The
author of 'La Campanella' is Blackwell out of Engeland; he presented this hybrid
in 1968 without mention the cross-breeding parents. In 'The checklist of Species, Hybrids and
Cultivars of the Genus Fuchsia' the author Boullemier gives a praising description about this
hybrid. With passages as: 'this delightful cultivar', 'the corolla is a beautiful
shade of Imperial-purple and has a delightful colour change to lavender as the blooms
age', 'this is a very floriferious cultivar', 'does not attract pests', 'very rapid
grower', 'in a normal season will commence to bloom early in July and cotinue through the
summer', ' the easiest of cultivars to propagate'.
Negative
quality
Many of the here
named qualities I encouter in my specimens of 'La Campanella' and in his
'blood-relations'. But I miss in the description of Boullemier nevertheless the negative
quality aspect 'weak roots system', what among other things means that the plant
is wintering difficult. What naturaly is to solve by throwing away old plants and to make
seasonable new cuttings and bring them up. But to breed large plants of such a weak
hybrid, it remains difficult. And it is n't pleasant when you must throw away nice plants
because of this negative quality aspect.
The praising
description in the book of Boullemier undoubtly will have contibute, that many
cross-breeders started cross-breeding with this cultivar. Boullemier ascertains in his
description of 'La Campanella': 'a remarkable cultivar with its blood in no
less than 41 modern cultivars, many of which are outstanding'. End 2004 I ascertain
that in about 35 year time this number has grown to nearly 170 hybrids. What also
means that with it the number of difficult wintering hybrids considerable has grown. And
if those 58 cross-breedings of 'La Campanella' x '.?.' (in The Netherlands
the authors of such plants without second parent are known in rings of seriously
cross-breeders as 'bessenplukkers'(in English translated such as 'berries pickers'). have
produced such 'modern' fuchsias, I call that in question ....???
Facts and
conclusions
In the page of
this website Fuchsia cross-breedings with
in it 'La Campanella' you find an alfabetical ranged list with names of hybrids which
got La Campanella-blood. To that are noticed the cross-breeding parents, the country of
origine and the year of presentation. By adding this last three givens it was possible to
make somewhat conclusions out of the drafted list from December 2004:
* The 'berries
pickers' produced nearly 58 new hybrids, of which so the second cross-breeding parent is
unknown (noticed in the list as * x .?. ); a large number of them has got an AFS-number.
* The number of La Campanella
cross-breedings is qua country of origine: Belgium [56], The Netherlands [42], England
[29], Germany [22], New-Zealand [10], USA [4], Australia [1], Autrich [3] and La France [2].
* Remarkable cross-breedings with 'La
Campanella' are 'Berba's Trio' - with stems on which occur flowers in three
colour variations - and 'Folda' - with two cross-breeding parents, from which
both winter difficult.
* None of the
cultivars with La Campanella-blood has obtained the predicate 'Ned-H3 winter hardy'. The
reason of it can be the passing on a weak roots system; hardiness requires for surviving
in winter just a roots system with robust roots.
* There arise from 'La
Campanella' also two sports:'Golden La Campanella' and 'Tom Woods'.
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november
2008