August 26, 2012

Mid Atlantic Regional Show deadlines

Upcoming deadlines for the first ever Mid Atlantic Regional Gesneriad Show:


September 1, 2012
Deadline to register at discounted rates.

September 1, 2012
Deadline to reserve space in the Show in Classes 50 through 61 (= Sections K-M, arrangements of cut and growing plants) and class 70 (Section O - Artistic Entry by a Novice suitable for any of the classes in Sections K, L or M). Email your entries to Brian Connor:  brian.connor15 at yahoo dot com. (NOTE new email address for Brian.)

September 6, 2012
Deadline for hotel reservations at the group rate.

For details, check out the brochure on the Delaware African Violet and Generiad Society website, which contains the registration form, hotel information, and the Show schedule. The Entry Form for show entries is here (direct link to PDF).

And for your eye candy, Sinningia micans exhibited by Jim Roberts at the National Capital Area Chapter's show in 2011.

Sinningia micans

August 23, 2012

Southport Flower Show (UK)

I am pleased to share with you some photographs from the Southport Flower Show which took place on August 16-19, 2012, in Southport (inbetween Blackpool and Liverpool) in the U.K. These were taken by Kevin Pratt and posted on Twitter - he agreed to let me share them here as well.  The award indications are apparently for the amateur category.  (These results are online and it's quite interesting that there are categories for Pelargoniums, Orchids, Fuchsias, etc., and the gesneriads fall into the "Plants" category.)

Mitraria coccinea, first prize:
 Petrocosmea begonifolia, second prize:

 Sinningia (speciosa?), first prize:
 Sinningia speciosa, second prize:
 Sinningia 'Royal Purple', third prize:
Another Sinningia speciosa:
Smithiantha 'Little One' in Dibley's display:
Streptocarpus ('Falling Stars'?), first prize:
Another Streptocarpus:
Streptocarpus 'Francesca', second prize:
Streptocarpus 'Pink Lady', third prize:

August 13, 2012

Sinningia sellovii Outdoors

by Kenneth Moore

Sinningia sellovii growing in a community garden plot in Washington DC. For scale, the pots around the tuber, which is planted in the ground, are sized between 2 and 4 inches.




The new growths are much sturdier (shorter internode length, greener, stubbier leaves) than the single stem that came on the tuber when it was planted. The original stem flopped onto the ground, it bloomed (see here), and it's now growing leaves at the tip--perhaps even forming a new tuber!

Is there anyone else growing S. sellovii in their yard or garden plots? How do yours fare?