Are they covered in greenfly Judy?

No, no greenfly, just these gnarled red lumps that get bigger and more pronounced as the bush gets bigger. Flowers try to form but most are over-ridden by the lumps.

Last year when this happened I cut them back very serverely in the hope I would cure the problem but they grew back just the same this year.

I think this might be Fuchsia Gall Mite - send your photographs to gardeningadvice@rhs.org.uk - they're providing a free service at the moment to people who may have this problem. It's notifiable, but DEFRA aren't taking any action in people's gardens. If you google fuchsia gall mite, the RHS has info on line about it -no treatment available, but they want to know about it. Plants should be destroyed, I think.

Thanks again Bamboo, will go to google and check whats said there and then post photos onto gardening advice. It will be sad to loose them as we've had them for a few years but don't want anything to spread.

Normally the RHS charges for this service, but not in this case... Can I ask where you are in the UK? Just wondering how far this has got to now...

Thank you Bamboo
Been on the site and think you are definately right, it is fuschia gall mite !! Sent on photos to site mentioned but expect to be destroying them tomorrow :o(

It looks as though there's a poor future for nearly all fuchsias then. :-( I love these plants, boo hoo!

yes very sad Beattie, both my large bushes had, over the years, produced the most spectacular dislays that took your breath away . I have quite a few small ones in troughs that seem ok at the moment but they are not that exciting or spectacular.

Sorry Bamboo forgot to add where I live in the UK - I live in St. Helier on Jersey, Channel Islands. Apparently, reading on the site you told me to look on, it was first recorded here in Oct 2006. The main source appears to be Brittany France, which of course is only a hop and a skip from here !

Well selfishly, I'm relieved you don't live in West London, lol!

I am also glad you don't live near London, as I have 6 or 7 fuschias from trailing to bushes.

I hope your other fuschias survive and manage to get a good display of some sort.

It's only a matter of time though, Alex... for London...

Does anyone know the size of the area of the country that is affected? Will it eventually affect all Fuschias?
Bamboo, you sound quite pessimistic, do you know what is expected to happen?

Thank you for all your comments . I haven't heard back from the RHS yet but I'm sure I will.

Documented cases from 2006 showing a spread up and outwards over the country, Alex. I remember when Lily Beetle first hit, confined to a very small area in the south, now its practically country wide.

Ooooo we had lily beetle here on Jersey last year :o( killed my magnificent 7' burnt orange Asiatic lily - little buggers did the damage before I realised.

Ever the optimist Bamboo, LOL. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and treat any disease and pest as I see it.

So far, I have not suffered too many devastating pests and diseases. te worts was on last years tomatoes, which I didn't grow this year although I had the seeds.

Hmm, I don't think I'm an optimist, nor a pessimist - cynical on occasion, yes, but actually, I'm a realist, Alex. I remember reading once that optimists perceive realists as pessimists, perhaps its true, I don't know. If fuchsia gall arrives, it arrives, and that's that, no treatment, no more fuchsias. I'm sure we'll cope after the initial shock.

Hi All, Just thought you'd like to read what the results from RHS were and the other things the entomologist had to say - you never know one of you might also need the information in the future ( I hope not ).

Dear judy Beaumont
Thank you for your enquiry to the Royal Horticultural Society's Members’ Advisory Service.

I can confirm that the distorted growth on your fuchsias has been caused by the fuchsia gall mite. This microscopic mite was first discovered in Brazil but has since spread from there to California, France and Germany, and more recently to the Channel Islands. It was detected in England for the first time in 2007 and is now known to be present in widely scattered locations in southern England. Plants other than fuchsias are not affected.

There are currently no effective pesticides available to amateur gardeners for controlling this pest. Cutting back affected plants will remove many of the mites but probably not eliminate it from the plants altogether. There is always the likelihood that the mite will spread back from other infested plants in the area during the summer. There is some evidence to suggest that it can be carried from plant to plant by bees and other insects that have visited flowers on infested plants.

It is possible that mites on hardy fuchsias in gardens will be killed in a hard winter but they may survive in sheltered areas or on plants in greenhouses. If you want to retain your plants to see what happens next year, you should cut them down to ground level now. The top growth should be disposed of by burning or burying. Next year, keep a watch on the new growth to see whether distorted growth develops. If it does it would be best to destroy the plants to stop the problem spreading to other gardens.

Yours sincerely


Dr Andrew Salisbury
Senior Entomologist

Thank you for the information Judy - and a gold star to Bamboo for knowing there is such a thing as fuchsia gall mite and alerting us all to it.

From what I've read there are some strains of Fuchsia that seem to be resistant to these nasty mites, but if/ when they spread it will mean goodbye to many old favourites, like Mrs Popple, and F. magellanica varieties. :-(

Thanks for the info.

I bet the pharma companies are working on a chemical treatment as we speak...