a naturally occuring modification of a species whilst a cultivar is the product of a grower's breeding programme, usually involving the artificial cross-pollination of different cultivars and varieties). I willingly confess to a less than scientific use of the two terms.

As time goes on we hope to add more photos of the various flowers, plus some pages on cultivation and propagation. You will find a number of book cover illustrations sprinkled through the pages, and links to our bookselling site through which both new and out-of-print titles can be bought.

We have an automated newsfeed on each page. Sometimes it appears to go haywire, often explained by the fact that even a single reference to "fuchsia", whether as a colour or a person's name can trigger the appearance of an irrelevant item. We're working to improve this. The same can be true of the Amazon and Google advertisements. At least all these peculiarities contribute to a variety of content. And remember that every time you press the "refresh" button on your browser you should at least to some degree get fresh material surrounding the article.

Oh, before I go, on the right is a cover photo of the excellent DVD on fuchsia growing produced by Thompson & Morgan. I recommend it. Click on the image for details. At the time of writing this page the DVD was on sale at half the normal price. I don't know whether it will still be on offer so low, but in my opinion it would still be good value at twice the price.

That's it for now. We'll grow and adapt as the weeks go by.

January 2009.