How is growing callistemon different from any other plant that like full sun? First of all, let's separate the issue of growing containerized woody plants -- and trees in particular -- from growing containerized herbaceous plants like philodendrons, orchids or succulents. The root structure of a tree is very different from the root structure of a houseplant. A tree needs to sink a deep taproot into the soil that will be of sufficient foundational mass to keep the tree windfast in all weather conditions. Often, the above-ground portion of a tree is only the "tip of the iceberg," with the majority of biomass being underground. So the sapling's first order of business is to create that long taproot. The art of bonsai is largely concerned with the special problems of retraining a young tree's root system in a way that redirects its energy and allows it to succeed in a container. Any tree grown in a container is a bonsai (whether you intend it to be or not), but without training, it will soon starve itself by putting all its energy toward producing more root mass than what the limited soil volume of a container can support. If you are familiar with bonsai practices, I don't see why you couldn't grow callistemon in this manner. The cultivar really doesn't matter, because the top portion of the plant will be drastically pruned. "A lot of light" is not the same as sun. Glass used in modern windows, for example, lets in lots of visible light. Yet it is unsuited for good plant growth because it is coated with a Low-E coating that excludes the ultraviolet and infrared ends of the electromagnetic spectrum as an energy efficiency measure. Both these components of sunlight are important for photosynthesis and flowering. If grown inside, you would need high-pressure sodium and metal halide lights. With a long growing season, you could perhaps grow it as an outdoor/indoor bonsai that sits under a broad spectrum florescent during the winter.

Your exposure sounds about right. Your climate is not ideal but hopefully you are close enough to the Atlantic to buffer temperatures. The vast majority of Fuchsias like mildly cool, humid weather year-round. Hot, humid weather is bad because it breeds diseases that kill them, hot dry weather turns them crisp and dead. Generally, they get sluggish in hot weather; their chemistry is optimized for cool temps. Most of them can stand mild frosts BUT a few can't, and growing in hanging baskets their roots are exposed and if their roots freeze, that kills them. 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.

re: Prune off where live banch and dead meet...now (April) or When? Thanks!

I have found it very difficult to keep large shrubs going in large planters over the drought we are currently experiencing across southern Australia. The combination of heat and transpiration very quickly dries out the soil and the plant can suddenly droop from water stress even though it is a very drought tolerant species. Part of the drought tolerance of many native shrubs and tree comes from their deep root systems that can reach water sources deep in the soil profile. Obviously this is impossible in a planter and so highly drought tolerant species can be susceptible to fatal water stress. I would suggest cutting off the bottom of your planters and allow the root system to grow into the sub-soil while maintaining the illusion of the planters. And please be aware that Australian native plants can be highly invasive environmental weeds when grown outside Australia.