1999  1. Rose Fantasia                   2000     1.Shelford
          2. Shelford                                           2. Pink Fantasia
          3. Pink Fantasia                                   3. Lillian Annetts
          4. Lillian Annetts                                  4. Brookwood Belle
          5. Walz Jubelteen                                5. Twinny
          6. Katrina Thompsen                           6. Love's Reward
          7. Brookwood Belle                             7. Wigan Peer
          8. Love's Reward                                8. Walz Jubelteen
          9. Paula Jane                                     9. Rose Fantasia
        10. Alison Patricia                               10. Katrina Thompsen

2000 was certainly a year for changes - Shelford resumed it's place at number one beating its nearest rival by over 50 points. Rose Fantasia did not have a good year, after several very successful years, whether it was the weather or a fashion for pale fuchsias, the Top Ten showed a remarkable number of changes this year.
It is always great to see some new entries, Twinny has been a favourite of mine for a few years, a small flowered deep rose and white single and much easier to grow than Nellic Nuttall, but with that same profusion of flowers. The other new entry is Wigan Peer or is it Pier - even George's "Find that Fuchsia" highlights the degree of confusion over the spelling. Which ever it is, it's a delightful small palest pink and white double. In recent years exhibitors have been increasingly hunting for small floriferous doubles, and they do appear to have found one that fulfils their ideals! Wigan Peer means that we now have three good doubles in the Top Ten, a trend that, I hope continues!  The other changes in the Top Ten are the cultivars swapping rankings! Just outside the Top Ten we have Nellic Nuttall, Paula Jane, Barbara Windsor (it is great to have a fuchsia with a bit of colour to it!), Mieke Meursing (yes it is still there!) and Baby Bright. Shows 65 up on 1999, cultivars just under 350.
Basket cultivars were also up by three to 126 and the top five were -
1. Wavency Gem, 2. Sylvia Barker, 3. Linda Grace, 4. Janice Ann, and 5. Susan Green. (Susan Green being a newcomer into the top group)
I have left this list at five as there were a vast number of cultivars sharing the next few places.
Triphyllas also were very similar to the previous year, 28 different cultivars were amongst the prize winners at the shows 1. Thalia (swept in), 2. Insulinde, 3. Adinda, 4. Coralle and 5. Mary. Insulinde is gradually catching up with Thalia, but I feel it could still be some years before Thalia is beaten.
I do like to look at a different aspect of the shows and this year, perhaps foolishly, I looked at foliage fuchsias - 16 were tried - three stood out: 1. Tom West, 2. Firecracker and 3. Sunray.
Next year I will look at the 3½" pot classes, which I think will prove interesting!

Finally my thanks to all of you who take the time and effort to jot down the results for your shows, I really do appreciate it! My wishes for next year, more small doubles and perhaps a few more colourful flowers, but as I have written so many times before, only time will tell!

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill today because they got on my nerves.
Also, help me to be careful of the toes I step on today as they maybe connected to the feet that may judge my plants tomorrow.
And help me to remember   When I'm having a bad day and it seems that people are trying to wind me up, it takes 42 muscles to frown, 28 to smile and only four to extend my arm and smack someone in the mouth!!!