May 31, 2012

Where to find us in June

Saturday, June 9, 2012. 10:00am - 4:00pm:  We’ll be at The Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, Maryland, participating in the Garden Party, together with other local plant societies.

Saturday, June 23, 2012:  Our annual picnic will be at the Sweetgum picnic area in Greenbelt Park, which is off I-495 in Maryland.  Bring your own food for the grill, some food to share, and some plants (not limited to gesneriads) for the raffle table.  Start time: around 11 a.m., although some of us will be there earlier to start setting up.

May 30, 2012

The Mid Atlantic Regional Gesneriad Show, Sale and Symposium

In case you haven't heard.... there will be a regional gesneriad show and symposium in Delaware this fall, jointly sponsored by the DAVS, NCAC (that's us) and Liberty Bell chapters of The Gesneriad Society.  The official announcement and details are now up on the Delaware African Violet and Gesneriad Society's website. 


Gesneriads Across the Globe: An International Family

When: open to the public on Sunday, September 30, 2012
(Show entries and judging take place on Saturday, September 29, 2012)
Location: Townsend Hall, 531 South College Avenue, University of Delaware
Newark, DE
Costs
Registration fee for symposium/lectures is $20 ($25 after September 1, 2012).
Show and Sale are free.
Parking fee may apply.
(Exhibitors, volunteers, and judges: see brochure for additional information.)

Speakers

Featured Presentation (registration required): Searching for Gesneriads in Cuba
Sunday September 30, 2012, at 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
John L. Clark is an Associate Professor in The University of Alabama's Department of Biological Sciences. His research focuses on the diversification and taxonomy of the flower plant family Gesneriaceae in the New World Tropics. Since 2006, John has participated in eight expeditions to Cuba for ongoing research on the Flora of Cuba Project. His research has facilitated the rediscovery of plants that had not been documented since the 1800s, some of which have been recently introduced into the horticultural community. John will discuss recent taxonomic changes that affected the names of commonly grown Gesneriaceae from the Caribbean. Plan to attend his lecture to learn more about the natural history of Gesneriaceae and the ecosystems where they are native.

Featured Presentation (registration required): Rare and Unusual Gesneriads and How We Grow Them
Sunday September 30, 2012, at 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Bob and Dee Stewart live in Stowe, Massachusetts, where they maintain an extensive collection of exotic gesneriads in their greenhouse. Bob and Dee began growing gesneriads almost 25 years ago, starting on windows, moving to light, then to more elaborate lights, and then to the greenhouse. They grow a wide variety of species, including a lot of epiphytes and cool growers. Bob and Dee have won many awards for
their plants, and lectured on the greenhouse culture of gesneriads at the AGGS 1998 Convention. They have been members of AGGS (now The Gesneriad Society) for over 25 years. They recently constructed a new greenhouse. An informative article and photos of their project appeared in the February 2012 issue of Gleanings (direct link to PDF).


Schedule Details

Saturday, September 29, 2012 - Townsend Hall
8 a.m. - noon:  Entries
9 a.m. - 2 p.m:  Plants Accepted for Plant Sale
Noon - 1 p.m:  Judges/Clerks Luncheon/instructions
1 p.m. -  3 p.m:  Judging
3 p.m. - 5 p.m:  Sales and Shop Open to Exhibitors, Judges, Clerks and Volunteers
6:30 - 9:30 p.m:  Awards Dinner at Timothy’s of Newark

Sunday, September 30, 2012 - Townsend Hall
10 a.m. - 4 p.m:  Show and Sale open
Noon - 1 p.m:  Lunch for registrants
1 p.m. - 2 p.m:  Searching for Gesneriads in Cuba, a presentation by Dr. John L. Clark
2 - 2:30 p.m:  Break with Refreshments
2:30 - 3:30 p.m:  Rare and Unusual Gesneriads and How We Grow Them a presentation by Bob and Dee Stewart
4-5:30 p.m:  Dismantle Show

For more information, directions, registration form, etc., check out the brochure on the DAVS website

The organizers would like to officially express their appreciation to the staff of the University of Delaware Botanic Gardensfor their assistance in making this event possible.

May 11, 2012

May 12, 2012 DC area meeting

Just a quick post to say that the May issue of our PDF newsletter is online.

Also, note that the meeting this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. will take place in the basement of the Arbor House at the National Arboretum.

And we have a date for our annual picnic: Saturday June 23, 2012.

May 2, 2012

from around the web

Oh yes, there is some catching up to be done.

The Delaware African Violet and Gesneriad Society's March 2012 newsletter has a handy schedule for coaxing gesneriads to bloom/look their best just in time for a show.  (It may look familiar: it's by Brian Connor.) The April 2012 newsletter has information on the regional show, happening on September 30, 2012 at the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens in Newark, DE. Check out their website and newsletters here.

The April issue of Gleanings, The Gesneriad Society's free e-newsletter (available here), has a photo of one of my favorites, Sinningia 'Tomorrow'! Well, okay, there's a lot more to the issue: it's like a teaser/trailer for the 2012 and 2013 Conventions -- there are photos from the Puget Sound Gesneriad Society and the Toronto Gesneriad Society. (Are you on the fence about attending? This might help nudge you a bit.) But wait, that's not all: there's a piece by Jaco Truter on a new species, Streptocarpus actinoflorus. And oh yes, there's more: photos from the Philadelphia Flower Show, upcoming events, and a bit on the formerly-Chirita gang.

Kenneth Moore just reported on his gesneriad seedlings over at The Indoor Garden(er).  This reminds me just how far behind I am on sowing seeds and spring plant maintenance.

Craig Gibbon on Flickr has some photos of Streptocarpus species in situ, including some of Streptocarpus dunnii.

And not on the web: if you're a member of the Gesneriad Hybridizers Association, you would have seen their recent issue which included an announcement that Vivian Liu will be speaking about hybridizing in Taiwan at The Gesneriad Society's 2012 Convention. The GHA meeting is definitely a "do not miss" event.

And a random photo to close things out: Streptocarpus 'Butter Blues' exhibited by Sylvia Taub at the 2009 Convention.

Streptocarpus 'Butter Blues'