It would seem that James Lee was informed by one of his customers that they had seen a very pretty and unusual plant in the window of a cottage in Wapping. His curiosity aroused, he went to see for himself and when he saw the plant he quickly realised the commercial value, and was consequently keen to acquire it. The woman who owned it was, however, reluctant to part with it because it had a sentimental value for her, having been brought home to her from South America by her sailor son (some versions of this story say it was her husband). However, terms were agreed; here again versions vary, as some say James Lee gave her all the money in his pocket, about eight guineas, and others that he came back the next day and kept increasing his offer until she finally accepted a price of eighty guineas, but this latter version would appear less likely. One thing is certain and that is that she would not part with it until he agreed to let her have the first two cuttings. By 1790 James Lee had raised 300 plants from the original fuchsia, and these he sold for one guinea each. It is not recorded which species it was.
The first known record of a hybrid was in 1832, being a cross between F. coccinea and F. magellanica, after which many hybrids were raised. Towards the end of the nineteenth century there were 1,500 or so named varieties, but, like many plants, hundreds of these were lost during the two world wars, and nowadays it is doubtful if a third of these old varieties still exist, despite the fact that varieties have kept turning up, from many amateur growers, which have been passed on from one grower to another. As with all groups of popular plants, such as pelargoniums and chrysanthemums, many new varieties have been bred during the past thirty years, and the modern hybrids are usually superior to the old ones. There are two main groups of fuchsias: hardy fuchsias, which are grown as permanent bushes in the garden, and greenhouse fuchsias which are grown in pots and need protection in the colder months, as they are not frost-hardy. As we are only dealing with greenhouse and house plants, it is the cultivation of
the latter group which is described.
