A fuchsia bonsai is only a special treatment for a special plant. It is not a difficult task, nor one that involves the dedication of a life time. Too many people are intimidated by visions of hundred year old plants being patiently tended hour on hour, day after day. It may take a few years to finish, requiring only a few minutes attention at a time.
Fuchsias are "quick living" plants; a fuchsia acquires the normal signs of plant ageing in a relatively short period of time. A one year old plant will develop scaly bark, heavy roots and a twisted form Our task is to utilise that characteristic of quick ageing to produce a fuchsia bonsai.
My very first bonsai was an over wintered, twisted gnarled specimen of Mrs W. Rundle that was five years old. As I removed the plant from the pot I was taken by the large twisting roots at the base of the trunk. I was just about to root-prune the plant, when the overall form of the plant struck me. Thus I learned the first rule of bonsai culture: "look at the plant with a mind to bonsai possibilities" it soon becomes a little signal in your mind: "That could make a nice bonsai". It does not always work out, but it is where every bonsai starts. I worked on that plant for the next year, learning shaping, pinching, pushing and pulling and in the process discovered two things; fuchsia bonsai do not require as much patience as growing a standard or pillar; and secondly never let your bonsai go dormant.
A fuchsia bonsai is a joy, because of the plant's flexibility, and it's willingness to take on the form that pleases you. A word of warning: unless you have plenty of experience steer clear of wiring a fuchsia into shape. The primary reason, is that because of the thinness of the outer bark it is very easy to do damage to the plant. The fuchsia is so flexible, that training can be achieved by weighting, staking or tying the branch to the desired position. If it is held by what ever means in a position for a few weeks, it will, after the restraint is removed, hold the desired position. There are several ways to move branches as desired - to bring a branch forward, a simple stake behind the branch and down into the soil will suffice. You might want to bring a branch forward and up - this can be done by tying a stake parallel to the branch and then to the stake in the soil, or in reverse you can take the branch down. The key is to do it gently, a little bit at a time. Eventually, you will learn the "feel" as you manipulate the branches. If you move it too far you will feel the dreaded "snap" - it will happen. Do not panic, fuchsias are very resilient plants: if the cambium (the light green "under bark") is not broken completely you can, by tying a splint around it, save the branch.
For the first year or so of training, you do not need to grow your bonsai fuchsia in a bonsai container. Assuming that you are working with a mature plant, re-pot it into a larger container than it was in. Take this opportunity to evaluate the root system and select several roots that you might want to use as surface roots. When you eventually plant it into the bonsai container, remove excess large roots and plant with the selected roots spread around the container raised slightly above the rim of the container covered with potting mix. The next season wash the potting mix away from the desired roots to leave them exposed above the surface.
Find yourself a bonsai hiding within a plant and enjoy it.            Courtesy of the British Fuchsia Society's CAD's Fuchsia