Those who live and garden in California, as I do, they should be aware that at least some species Fuchsias seem to be highly susceptible to Oak Root Fungus (Armillaria). Two years ago, this fungus finally destroyed some 30-year old trees (japanese Maple and crabapple) in my garden; this year, four fifteen-year old specimens of F. arborescens are succumbing to the same problem. All the tell-tale symptoms are there -- honey-coloured mushrooms after heavy rains, "fans" of white mycelial growth under the bark, and "shoe lace" black growths along the roots and up along the crowns. As far as I can learn, there are no rememdies (i.e., fumigation, etc.) for this problem, and the fungus can live in the soil and in dead roots and stumps for many years. Good cultural practices, like careful irrigation, and ensuring that the areas around the bases of the plants are kept clear of debris, etc. are about all we can do, it seems. I post this because I suspect that most California fuchsia growers have been, as I have been, overly focussed on control of the fuchsia gall mite, and may not have been sensitive to this issue. I am in the process of taking cuttings of all my in-ground fuchsias, with the intention of growing them on in containers. So far, none of the other species I grow (boliviana, procumbens, magellenica, and many hybrids) have shown signs of the problem, but I am taking no chances.

mytime, Sorry to not follow up. Gardenweb was not forwarding responses to this post (and for a while all my posts) so I was not aware that anyone had responded to it. I had some bad luck propagating earlier this year and then got sidetracked. Fuchsia boliviana Alba cuttings started to root but some sort of fungus caused problems and killed them. The Correa cuttings I first tried did not root. I will start some new ones now, with bottom heat (which I did not use before). Pretty commonly even without bottom heat factored in a lot of plants propagate poorly in winter. So we'll see. I started a bunch of Deppea cuttings a week ago. That plant had some bug problems earlier in the year and I was reluctant to take a lot of cuttings until it fully recovered. I may or may not start new cuttings of the F. boliviana Alba soon; I'm not sure where that ranks on the list of things that I need/want to propagate. However, that plant has done really well and should produce a steady crop of berries in the near future. Here's a photo of the plant from about 10 days ago: And here's a closeup of the berries on one inflorescence: I find it amusing how the berries get long, and then get fat. So mytime, maybe I should contact you when things start to root. As far as the berries, I might try one batch of seeds, but in general I don't have a use for them. I guess I could eat them... If anyone wants a berry for postage (then they can clean out the seeds) I can send one for postage. They can get a bit soft when ripe, and the berry may end up smushed. I'm guessing that's not a problem. Andrea, thanks for the propagation advice. I do enjoy trying to see how many cuttings I can get from limited material. I didn't realize the stems can be split like that. If the seeds are easy, maybe I'll try some. I generally don't like growing things from tiny seeds, especially if they are easy to root. However I've never tried Fuchsias. I see the Fuchsia forum has no exchange site, so I'll mention it here. I'm looking for the variegated F. procumbens, which I believe goes by the name 'Mary Miller'. In trade, I have a lot of things, but only a few Fuchsias and none of them propagated at the moment. The other Fuchsias I have are the regular procumbens, denticulata, 'First Success' (F. paniculata x F. splendens'), F. x baccillaris and of course F. boliviana Alba. I may have access to F. splendens as well; my old plant went to a friends house in the area. Perhaps I'll try start a F. procumbens thread when my new F. procumbens opens another flower and repeat the question about the variegated cultivar. I thought I'd mention that an interesting source I've found locally for small inexpensive plants is Lone Pine Gardens, which is a wholesaler for succulents and bonsai plants. Their little Fuchsias are just a few dollars, and are often found in the bonsai section of nurseries (in N. California at least). I got 'First Success', procumbens, and x bacillaris from them. The plant on the right, of course, is Fuchsia 'First Success', which seems to be a really nice hybrid.

Hi Adam I recall some years ago reading an article (I think it was in a British Fuchsia Society publication) from someone growing fuchsias in South Africa. If I recall correctly the fuchsias they grew spent much of their time in what they described as a Âshade house made from laths' (strips of flat timber) and the ground being covered with gravel or pea shingle to enable this to be watered and create a humid atmosphere. I would further suggest that plants in pots are double potted and gravel is added to the space between pots, this could help to keep the plant roots cooler and help prevent the scorching heat from burning the roots through the single pot sides, using clay terracotta pots would also help. As to varieties, some as you know will completely scorch, wilt and wither while others just Âburn (the leaf colour changes to red) if the temperature becomes too high and these seem to be the smaller flowered varieties, with some exceptions of course. The Triphylla types grow well in direct sunlight but even these would I think suffer from extremes. In the words of ÂConnie FuchsiusÂ; "If you donÂt grow  you donÂt know - give whatever you can buy a try" In my opinion (for what its worth) I think the shade house system, double potting, lots of gravel on the floor, watering the plants very early morning, providing humidity by watering the gravel floor whenever possible and a lot of moving plants around when the sun is not at it fiercest looks the best prospect  seems like hard work  but no doubt well worth itÂ.. Tight....

I came across this: http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/enjoying-zauschnerias/ Cultivation in California’s Mediterranean Climate For their best appearance and performance, established California fuchsia plants should be cut back hard every winter, but not until they have been established through one or two summers. This annual hard pruning should be done after the plants have finished flowering and before new growth appears. - See more at: http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/enjoying-zauschnerias/#sthash.VRWNCLav.dpuf