Streptocarpus 'Neil's Getcha', Aeschynanthus humilis, Petrocosmen barbata, Episcia 'Pink Brocade' and other great stuff!

 Janice has some pretty exciting things to look at when she goes down to her plant room.

This is a lovely selection called Streptocarpus 'Neil's Gotcha'. Really striking flowers with ruffles and spots and a nice bold color.

 Here's another lovely strep with just the right contrast between the leaves and the color of the blossoms.

 This little Aeschynanthus humilis has been blooming for about four months. It seems to do well under lights and with a mat watering system for it.

Another pretty Strep with big bright flowers.

 If purple is more your color there are some of them too!

 This was a really eye catching bloom. Again, huge flowers and nicely contrasting leaves.

 These little cute things are a Petrocosmea. They're Petrocosmea barbata.They stay quite small and as you can see have a center that is somewhat compact. The plants go through a cycle when just the tight center is left in the pot looking a bit like a pine cone. When conditions again are favorable (or the plant decides it's time) they send out the rest of the lovely lush leaves to make the small but rather dramatic rosettes which you see here.

This is one of the very pink Episcias. I think it's 'Pink Brocade'. What a beautifully grown and striking plant. I hope that Janice turns her back next time I'm lucky enough to see her collection and perhaps this one, tiny, small (well, large) bowl will mysteriously vanish off of the shelf!!!

Thank you very much to Janice for sharing the pictures with us! Comments??? Congratulations???

What's Bloomin'

 Lots of things are blooming today. Here's the miniature Sinningia speciosa  from the other day with most of its blooms open. A real cool plant.

 Here's a chimera African violet called 'Emerald City' The lavender pinwheel pattern is accented by the green tipped petals.

 'Jim's Daphne's Choice' Episcia is a really nice clear yellow color. There aren't too many really good yellows in Episcias yet, but this one is very pretty.

 Chirita tamiana is a great little plant that is about the size of a semi-miniature violet. It's easy to grow and get to bloom and the blooms last a nice amount of time. It might be my favorite Chirita.

New to me is this Primulina tabacum. Cool little flowers on this plant. I just got it but I hear that they get larger : )

 This is Dale Martens Streptocarpus 'Tanzanite'. Nice flowers on a smallish plant. Fun to grow.

Now this is an interesting one. xCodonanthus Aurora. It blooms on a small starter plant with a really nice looking peachy flower with a lighter cream color lip. 

 Can't forget the Sinningia 'Gabriel's Horn' tricolor sport. This one is a favorite too with it's calyx double flower.

 Not quite blooming, but Sinningia leopoldii has kept compact to about 6" tall and already it's making flowers! YAY! Not a three foot high monster this time.

Here's a Petrocosmea 'Shortin' Bread'. Nice shape with no fuss and cute little blue flowers.






The last one for today..... an unnamed Streptocarpus that looks for all the world like 'Purple Panda'. Whatever the name, it's really stunning with the pure white top petals and the hint of netting on them.

What do YOU have blooming? Send pix....

November 23, 2010 Meeting

The meeting started off with some interesting 'show and tell' plants. The first one here is a Petrocosmea minor grown by J.N. It's wonderful symmetry and shiny leaves (not to mention it's abundant blooms) make it a really attractive plant.

 There were two Sinningia iarae plants brought in for display. One was an older plant that has been growing for many years and produced the seeds that the bottom  plant was grown from. The S. iarae is a nice, easy to bloom Sinningia that is not necessarily considered a 'compact' plant but stays a nice size and will grow and bloom either under lights or in a sunny window. If growing the Sinningias in the window, it is helpful to remember to turn them frequently to ensure even growth.

This is a rather new and interesting Charutemsia calcicola. One of only a few to be in cultivation so far, it's a charming small plant that seems to like high humidity. It grows quickly and has lovely little flowers that have some yellow color to them.

 This is another Petrocosmea. it's being grown with a 'double pot' to ensure excellent drainage but to keep the moisture and humidity around the plant so it doesn't dry too much.

This is a bowl of Sinningia pusilla. Because of the wide spread of the greenery, is this one plant with a tuber, or seedlings that have sprouted and are all growing in a tiny colony?

 After the 'show and tell' portion of the evening there was the annual "Night of the Dead and Nearly Dying" competition. It is a fiercely competitive event with contestants preparing for months to prepare just the right entry! Some of the best entries for one of the three categories - (Closest to Dead Without Actually Going Over, Most Unusual, and Most Artistic) are shown here.

A 'Spin Art' Strep presented by S. J. was the most nearly dead, as seen in the small black, square pot in the photo to the right.

The most unusual was that trailing brain (uh, sorry violet) to the right and the most artistic entry of the evening was the Alsobia punctata you can see sprawling all over the table. Thanks to all the contestants who labored and trained for nearly a year to prepare these marvelous entries! Prizes of delicious chocolates were awarded.



More of the meeting followed with a presentation of a book from C. A. by MacKinlay Kantor called Spirit Lake to long-time club member J. M. in part in appreciation for service to the Society. This book reflects some directly related ancestors of J. M. and has a historical perspective to Minnesota's early years.

Long time grower, J. N. gave a presentation about growing Petrocosmeas. The main points about growing Petrocosmeas were that you should not water them in excess and make sure that the soil mix you use is considered very light. They enjoy excellent drainage, like many gesneriads do. The plants themselves can be grown out in the open without use of domes or humidity trays, but when you are propagating and starting the suckers, it's helpful to put them in an enclosed environment with more humitidy.

The Petrocosmeas do bloom in the winter, as we can see from one of the first 'show and tell' photos at the beginning of this post. They will do well in west windows that have strong, but not burning light. J. N. doesn't wick water these plants, but some club members commented that they do.

Other discussion was about where to purchase various fertilizers for the plants. A formerly popular brand called Peter's was purchased by the Scott's company and is no longer formulated like it was in the past. The grandson of the original Peter's company started a smaller company and went back to producing the original urea-free formula that is now sold under the name of Jack's. Apparently, the orchid mix is urea-free, but the African violet mix is not.

The meeting ended after everyone enjoyed really awesome homemade treats brought by C. H. and A. M's wife! Those members can feel free to bring those treats anytime in the future.

State Fair Fun

 The winning entry at the Great Minnesota State Fair 2010 was this wonderfully grown Columnea sanguinea.

Note the darker patches that would be very visible if the leaves were viewed from the underside. These patches attract hummingbirds to the flowers which appear UNDER the leaves.

 This is a really, really cool example of Petrocosmea rosettifolia. Note the spiral pattern of the leaves and the many rows of leaves. This is an exceptional plant.

 Another Petrocosmea... 'Shortin' Bread'. One of the few hybrids developed so far in the Petrocosmeas.

 You want a mini-Sinningia now, don't you? This is Ozark 'Rosey Cheeks'.

 This is quite a bold color and great small plant that grows alongside your African violets. Ozark 'Blazing Embers'.

Apologies for not getting a good shot of the flower's face. Another nice plant, Ozark 'Pink Popcorn'.

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