Fuchsia ‘Blacky’
In the year of Fuchsia
English people love to do it.
French people love it too but in a more creative way.
In the Caribbean, it happens everywhere but not in Italy.
One or very few more fuchsias’ crossbreeders are active in Italy.
And yet, it is easy.
You need a flower, the type you like.
Stamens, bringers pollen, must be removed, while you have to leave only pistils. Now, you have your feminine flower, it will produce fruits and will ripen seeds coming from our crossbreeding. Our variety’s father will come from a new variety of flower.
You must cut pistil, the bigger ‘thing’ than the other ‘things’. You must conserve only stamens, bringers of pollen. You need a thin and small brush. With it, you collect your pollen, only after it is mature. The movement is like shelling.
When you have collected the pollen on the brush, you gently place it on pistil. In fuchsia, the pistil is so cover and protect by petal and sepals, as a small skirt.
When you have placed pollen, you leave it fertile there to pollinate.
From this point, you must wait, sending away pollinators insects and similar trying to contaminate our creation, our reproduction.
When the fruit is mature, you can clean it from the pulp and leave it dry.
It’s better for you to puncture the peel before you plant it.
After having planted it, wait till germinate. When it germinates, wait until blooms.
When it blossoms you can contemplate their flowers. Many of them will be like to mum, others to the father. Someone will be very ugly, others completely unexpected.
Patience and perseverance are the keywords of crossbreeding.
An unusual practice in Italy.
There is not even a Fuchsias Italian Association, not even few members of the Fuchsias International Association.