Northtown Show!

 Come'on down and see the Northtown display and sale!

The Twin Cities Chapter of the
GESNERIAD SOCIETY
is joining with the AVSM African violet society and displaying some fine flora for you to enjoy!

 Violets, gesneriads... sale plants for you to try...

Information and growing advice..... questions answered.... we have it all for your education and enjoyment!


Please join us!

Northtown mall, Fridley.

10:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday and Saturday.

The Demise of Streptocarpus 'Stroke of Luck'

 

"Our human servant, The One With Thumbs Who Doth Open All Our Cans, aka: "Mom",  didn't put ice in this for me this morning. How many times have I mentioned it... politely even? I went around her ankles five different times and told her... humans, they NEVER listen"

"Ivy, why is she not listening and always so forgetful lately? Do you suppose it's Alzheimer's or that unfortunate incident where we were all asleep on the steps that one night. All we heard for two days was yelling about seeing black cats in pitch darkness... I don't know why they go on and on about everything so much.  It was rather funny, didn't you think so too?"

 "Well if I must.... we all have to tighten our collars and make do with what we have in these economic times. I for one didn't think that some simple ice cubes would really be such a bother... I mean... it's not like I ask for my Fancy Feast to be warmed to 110 deg. F. every day... just on the weekends. And you would think it was the end of the world to want fresh kibble put into the bowl four times a day... sheesh.... It gets stale after an hour or two you know."

"I'm a little hungry, Ivy and it would have been so nice to be served a little snack with my beverage. Is that too much to ask?  But, as usual, I think I hear Mom on the phone with Dad again."

"Walter,  you know since she thinks she threw us out of her precious plant room already, I was just thinking ..."

"Oh Ivy, you always have the best ideas! The wet hairball on the bathroom floor late that one night was hysterical!"

"No, no... not about that, although it was one of my better jokes! I was just thinking that, as usual, you're right! A light snack would tide us over till she gets the next batch of kibbles properly served. I'm certainly not going to go down there begging for just anything and make myself look pathetic. (You didn't hear the treat bag crinkle did you, Walter?) Perhaps there's something up here that will be tasty and not too filling, -  you know, so we don't spoil lunch #3."

"Walter, do you know why Winston thinks that it's cool to sleep in the dirt bucket?"
**ponders**

"Hey, Winston!  Are you starving too? What do you think about a little snack before Mom is back from ratting us out to Dad about that simple misunderstanding about the glasses on the counter this morning?"

**Time passes**

**Whistling casually** "Guys, we are the BEST! There isn't one little thing to make Mom even suspect we got back in her precious plant room! Everything is all just like it was and she'll never even know.  Winston, you were right about not taking the whole thing, just like when we lick the cookies. If you leave most of it they NEVER EVEN SUSPECT! The blue parts aren't as tasty as the sweet, sweet white parts anyway."

 
"Hey, Winston? What do you want to do now? The laundry just came out of the dryer.... I think it's warm.....!"

Violet Show at the Olbrich Conservatory, Madison

 I had the honor of getting to judge the WI grower's African violet show at the Olbrich Conservatory in Madison, WI this past weekend.

Not only was the violet show filled with lovely and interesting things, the conservatory was too!

I want one of these dripping off the trellis at my house.

Along the pathways you might just stumble upon a gesneriad like this nice basket of Kohleria 'Napoleon V' .

 I was pretty taken with the "Lipstick Vine" that gets its own personal waterfall. I can see that if I just have a stream running through the plant room (which of course every husband would endorse) I could also grow one that looks this large and lush!

Just for fun.... I had to include this tiny person for some scale on this rather large 'Angle Trumpet' tree. Again... got to expand the plant room... blow off the roof... build up a story or two.... *dreams on...

 The pathways and garden are a thing of beauty. There are free-roaming quail and canaries, Koi the size of submarines and orchids all over the place. The fragrance is lovely too.

Here's a shot of the show tables. Really top notch plants shown. It was a delight to be asked to come on down to do the judging.

Only a small section of the gesneriad table featuring the (formerly known as) Chiritas and a couple of others.

Got the itch for a day trip? Drive on down to the Madison, WI Olbrich Gardens.... very nice!

Questions???

Comments???