The main priority at the beginning of May is to apply adequate shading to ensure that no strong sunshine reaches tender cuttings or young seedlings because they will shrivel up in no time at all. Check daily, several times if possible, and apply temporary shading with shade netting or use newspapers and old net curtains. Remember to remove it though when the sun disappears again! As time progresses and the sunshine gets stronger the permanent shading (coolglass e.g.) needs to be applied. 
However, at the time of writing, (mid April) one wonders whether summer will put in an appearance at all with dull, cool weather still the order of the day. It has been most frustrating that after all the rain in autumn and winter the soil outdoors is still really saturated. Every time it dries out a little our hopes are built up, only to be thwarted again by yet more rain. It is hard to imagine that widespread heatwaves are forecast for the near future!!
Our beloved fuchsias are not keen on being baked in strong sunshine though, they much prefer dappled shade and especially at the roots. The thin plastic pots so many of us use nowadays provide very little protection from the sun's strong rays and roots literally can get cooked. A good way to avoid this is to heel one pot into another pot a size or two larger with the void between the pots filled with moist sand.
The growing season is well on it's way now and the warm dry days will bring new problems to deal with. The message in previous months was very much to take care NOT to splash water about needlessly, as cold and wet is such a killer, now the plea is to do just that, damp down the gravel benches and/or the floor of your greenhouse well, several times on really hot days if possible, to ensure a more ambient temperature for fuchsias, couple this with good ventilation to keep a boyant air circulation.  Yes, the dry summers of the last few years have brought an unwelcome upsurge in the appearance of the red spider mite, which thrives in hot dry conditions and can so easily get a damaging strong hold before it is noticed.
If you have taken some early cuttings or bought some in, pot them on as soon as the roots fill the pots. Potting on a little at a time gives the plantlets a continuous boost of nutrients in the fresh compost and keeps the growth rate going nicely. If intending to show do check your show schedule though, to ensure your plants are potted into the correct size pots.
Those enthusiast who are dedicated to growing for showing have some important jobs to see to now to get their plants in tip-top condition and full flower for their shows, like giving the plants a quarter turn every other day to obtain an evenly balanced shape. To ensure no pots are missed insert a label in each pot and check that they are all facing the same way.
Space your plants out to get some airflow around them. Continue your training programme - remembering to always pinch for shape. Even if you are growing only for your own pleasure e.g. a few baskets to adorn your porch or a few tubs on the patio it is still good practise to stop your plants for shape rather than rigorously going for stopping at one or two pairs of leaves as often recommended. Each stop will increase the size of your plant considerably, but it also delays flowering by about 7 -12 weeks, so time to apply that last stop, unless growing for autumn shows! (More detailed information about on stopping and stopping times on the page 26)
It is imperative to water your plants early in the day. Water from below or trickle it onto the compost carefully, making sure to avoid splashing or wetting the leaves and stems. You can water the plants from the bottom, via the saucers or by dipping the pots in trays of tepid water. However, be sure not to leave plants standing in water - cold, soggy compost spells certain death for your fuchsias. Continued on next page