Carol Gubler of Little Brook Fuchsias gave an interesting and entertaining talk to the Grayshott Gardeners on 13 August on fuchsias.

Her family’s passion for fuchsias started when, in 1963, her late father stopped to admire the plants growing in a neighbour’s garden which were fuchsias.  He was given a cutting and gradually his garden and the house were overtaken by fuchsias and in 1979, when he took retirement, the family moved to Ash Green, a little village outside Guildford where the 2-acre derelict plot was made into a garden with greenhouses and fuchsias, starting his dream of a nursery.  Sadly, he died before the nursery opened in March 1986, but Carol and her mother carried on his dream and now produce over 500 different fuchsias.

Carol is now assistant secretary of the British Fuchsia Society and has a fuchsia named after her called President Gubler.

Carol showed the audience different types of fuchsias, cuttings and even an elephant hawk-moth caterpillar which was found munching on a plant.

Now is not a good time for taking cuttings but Carol said that hard wood cuttings could be taken as long as they were kept frost free.  The roots of fuchsias should be kept safe from the frost in the winter, and they should be cut back for a better show of flowers next year.

Fuchsias need feeding regularly and watering well in hot weather and the fruits can be used to make gin, jams, muffins and wine.

The fuchsia bull mite which probably came from Brazil on a cutting, cannot be seen, damages the plant, stunting its growth and disfiguring it’s leaves and there is no chemical treatment yet.  At the earliest sign, you must cut off the infected leaves.

Th evening ended with questions from the floor.