Fuchsias

I've never grown fuchsias.  Never heard of them, don't know anything about them.  But they had 'em at Baker's, the saleslady raved about them, and I'm a sucker. 

Now they're opening.  And they're pretty fucking amazing.  

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuchsia):

Fuchsia /ˈfjuːʃə/ is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. The first, Fuchsia triphylla, was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (present day Dominican Republic and Haiti) about 1696–1697 by the French Minim monk and botanist, Charles Plumier during his third expedition to the Greater Antilles. He named the new genus after the renowned German botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566).

My brief bit of googling indicates that they thrive in places like the UK, and the pacific northwest.  Methinks they will have a short season here.  Still.  Look at these things.  They're so beautiful...