Why
Many of these new plants made their way to Ireland. English landlords had been granted large estates in Ireland by the English monarchy, and it was to their gardens that they brought their new plants, including fuchsias. However, nature had a different plan and the seeds were distributed by birds outside these estates. Local small farmers discovered that fuchsias made very good hedges, so they planted them to provide shelter from the Atlantic wind and rain for their livestock, and they spread rapidly. There is a written account by an English visitor some centuries ago, of his being in a very small huckster’s shop in Kerry where, much to his amazement, he saw bags of fuchsia seeds on sale on the counter. Imagine, finding fuchsia seeds for sale in Ireland at the time, and in Kerry!! He was so surprised that he wrote all about in English publications of the day.