The names of the Fuchsia introductions in the Whisper series are derived from greyhound Whisper, which was my daughter's first dog.
He was a very friendly, but also very reckless dog, which sadly died at young age by running into a car at full speed († 2000).
Fuchsia 'Whisper' is named after this dog.
In memory to him, after his dead several other Fuchsia introductions also carry 'Whisper' in their name.
Whisper
Fuchsia 'Whisper' (De Cooker, 1998) stems from the crossing (('Vuurwerk' x F. procumbens) x Unknown) x (('Checkerboard' x 'Machu Picchu') x self).
'Whisper' is a rather small Fuchsia variety, which is best grown as a semi-trailing plant from autumn cuttings. It tolerates heat and some sun.
Overwintering is without any problems.
Careless Whisper
Fuchsia 'Careless Whisper' (De Cooker, 2000) stems from the crossing 'Sparkling Whisper' x (('Checkerboard x Machu Picchu') x ('Checkerboard' x 'Machu Picchu')).
This fuchsia is an early flowering variety, making long branches. It requires meticulous pinching for obtaining a good shape.
Overwintering is without any problems.
'Careless Whisper' is named after reckless greyhound Whisper.
So not, as is sometimes assumed, to the song Careless Whisper by George Michael.
Sparkling Whisper
Fuchsia ‘Sparkling Whisper’ (De Cooker, 2001) originates from the crossing (‘First Succes’ x ((‘Speciosa’ x ? ) x F. splendens)) x ((F. splendens x F. procumbens) x F. splendens).
It has a clear resemblance with one of its main ancestors Fuchsia splendens : it has a similar 2C DNA value, it is clearly pinched in near the base, but has a larger and more yellowish and often flat corolla.
Over the years it has been used a number of times in Fuchsia hybridization, both as the male and the female. Examples of its progeny are ‘Careless Whisper’ (De Cooker, 2000), ‘Whispering Dawn’ (De Cooker, 2003), ‘Straat Kobe’ (De Boer, 2004), ‘Dragon Lady’ (Koerts, 2007), and ‘Jaspers Marieke’ (Van Aspert, 2015).
It might also have some potential for making hardy cultivars. Experimentally it has been shown that its progeny systematically and frequently exhibits excellent winter hardiness properties, which have most probably been inherited from F. ‘Speciosa’ and F. procumbens.
‘Sparkling Whisper’ produces its best blooms from January till June. Depending on the timing of making cuttings and the number of times these are pinched, it can however produce blooms throughout the year.
Tiny Whisper
Fuchsia 'Tiny Whisper' (De Cooker, 2003) stems from the crossing 'Sparkling Whisper' x (Rosea x Unknown).
The variety is a rather small, easy to grow as a bush or small standard, hardy fuchsia.
Overwintering is without any problems.
Whispering Dawn
Fuchsia ‘Whispering Dawn’ (De Cooker, 2003, AFS 7662) originates from the crossing ’Sparkling Whisper’ x ’Aurora Superba’ and is a sister seedling of F. ‘Jac Damen’. This proliferously flowering Fuchsia is named after its pollen provider Fuchsia ‘Aurora Superba’, i.e., the ‘Magnificent Dawn’.
‘Whispering Dawn’ is a vigorous grower, however makes not such long shoots as F. ‘Jac Damen’. For the rest, its performance is highly comparable. Flowering (it makes lantern-like blooms) starts early, and continues until the end of the season. It has an excellent performance as an older plant, three cuttings in a basket. Overwintering does not cause any problems. Pruning is advised at the end of October at 1-5 cm above ground level. Pinching only once should normally suffice to obtain a well developed plant.
