What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘New Millennium’ from Roes & Heesakkers of the Netherlands released in the last year of the old millennium, 2000. It’s hardy in my garden but the cultivar needs some slight filtering from the brunt of the afternoon summer sun for me or it scorches a bit.

Punica granatum ’Nana’, my dwarf pomegranate, had quite a crop this year. Its leaves might have fallen away but the little shrub now looks like it’s been hung with festive Christmas ornaments!

What’s in flower inside the Fuchsiarium? Fuchsia ravenii is abundant in the pine, oak and alder forests of Mexico’s Sierra Madre near San Miguel Suchixtepec, Oaxaca State, and is found at the considerable height of 2,600 m (8,500 ft). 1/3

Beyond the Fuchsia Horizon. Before Pointsettia became the ubiquitous name, the Christmas clichées might have been called Mexican flame flowers or the painted leaf. I don’t think this odd graffiti quite qualifies as an historical revival, though.

What’s in flower inside the Fuchsiarium? Fuchsia ‘Bugle Boy’, a hybrid between F. vulcanica x ‘Fanfare’ by Robert Jones of Crescent City CA. Crossed in 1982, released in 1987, and registered with the AFS in 1991, it has lovely long red-orange flowers, a floriferus disposition, and a trailing habit.

It's #GivingTuesday, right? There are several wonderful orgs out there helping turtles and tortoises, but if you want to give to just one today, make it Turtle Survival Alliance — dedicated to ending turtle extinctions. give.turtlesurvival.org/campaign/746...

Garden Museum's Big Give Christmas Challenge: Help bring Cedric Morris’s iconic garden back to life..read more on thedirt.news #BentonEnd #Suffolk #CedricMorris thedirt.news/big-give-chr...

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia regia subsp. serrae in the autumn rain. A strong grower with leathery leaves, it loves to climb into trees & shrubs. I’m weaving it through some other friends on the moongate arbor so its flowers can hang for the hummingbirds to enjoy. And me, too. 1/3

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia’s last stand. ‘Delta’s Sara’.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Camellia sasanqua ‘October Magic Ruby’. Now on the Fuchsia+Blog! www.fuchsietum.com/blog/files/c...

When the crows go crazy it pays to look up. There might be a bald eagle sitting in the tree.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Look at that! Fuchsia boliviana ‘Alba’ finally made it. Well, almost anyway. There are buds and the race is now on against Jack Frost! 1/3

Goodbye, Gramma! Beloved Galápagos tortoise dies at San Diego Zoo after a century. I remember visiting these tortoises when I was a kid—it's where my fascination began. timesofsandiego.com/life/2025/11...

In a fantastic Cyber Monday deal, the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle is offering tickets to its spring show at an amazing 50% off. Come once, come twice, but just make sure to come join me on the DIY stage Wed afternoon, Feb 18. Hurry to GardenShow.com to use the code CYBER2026 to get yours now!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘Voodoo’, another large-flowered beauty bred during the Golden Age of Fuchsias in the Golden State. From Horace Tiret of San Francisco in 1953, it’s still magic in a basket or as a garden hardy. To about 18-24 inches or so (60 cm) in a season.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? The large, luscious blooms of Portland’s namesake tribute, Fuchsia ‘City of Portland’, still going strong at the tail end of November. This hardy shrub was hybridized by the prolific Clement Schnabel in 1950. 1/2

New story for Turtle Survival Alliance’s annual report about Kenya’s efforts to save the world’s flattest tortoise. A 2019 discovery sparked wider searches and uncovered more than a thousand new tortoises—leading to a 10-year National Conservation Plan. Flip to p30. issuu.com/turtlesurviv...

Now you see them. Now you don’t. The great fall migration has begun. It’s been a fairly mild November but the low temps started to dip into the 30s F (below 4 C) last night. Time to bring the potted fuchsias into the garage for their long winter’s nap.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Camellia sasanqua ‘Pink-A-Boo’ is the first of my fall & winter flowering camellias to bloom. It’s a sport of the exuberant ’Yuletide’ but seems to flower a couple of weeks earlier than its parent for me.

Scene at Bellevue Botanic Garden: Owls! Or rather, books about owls, by Jennifer Ackerman and Paul Bannick. Books + botanic gardens = a great pairing.

Black Mondo & The Fuchsia | The Fuchsia+Blog www.fuchsietum.com/blog/files/5...

Finally! Staging for the fuchsia species in the greenhouse is finished. The species are still enjoying the cool, fresh autumn air on the patio as the weather’s been mild. Things will be ready when it’s time to move the flock into winter quarters, though. 1/2

What’s in flower at The Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘Surprise’. Surely someone was surprised when it was first spotted but by whom is the question. It’s origins are unknown. It’s a very hardy fuchsia here in the PNW, though, and can eventually get about 4-5 ft (to 1,5 m) or so in a season.

A murder of crows quickly assembled after a raptor soared by and rested in the neighbor’s tree. Eventually it had enough of the cacophony and flew off.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘DebRon’s Bright Eyes’, a 2023 release from OR’s own hybridizer, Ron Monnier. It’s a lax upright & rumor has it at about 2-3 ft (60-90 cm). Mine only went in late spring & has gotten to about 12 in (30 cm) so far. I’ll let you know how it does next year.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘Heidi Ann’ is from Mrs. E. Smith of the UK in 1969 and a recipient of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. It’s a bushy, compact upright for the hardy fuchsia bed or cultivation in a pot. Mine gets to 16 in. (40 cm) in a season.

Fall at the Fuchsietum. Lagerstroemia ’Muskogee’ is firing up.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Brilliantly scarlet Salvia elegans, or pineapple sage, enjoying an infrequent break in the skies this wet week. Its leaves smell vaguely of pineapple when bruised. 1/3

Some strong winds pushing in with the “atmospheric river knocked Fuchsia ‘Premier Nouveau planted out this spring off its temporary support. I did what I often do if I don’t have my roll of twine on me. Pulled an older bottom leaf off a nearby Phormium. It’s not called New Zealand flax for nothing!

Been a bit of rain & some occasionally strong winds from the “atmospheric river” flowing in from the ocean over the last three days. Even heard some thunder last night! My rain guage has collected a little over 2 1/2 in (65 mm) so far. Welcome to the start of the “winter monsoon season” in Portland!

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Introduced min 1940, Fuchsia ‘Martha Werle’ is from the hybridizing hand of Henry Werle. It was named for his wife, Martha. The Werles were owners of well-known Bungalow Nursery in Colma, Calif. & sold both fuchsias & tuberous begonias on location & by mail. 1/6

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ’DebRon’s Joan Lou’. Introduced in 2009 by Oregon’s own hybridizer, Ron Monnier, it has large lusciously double flowers. Mine has gotten to about twenty-four inches tall (60 cm) planted out but it’ll also do well in a hanging basket.

Fall at the Fuchsietum. Some hostas can get pretty excited about dressing for the autumn. Like Hosta ‘Forbidden Fruit’.

In the News: The Turtle Conservancy. They're a wonderful org doing great work to save turtles and tortoises from extinction. Take a look behind the scenes with Karen Palmer from @sfgate.com. www.sfgate.com/centralcoast...

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Abutilon ‘Chance Encounter’. From a series of crosses by Ann Amato in 2022. It’s gotten to about four feet tall.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Abutilon ‘Rosa Linda’. “24-36 inches”? Riiiight. Try six feet! I’m glad I put it next to the fence this spring so I don’t have to move it.

Chance autumn bouquets unexpectedly decorate the garden this time of year. Here’s ‘Delta’s Sara’ with xGordlinia grandiflora.

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia hatschbachii. now over seven feet tall (about 215 cm) after being cut back to the ground in late March. 1/5

Chance autumn bouquets unexpectedly decorate the garden this time of year. Here’s ‘Delta’s Sara’ with xGordlinia grandiflora.

Something new for galanthophiles. novataxa.blogspot.com/2025/03/gala...

What’s in flower at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’. This lovely fuchsia is a cross between a pale-flowered F. magellanica cultivar [sic. “F. magellanica var. molinae”] and the classic ‘Venus Victrix’. 1/5

The spiders are decorating the patio for October 31.

What’s flowering at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘Göttingen’, 1905 from Carl Bonstedt, famed Gartenmeister of Fuchsia “Gartenmeister Bonstedt’, at the U. of Gōttingen’s botanical garden. Bonstedt produced several still-popular hybrids between F. triphylla x F. fulgens early on in his 30-years. 1/2

What’s flowering at the Fuchsietum? Correa 'Peaches and Cream'. The genus is endemic to Australia & sometimes called the “Australian fuchsia” because of a fancied resemblance to the real thing. It’s in the citrus family (Rutaceae), though, and Fuchsia is in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae).

The paperback edition of A Natural History of Empty Lots is out today from Timber Press @hachetteus.bsky.social! Thanks to all the readers who have picked up the hardcover and ebook over the past year (or listened to the audiobook) and spread the word 🙏📖💚

What’s flowering at the Fuchsietum? Nerine bowdenii 'Isabel', a beautiful bulb from South Africa.

What’s flowering at the Fuchsietum? Fuchsia ‘Cardinal’ is another classic American cultivar released by Evans & Reeves Nurseries of Los Angeles in 1938. It has long internodes & likes to spread its shoulders wide so give it room. Also hardy in the usual places many fuchsias are hardy.

What’s flowering at the Fuchsietum? Tricyrtis formosana ‘Dark Beauty’ and Fuchsia ‘Chickadee’.