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What is the Northwest Fuchsia Society?
The Northwest Fuchsia Society (NWFS) is a regional gardening organization focused on fuchsias. Its stated mission is to inform and educate the public about fuchsia culture, promote the growing and showing of fuchsias, and serve as a communication link among member societies. It is a hub for enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest rather than a commercial nursery or a single local club.
What the site actually offers
- Educational reference material, including a Hardy List (recently expanded with 10 new hardy varieties) and a species booklet under a “Fuchsia Books” section.
- Practical growing help through pages on fuchsia features and on pests and diseases.
- A calendar of events, plant sales and shows, plus event photos.
- A newsletter, the Flash, with a current online edition, and a scholarship page.
- A growers’ list and information on officers and member societies.
Who it suits
- Home gardeners in the Pacific Northwest who want fuchsia-specific advice rather than general ornamental gardening.
- People deciding which fuchsias survive local winters — the Hardy List is the most directly useful page for that.
- Anyone who prefers buying plants at in-person society sales and wants to meet local growers.
- Growers interested in showing, who need culture and pest guidance plus event dates.
How to use it
Start with the Hardy List if cold hardiness is your main concern, then check Pests and Diseases before the growing season. If you want plants rather than reading, the Important Dates page lists society sales across Washington and Oregon — for example, the Eastside Fuchsia Society sale at Bellevue Botanical Garden, the Peninsula Fuchsia Society sale in Silverdale, the LakeBay sale in Vaughn, and the Oregon Fuchsia Society sale in Portland. Dates and venues can change, so confirm before travelling.
Joining is handled two ways: as a Member-At-Large receiving the Flash newsletter, or by joining a nearby local group through the Societies page. The Member-At-Large route suits people with no convenient local club; joining a local society gives you sales, shows and neighbours to swap cuttings with. The Oregon Fuchsia Society is listed with its own site at Oregon Fuchsia Society if you are based further south.
How do I join the Northwest Fuchsia Society or a local chapter?
Join by choosing either a direct Member-At-Large membership or a nearby local society. The Northwest Fuchsia Society site points prospective members to its “Membership” page for at-large membership, which includes the Flash newsletter, or to its “Societies” page to find and join a local group.
Two routes to membership
| Route | Best for | What you get | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member-At-Large | People with no convenient local group, or who want newsletter access without meetings | Flash newsletter and society communication | No local meetings, sales or show camaraderie |
| Local society | Anyone within reach of a chapter's events | Meetings, plant sales, shows and local growing advice | Requires travel and fitting in with the group's calendar |
Practical next step
Open the society's membership page and follow its instructions, or use the societies list to identify the chapter closest to you. If you are unsure which chapter covers your area, the event calendar is a useful clue: chapters appear by city, including Eastside, Peninsula, LakeBay and Oregon groups, so a chapter near your town is likely listed there.
Example
A gardener in Tacoma who cannot attend weekday meetings might join as a Member-At-Large for the newsletter, then attend a weekend sale such as the Peninsula or LakeBay events to meet local growers. Someone in Bellevue, by contrast, would likely get more from the Eastside Fuchsia Society, where meetings and sales are close to home.
Decision criterion
Join at-large if your main goal is information; join a local chapter if your main goal is hands-on growing, showing and buying plants. You can also start at-large and switch to a chapter later. For broader fuchsia growing context, the Oregon Fuchsia Society is one neighbouring group named in the calendar.
Where can I find the hardy fuchsia list and species booklet?
The hardy fuchsia list and the species booklet are both hosted on the Northwest Fuchsia Society's own site. The homepage announces "10 new hardies on the Hardy List in shocking pink" and a "NEW SPECIES BOOKLET under 'Fuchsia Books'", so the species booklet sits in that section of the menu, while the hardy list is the page the news item points to.
How to find them
- Species booklet: Open the "Fuchsia Books" section of the site menu.
- Hardy fuchsia list: Follow the Hardy List link referenced in the current news item; the site also notes 10 new additions to it.
- If you want the newsletter too: The July 2024 online edition of the Flash newsletter is available, and non-local growers can join as Members-At-Large to receive it.
Who this suits
Gardeners in the Pacific Northwest who want fuchsias that survive winter outdoors will get the most from the hardy list, since it reflects varieties grown and trialled locally. The species booklet is more for growers curious about botanical fuchsia species rather than named garden cultivars. Both are reference material, so expect lists and descriptions rather than shopping pages.
Next step
If you would rather see plants in person, the society's calendar lists spring sales where members sell fuchsias and answer questions — for example the Eastside Fuchsia Society sale at Bellevue Botanical Garden. The society's mission is to educate the public in fuchsia culture and link member groups, so a local sale is a practical complement to the online lists. Related groups include the Oregon Fuchsia Society for growers farther south.
When and where are the upcoming fuchsia plant sales and events?
Upcoming fuchsia sales and events are concentrated in late April and early-to-mid May, mostly in Washington State, with one Oregon date. The Northwest Fuchsia Society lists them on its Important Dates page and notes that events may be cancelled without notice, so confirm before travelling.
Dates and locations
| Date | Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 24–25 | Lake Wilderness Arboretum Spring Plant Sale | Lake Wilderness Arboretum, 22520 SE 248th St, Maple Valley, WA | 10am–4pm both days |
| May 2 | Eastside Fuchsia Society Sale | Bellevue Botanical Garden, Aaron Educational Center, 12001 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98005 | 9am–2pm |
| May 2 | Fuchsia Fanciers Spring Sale | Centralia Outlet Mall, 1342 Lum Rd, Centralia, WA 98531 | 9am–2pm |
| May 2–3 | Peninsula Fuchsia Society Sale | Clear Creek Community Center, 12641 Clear Creek Rd, Silverdale, WA | 9am–noon both days |
| May 9 | LakeBay Fuchsia Society Sale | Key Peninsula Civic Center, 17010 S Vaughn Rd, Vaughn, WA | 10am–3pm |
| May 16 | Oregon Fuchsia Society Sale | Western Seminary, 5511 Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR | 9am–2pm |
The Lake Wilderness sale is noted as supporting the Northwest Fuchsia Society and its September show and sale.
How to use this list
If you want the widest choice of plants, the May 2 cluster is the busiest day: three separate sales run that Saturday, so you can pick one region rather than trying to reach all three. Peninsula's shorter morning window (ending at noon) makes it a poor choice for a late start, while LakeBay's 10am–3pm slot on May 9 suits a slower morning.
For a first visit, a society sale is usually more useful than a general plant sale because the people staffing it grow and show fuchsias themselves and can answer questions about hardy versus tender varieties. Bring a box or tray for transporting plants, and check the event page or contact the organiser before setting out, since the schedule explicitly warns of cancellations.
The society's own site is Northwest Fuchsia Society; the Oregon event is listed by Oregon Fuchsia Society.
How do I identify and treat common fuchsia pests and diseases?
The Northwest Fuchsia Society's own site points you to a dedicated "Pests and Diseases" page, which is the right place to start: identification is mostly a matter of matching symptoms to a short list of usual suspects, then choosing the least aggressive treatment that solves the problem. Northwest Fuchsia Society
Identify by symptom first
- Stippled, speckled leaves with fine webbing → spider mites. Favoured by hot, dry, dusty conditions; common on plants under eaves or in greenhouses.
- Sticky residue, sooty black film, clusters on new tips → aphids. Look underneath young leaves and flower buds.
- White cottony masses in leaf joints and along stems → mealybugs or whitefly. Tap a leaf: whitefly adults flutter up in a cloud.
- Pale mottling, distorted growth, tiny hopping insects → thrips or leafhoppers.
- Grey fuzzy coating on leaves and buds, often after cool damp nights → botrytis (grey mould).
- Brown-black sunken patches on stems, wilting despite moist soil → likely a stem or root rot, often from overwatering or poorly drained mix.
- Rusty-orange pustules on leaf undersides → fuchsia rust, which spreads fast in crowded, humid conditions.
- Sudden collapse of a whole plant with no pest visible → check roots; mushy brown roots mean root rot.
Treat in proportion
Start with the least disruptive step and escalate only if the problem persists:
- Isolate any suspect plant. Most fuchsia problems move plant-to-plant quickly in a collection.
- Water and airflow. Many fungal issues come from wet foliage and stagnant air. Water the soil, not the leaves, and thin crowded growth.
- Remove and bin affected leaves, buds or whole stems. Do not compost diseased material.
- Physical control for insects: a firm jet of water for aphids and mites, and cotton swabs with rubbing alcohol for isolated mealybugs.
- Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil for soft-bodied pests such as aphids, whitefly and mites. Spray in the evening, cover leaf undersides, and test on one plant first.
- Fungicide only where you have confirmed a fungal disease, and follow the label exactly. Rot is better prevented by drainage and careful watering than cured after the fact.
A practical scenario
Say you bring a nursery fuchsia home in July and within a week the leaves look dusty and stippled. That is classic mite pressure, made worse by warm, dry air. Quarantine the plant, rinse both leaf surfaces, raise humidity around it, and re-check every few days before treating chemically. If instead the same plant collapses with soft brown roots, no spray will help; discard it and review your potting mix and watering routine.
Decision criteria
- Pest vs. disease: pests leave residue, webbing or visible insects; diseases show spots, mould, wilting or rot.
- One plant vs. many: spot-treat a single plant; if several are affected, look for the shared cause—humidity, crowding, watering, or a new introduction.
- Prevention beats cure: clean pots, fresh sterile mix, good drainage, spacing, and regular inspection of leaf undersides do more than any product.
For regional timing and which problems show up in your area, the society's event calendar and local meetings are a good way to ask growers directly. Northwest Fuchsia Society
How can I apply for the Northwest Fuchsia Society scholarship?
The Northwest Fuchsia Society does not publish a direct online scholarship application on its homepage. The page states that a new scholarship application will be posted on the scholarships page, so the scholarships page is the correct place to watch for the form and its instructions. Start there and check back periodically if the application has not yet appeared.
What to expect from the process
The society describes its mission as informing and educating the public about fuchsia culture, promoting growing and showing fuchsias, and linking member societies. A scholarship tied to that mission is likely aimed at students in horticulture, botany, plant science or a related field, though the page itself does not spell out eligibility rules, deadlines or award amounts. Those details should come from the application once it is posted.
Practical next steps
- Open the scholarships page on Northwest Fuchsia Society and look for the current application.
- If no form is visible, check the society's news and updates section, since announcements there flag new postings.
- Use the membership route if you want to stay informed: the page notes that you can become a Member-At-Large to receive the Flash newsletter, which carries society news.
- Join a nearby local group through the Societies page if you want a person to ask about scholarship timing and requirements.
A concrete scenario
A community college horticulture student in Washington who wants help paying for a plant-propagation course should first confirm that the scholarship is open to their program, then gather a transcript, a short statement about their interest in fuchsias, and a reference. Because the society works through local chapters and events, a letter of support from a fuchsia society member or a nursery where the student volunteers can carry weight.
Decision criterion
If the application is not yet posted, do not send materials to a general contact address. Wait for the official form, or ask a local society officer at an event such as a spring plant sale whether a paper application is available. That keeps your application in the channel the society actually reviews.
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