August 31, 2011

Arrangements from the Convention

More Division II entries from the Convention.  Thanks again to Jim Roberts for the photographs and caption information.

Waterworks by Julie Thompson (blue ribbon, 92 points):

Punxsutawney Phil by Ben Paternoster (blue ribbon, 98 points):

Philadelphia Museum of Art by Neale Stuart-Merrimen (blue ribbon, 90 points):

Mummers by Mel Grice (blue ribbon, 93 points, Best in Section K):

Love Park by Neale Stuart-Merriman (blue ribbon, 95 points):

Challenge Class, Bartram's Garden, by Jill Fischer (blue ribbon, 96 points, Best in Section L):

Boathouse Row by Neale Stuart-Merriman (blue ribbon, 93 points):

Academy of Natural Sciences by Bob Clark (96 points, Best in Section M):

Chinatown by Barbara Festenstein (blue ribbon, 94 points):

Ben Franklin by Barbara Festenstein (blue ribbon, 91 points):


August 30, 2011

landscapes, terarriums, artwork from the Convention

Photographs of some of the Division II entries from the 2011 Convention: thanks to Jim Roberts for the photographs.

Best in the Arts, 98 points, Bruce Boyd:

Fabric art by Carol Ann Bonner (blue ribbon, 97 points):

Jill Fischer's Straight Sided Terrarium (blue ribbon, 96 points):

Jill Fischer's curved terrarium (blue ribbon, 93 points):

Landscape by Ben Paternoster (blue ribbon, 96 points):

August 27, 2011

hoping for the best (and begonias)

I hope everyone is staying safe while Irene makes its way up the eastern coast of the U.S.

This is a bit off the topic of gesneriads, but then begonias and gesneriads make for good companion plants. The Potomac Branch of the American Begonia Society has its show and sale this weekend in Alexandria, Virginia. I stopped by this morning to oogle the variety of begonias - from tiny terrarium-grown plants to large shrubby things to the tall canes, from old-time standards to the new and rare.  My photos below - but keep in mind that some of the best are missing because I didn't want to be too obnoxious pulling glass domes/lids off everything.

Weather permitting, the show will be open on Sunday from noon until 3:30. They have plants for sale as well.  (While you're there, say hi to Johanna who is a brilliant grower and also a member of the gesneriad society.)

The old faithful Dragon Wing:
another Dragon Wing

Begonia scintillans:
Begonia scintillans

Begonia minutifolia:
Begonia minutifolia

Begonia heracleifolia - the grower told me this plant's history, from her grandmother and through some rough dormant periods, to how it might be a catnip substitute...:
Begonia heracleifolia

Begonia heracleifolia

Begonia heracleifolia

Begonia U012:
Begonia U012

View down one of the tables:
Show tables

Begonia 'Richmondensis':
Begonia 'Richmondensis'

Begonia 'Sierra Silver Mist':
Begonia 'Sierra Silver Mist'

Begonia serratipetala:
Begonia serratipetala

August 25, 2011

more from the 2011 Convention

Yes, there's more. Some group photographs today.

This first one is a photo of the class of trained or sculptured gesneriads: the Mitraria coccinea in the center was exhibited by Michael Riley; the Chirita 'Bridal Veil' on the left, by Paul Kroll; and the Columnea 'Gold Heart' (reverted) on the right was exhibited by Charlene Marietti.

Trained or Sculptured Gesneriads

This next photograph is one entry: a Chirita Collection by Nancy Kast. The tall one in the back is Chirita linearifolia. Continuing clockwise, there is 'Aiko', gemella (the small one on the lower front right), 'Rachel' in bloom, and sinensis 'Hisako' on the left.

Chirita Collection by Nancy Kast

And this last one is an entry in one of the commercial classes, a group of Streptocarpus from Gary Hunter (Hunter's Greenhouse).

Commercial Display by Gary Hunter

August 24, 2011

Begonia Society Show and Sale Aug 27-28, 2011

Begonia versicolor
Begonia versicolor

Speaking of begonias... which we will be doing again in October, the American Begonia Society’s Potomac Branch will be having their 29th Annual Begonia Show and Sale this weekend:

See some photos from last year's show, through my fishy-eye over here.

Location: Green Spring Gardens Park, 6403 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA
Saturday-Sunday, August 27-28, 2011
Saturday August 27, 2011: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Sunday August 28, 2011: Noon to 3:30 pm
Directions: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/directions.htm
or Google Map it

View Larger Map

August 23, 2011

Seemannia and August newsletter

If you attended the Convention in Philadelphia, you may have seen John Boggan talk about Seemannia:

*poof*

Well, that slide is actually John talking about "Chirita" being extinct. (That is to say, name changes are being rolled out.  Look for more on this in a future issue of The Gesneriad Society's journal, Gesneriads.)

This one is more on point:
John Boggan speaking about Seemannia at The Gesneriad Society Convention 2011

Read more from John Boggan in the August 2011 issue of our newsletter, Petal Tones (the PDF edition). You can also see photographs of John's Seemannia on screen via this link (and note the begonias!). In particular, check out the photo below, which features his new hybrids 'Big Red', 'Little Red', 'Red Prince' and 'Dark Prince' - click through and read the description:

Seemannias





August 11, 2011

see some Achimenes photos

Serge Saliba has posted some photos of Achimenes flowers - take a look!

P.S. Also check out this wall of little Sinningia from Taipei.

August 10, 2011

more Sinningia from the Convention

On the far left, Sinningia carangolensis exhibited by Judy Becker, and in the fore, Sinningia guttata exhibited by Ben Paternoster:

Sinningia guttata et al

Sinningia eumorpha
exhibited by Charlene Marietti:

Sinningia eumorpha

The Sinningia in Class 5B, with Betsy Sherwin's Sinningia 'Orange Raindrops' in the front center:

Sinningia in Class 5B

Sinningia 'Orange Cardinal' exhibited by Nancy Carr:

Sinningia 'Spring Cardinal'

Sinningia 'Apricot Bouquet' exhibited by Ben Paternoster:

Sinningia 'Apricot Bouquet'

Sinningia 'Luscious' exhibited by Wallace Wells:

Sinningia 'Luscious'

Sinningia 'Spellbound' exhibited by Gail Gray:

Sinningia 'Spellbound'

Sinningia 'Kaleidscope' x self exhibited by Elizabeth Gottshall:

Sinningia 'Kaleidscope' x self


August 9, 2011

Sinningia araneosa and tubiflora

Two Sinningia araneosa and a Sinningia tubiflora, exhibited at The Gesneriad Society Convention 2011:

two Sinningia araneosa and Sinningia tubiflora

Sinningia tubiflora
S. tubiflora exhibited by Betsy Sherwin.

Sinningia araneosa
S. araneosa exhibited by Margaret Cass.

Sinningia araneosa
S. araneosa exhibited by Paul Susi.

August 6, 2011

Nematanthus pycnophyllus

Nematanthus pycnophyllus (endemic to Brazil), exhibited by Lynn Cook and Ray Troy at the 2011 Convention of The Gesneriad Society.
Nematanthus pyncnophyllus

Nematanthus pycnophyllus

Here it is again, next to N. 'Black Gold', also exhibited by Lynn Cook and Ray Troy.

Nematanthus 'Black Magic' on left, and Columnea pyncnophyllus

August 4, 2011

terrarium by Mel Grice, and various landscapes

This was my favorite terrarium at The Gesneriad Society's 2011 Convention, and entry by Mel Grice, who you might recognize as the editor of Gleanings.  You will have to imagine viewing it from the center because the photograph is somewhat limiting. See the goldfish? (Ok, it's a Columnea flower, but it looked like a goldfish for a second.) Very whimsical - although I don't know if Mel intended it.

Entry 111 by Mel Grice
Plant material: Columnea 'Red King', Aeschynanthus sp., Kohleria hybrid, variegated Saintpaulia, Nematanthus australis, Drymonia chiribogana, Columnea 'Orange Fire', Tillandsia (not gesneriaceae)

Here are a few landscape entries from the Convention:

more tray landscapes

tray landscapes