Goodbye fuchsias

Just as a good fuchsia should be, huge and frothy, the only problem is the photograph the interesting bit you have to include a wrist

A few years ago I became completely obsessed with fuchsias.  At its peak my collection probably totalled fifty plants with probably thirty five different varieties, it was really getting out of hand with pots all over the patio.  Really they are completely responsible for getting me into gardening and starting all this, but sadly their endless fascination for me has come to an end.
Quite simply there is too much work involved in watering and overwintering for the amount of flowers you get.  As all my varieties are non-hardy I have to spend a considerable amount of time out in the freezing cold in November trussed up like a turkey wrapping pots in bubble wrap.  Then there is a big ugly igloo in the corner all winter that I have to continually nip out to for brick rearranging purposes to keep the whole thing tethered down.  Its just too much like hard work.
I have quite a few varieties that are pretty special, but I also have more than a few that are pretty ordinary as I was not the most selective of buyers, buying any variety I could get my hands on.  The sheer volume of pots means I can't enjoy the really good ones as much as I would like.  After much deliberation I have decided to let them all go.  I will of course be sad to lose the nicer ones, but they all need some serious work at this point.

I don't even remember seeing this one this year which is a shame as it was a variate.  The name escapes me at the moment

I have overwintered my fuchsias every year because it means I have larger and more developed plants, but the show this year really wasn't very impressive, as I think they all want digging out and replanting in fresh compost, and to be quite honest I really can't be bothered.  In fact there were so few flowers this year that I would struggle to identify the really good ones, so its easier to just lose the lot.  Also I have a few pots where of the two plants originally in there, one has died so either I need to repot the other or put another one in.  More work.  I would rather use the pots for more vegetables next year, or annuals, and then tidy the whole lot up and put them away for the winter.
Last year I selected some varieties that weren't doing it for me anymore and left them out to freeze in the cold rather than giving them space in the bubble wrap igloo.  Did they die?  Of course not.  No, they persevered on, helped along by a mild winter while several of the good ones rotted in overly damp conditions in the igloo.
While I may be getting rid of my stock, I still appreciate their beauty and Im sure others will to so over the next few weeks I will run through some of the varieties I have had, good points, bad points, pictures if I have them etc.

I really shouldn't post pictures from earlier in the year in the middle of winter, its depressing