Rare Fuchsia

[Spider]

Hello Everyone,

I've been asked to look after and take cuttings of Fuchsia 'Violet
Szabo', which is apparently unavailable in this country and seems to be
generally rare. Does anyone know this plant or, better still, grow it?
I can't even find pics of it, let alone any cultural advice. It would
particularly help if I knew how hardy it was, so that I may treat it
accordingly.

The fuchsia belongs to a London school where Violet Szabo attended. The
school has a garden dedicated to her. The fuchsia has to be protected
during building works, and I have been asked. It is almost
irreplaceable, so I don't want to lose it, but at the same time must
build of fresh stock of it. No pressure then! :~[

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

[Bob Hobden]

"Spider" wrote ...

Whilst it does seem to be available to ensure it's survival might I suggest
cuttings need to be taken and spread around more than one gardener just in
case you have a disaster. It's a single so may be "hardy" but I would not
try it in the garden until I had a good few growing well.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

[Spider]

On 25/06/2012 16:17, Chris Hogg wrote:
> On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:43:01 +0100, Chris Hogg<m...@privacy.net> wrote:

>> Try Googling for 'fuchsia Violette Szabo'. Picture at
>> http://www.fuchsia.be/nl/product-details/fuchsias/violette-szabo
>> Surely no more difficult than any other fuchsia.
>> If you want to know more about the woman, go to
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violette_Szabo
>
> A bit more information. The English page of the above URL is at
> http://www.fuchsia.be/en/product-details/fuchsias/violette-szabo
>
> Originally produced by UK hybridiser Ron Holmes in 1980. His full
> postal address in 2003 (Edenbridge, Kent) is given in the list of
> fuchsia hybridisers at
> http://www.americanfuchsiasociety.org/hybridizers2003.html
> If all else fails (!) and you need fresh material, he may still be
> alive and contactable at that address.
>



Thank you so much, Chris! I don't know where I went wrong, but I'm most
grateful for your efforts. It's a pretty little thing. I'm hoping
that, because it's a smallish plant, the leaf nodes will be fairly close
together so that I can get lots of cuttings material without decimating
the plant. I won't get my hands on it until the weekend, but I'll be
interested to see it.

[Spider]

On 25/06/2012 17:00, Jake wrote:

> On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:17:02 +0100, Chris Hogg<m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:43:01 +0100, Chris Hogg<m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:09:12 +0100, Spider<spi...@invalid.com> wrote:
>>>

>>> Try Googling for 'fuchsia Violette Szabo'. Picture at
>>> http://www.fuchsia.be/nl/product-details/fuchsias/violette-szabo
>>> Surely no more difficult than any other fuchsia.
>>> If you want to know more about the woman, go to
>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violette_Szabo
>>
>> A bit more information. The English page of the above URL is at
>> http://www.fuchsia.be/en/product-details/fuchsias/violette-szabo
>>
>> Originally produced by UK hybridiser Ron Holmes in 1980. His full
>> postal address in 2003 (Edenbridge, Kent) is given in the list of
>> fuchsia hybridisers at
>> http://www.americanfuchsiasociety.org/hybridizers2003.html
>> If all else fails (!) and you need fresh material, he may still be
>> alive and contactable at that address.
>

> If Chris' suggestions don't work, Riverside Fuchsias (contact details:
> http://www.riversidefuchsias.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/directions.htm)
> hold a national collection and their list includes this although it
> doesn't look like they sell it. They may be able to help.
>
> Cheers, Jake
> =======================================
> Ethiopian proverb: When spiders unite they can tie down a lion!
>
> Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
> "dah dah dah dah dah dah dee" theme tune but we're working on it.
>
> I can't tell an astilbe from an aranthus
> but I can from an acanthus!




Thanks ever so, Jake! I'll check them out ... when I've finished tying
down this lion :~)).

[Spider]

Thanks, Bob. Yes, I had thought about spreading the cuttings around a
little in the hope of keeping it going. Until I see the plant, I won't
know just how much cuttings material I can remove. However, I have made
it clear that to gain lots of cuttings may take more than one season's
effort, *and* I have said that it is their risk, not mine.
I certainly shan't be risking it in the garden until I learn a bit more
about it. The last plant the school had was killed off this winter.
Just how many winters it survived previously, and in what conditions,
remain to be seen. The current plant apparently came from Belgium, but
that's as much as I know.

In due course, I will let everyone know how I got on. Fingers crossed.

Thank you to all who responded. Most grateful.

[Spider]

On 25/06/2012 20:15, Sacha wrote:

> I had a few Spanish lessons from her daughter, Tania, who lives - or
> lived - in Jersey and ran a language school there. As far as I know,
> she's still there. I remember seeing a showcase with her parents' medals
> in it. It might be worth seeing if you can contact her to see if she has
> this plant OR contacting Jersey's Parks & Gardens people to ask the same
> question.





That's interesting, Sacha. Alas, I believe it is Tania who will return
to the school (after the big rebuild) and comemmorate the garden in the
name of her mother. It will be a big day for the school. Because of
this, I'm not sure it would be appropriate for me to approach Tania. It
is, however, worth remembering just in case I/the plant have an
emergency. I'm hoping all will go will, but I am concerned about how
hardy it is. I think this is going to be an interesting learning curve.

I won't be able to use the computer for a couple of days, so I'll look
in again on Thursday.

Thanks again to Sacha, and to everyone who has responded. It's been a
real help.

[David Hill]

A quick Google search turned this up amongst several items
http://www.fuchsia.be/en/product-details/fuchsias/violette-szabo

David @ the wet and misty end of Swansea Bay

[Spider]

Thanks very much, David! It's a relief to see that their FAQ link is in
English; most encouraging if I need to make contact.

I believe that the plant I'll be handling came from Belgium, and
probably came from that very source, so I won't feel too cheeky asking
for help.

Alas, none of the links hints at the hardiness of the plant, so I'll
have to ask my contact at the school how long their previous plant was
in the garden before it perished in the cold. If it came through a few
winters I should be okay.

[Spider]

On 26/06/2012 12:07, Sacha wrote:

> You could try these people who list it
> http://www.riversidefuchsias.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/




Thanks Sacha. It's the same link that Jake posted and I've bookmarked
it now. They do list it, so it may be worth a telephone call. At the
moment, I don't need to buy one; I just want as much information as
possible. It is good to know that I may be able to get one in the UK if
need be.