When I lived in Oregon, I spent a great deal of time gardening and purchasing unusual plants. My front yard was filled with old fashioned roses, irises, spring bulbs, dahlias (summer), a contorted Japanese magnolia, a cherry tree, pale purple hydrangea, several lilacs, azaleas, hardy fuchsias, ferns, and many other native plants and ground cover. It’s heartbreaking to visit my house and see it overgrown with weeds and nothing trimmed. No doubt, many of my original plants died from neglect or were taken over by more hardy species.
 
I’m determined, therefore, to recreate the gardens I once had in the next house we purchase. Unexpected, an opportunity to start gathering the plants presented itself this weekend. The Eastside Fuchsia Society held their annual show and sale at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. After attending to a few pressing matters in the morning, I zipped over to the garden and quickly picked out seven varieties of hardy fuchsias.
 
You may be thinking, "Fuchsias need to be grown in pots and require lots of care." Yes and no. Hardy fuchsias, with proper care, flourish in the ground in the Pacific Northwest. They’re very rewarding, producing an abundance of delicate blooms that range from bright white to intense magentas, reds and purples. They also vary in the size and design of their blooms. The smallest are the size of baby aspirins. The larger can be several inches in length or width. Click to see Fuchsia Diana, Princess of Wales.
 
Below is a picture of my fuchsia on my porch. I’ll keep them there until we can get a house and plant them. I also took a couple pictures of the Bellevue Botanical Garden and some of the amazing fuchsias from the show