英国西约克郡倒挂金钟和盆栽植物协会 – 利兹地区月展型小型园艺团体

从 1978 年利兹成立到月展与年展双轨运转

西约克郡倒挂金钟和盆栽植物协会（The West Yorkshire Fuchsia and Pot Plant Society）1978 年在英格兰北部利兹由一群爱好者自发组建，最初的目的就是借助示范和讨论帮助会员把花种得更好。如今协会每年举办 11 次月度聚会，议程覆盖园艺与栽培的方方面面，会员在轻松的氛围里交换植株、经验和养护心得；除常设活动外，协会也设立一年一度的开放公众花卉展和会员花卉展，前者向本地居民与游客敞开大门、附带植物销售、抽奖和家庭自制的蛋糕点心，后者仅限会员之间切磋。

每月第三个周三晚间例会的运行节奏

协会例会常在每年 9 月到次年 5 月之间的每月第三个星期三晚间举行，地点位于利兹都会区的西约克郡一带的教堂礼堂内，开会时段为晚 7 点半到 9 点半。每年 3 月协会向每位会员发放两份扦插穴盘苗（plug plant），鼓励大家把它们带回家中养大，于 8 月的会员展上再带回来参加比赛；为同样形式的会员回馈，协会每月会发一封电子月报，把近期活动预告、栽培贴士与会员心得汇总在一起。

公众展与会员展的赛事结构

每年 8 月的第一个周六是公众开放日形式的年度展（Annual Show），裁判由外请的资深裁判如 Linda Hinchcliffe 和 Alan Godfrey 担任；展品分为倒挂金钟、盆栽植物、切花、蔬果四类，倒挂金钟下又分新手组、公开组、Encliandra 型、Triphylla 型、Species、垂吊容器、盆景造型等近二十个细分组别，盆栽植物另设天竺葵、仙人掌与多肉、观叶观花植物等。会员展（Members Show）安排在 8 月的第三个星期三晚间，仅由 John Smiles 等裁判评选，会员可以在更小的场地上较量插花、盆景与高山植物等组别。两个展会的奖金从 1 英镑到 10 英镑不等，其中一个纪念已故会员 Sid Tagger 的「Master Gardeners Challenge」综合组别冠军奖金为 10 英镑。

参展哈罗盖特秋展与大约克郡展并多次获奖

除了自办的两场展，协会每年都在外部展会上搭建展台并销售植株：5 月中旬的 Pudsey Carnival 是本地一年一度的社区节庆，协会在 Queens Park 设摊售卖色彩斑斓的倒挂金钟；7 月中旬的大约克郡展（Great Yorkshire Show）上，协会已经连续多年获得展品布置的金奖（Gold Award）和银奖（Silver Gilt Award）。在秋季，协会也会前往 Newby Hall 参加哈罗盖特秋季花卉展（Harrogate Autumn Show），同样获得过金奖与银奖的认可。赞助方面，主要由 Palmer Plants 等本地园艺商长期提供植株与奖品支持。

倒挂金钟的历史、品种保护与会员入门

倒挂金钟属（Fuchsia）的故事可追溯到 1695 年法国方济各会修士、植物学家 Charles Plumier 在加勒比海圣多明各的考察，他以德国植物学家 Leonhart Fuchs 的姓氏为这种下垂吊钟形的花卉命名；1788 年前后倒挂金钟首次进入英国，到维多利亚时代已经被园艺界视为珍品，目前全球已经命名的原生种接近 110 个，绝大多数原产于中南美洲的潮湿山区，新西兰另有几个特有种。协会除了举办展会与例会，也承担品种展示与栽培交流的平台作用：年费 8 英镑即可加入，3 月即领到协会免费发放的 2 株幼苗，新会员可直接到月会现场登记或与协会秘书联系，2026 年的月会议题则邀请 Skerne Alpines 谈高山植物及其用法、Moss & Moor 谈室内绿植搭配等。

官网：https://www.westyorkshirefuchsiasociety.co.uk/

From the 1978 Leeds Founding to a Dual-Track Public and Member Show

The West Yorkshire Fuchsia and Pot Plant Society was set up in Leeds in 1978 by a group of enthusiasts who wanted to help each other grow better plants through demonstrations and discussion. Today the society runs 11 monthly meetings a year covering all aspects of horticulture and cultivation, where members swap plants, tips and experiences in a friendly informal atmosphere. It also organises two annual flower shows each August — one open to the public, the other for members only — both accompanied by plant stalls, a tombola and homemade cakes.

Third-Wednesday Evening Meetings on the Calendar

Monthly meetings take place on the third Wednesday of every month from September through May at a church hall in the West Yorkshire area of the Leeds metropolitan district, between 7.30pm and 9.30pm. In March each year, every member receives two plug distribution plants, which they are encouraged to grow on at home and bring back to exhibit at the Members Show in August. A monthly newsletter is emailed to members with details of upcoming meetings, cultivation tips and members’ experiences.

Two Annual Shows With a Detailed Class Structure

The Annual Show takes place on the first Saturday of August and is open to the public; judging is by invited guests such as Linda Hinchcliffe and Alan Godfrey. Classes are split into Fuchsia, Pot Plant, Cut Flower and Fruit/Vegetable sections. The Fuchsia section alone has around twenty classes including Beginners, Open, hardy varieties, single/semi-double/double cultivars, Triphylla type, Encliandra type, species, hanging containers, variegated foliage, bonsai-trained plants and standards. The Pot Plant section includes zonal, regal, scented-leaf, angel and stellar pelargoniums, foliage and flowering pot plants, cacti and succulents and bonsai. The Members Show is held on the third Wednesday of August and is judged by John Smiles and colleagues; prizes range from £1 to £10, with the Suzanne Tagger sponsored Master Gardeners Challenge awarding £10 to the champion.

Gold and Silver Gilt at the Great Yorkshire Show and Harrogate Autumn Show

Beyond its own shows, the society maintains plant stalls at external events: the Pudsey Carnival on Queens Park in mid-May, and the Great Yorkshire Show in mid-July, where the society has won a Gold Award and a Silver Gilt Award for its stands in recent years. In autumn the society also exhibits at the Harrogate Autumn Show at Newby Hall, where it has similarly picked up Gold and Silver Gilt recognition. Long-term sponsorship comes from local garden retailers such as Palmer Plants, which supplies plants and prize support.

Fuchsia History, Conservation and How to Join

The genus Fuchsia takes its name from the German botanist Leonhart Fuchs and was first described by the French Franciscan monk and botanist Charles Plumier during his 1695-97 botanical expedition to the Caribbean foothills of Santo Domingo, where he recorded Fuchsia triphylla flore coccinea. The first fuchsia reached England in 1788, and by the Victorian era hybridisers had crossed and re-crossed the species many times. Today around 110 species are recognised, almost all native to Central and South America with a handful in New Zealand, and most are tropical or sub-tropical in species fuchsias. The annual subscription is £8 and includes the two March plug distribution plants; new members can join at any monthly meeting or by contacting the society secretary. The 2026 programme features talks from Skerne Alpines on alpine plants and from Moss & Moor (Oliver) on indoor plants, alongside regular mini shows, workshops and members’ advice sessions.

Official Site: https://www.westyorkshirefuchsiasociety.co.uk/