Independent Garden Center - East - Trade Show 2014

Booth 1041

     See:
           Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie'

           'Eyelash' Begonias

           'Ivy Wreath' Topiary
  
           H. 'Candy Kisses'

           'Mini' Plants for Miniature Gardens

For the trade only,  No public admittance.


 

The Missed Anniversary

The missed anniversary

Story # 129,

              Luckily, no one complained that I missed my 2^nd Anniversary.  There is always the excuse that I was too busy or I forgot and I knew that you would understand.

              So here it is, my two year, one month and one week Anniversary for my blog about specialty plants.

              You get no points for longevity.  Businesses often use longevity in their advertising—“Best greenhouse in town since 1973”.  But does it matter?

              Owners of small businesses know how incredibly hard it has been to survive in business for 41 years.  Customers don’t have a clue and don’t care.  The point should be:  “What is the value of your product today and how will it solve my problem?”

              Personal anniversaries are for celebration.  Business anniversaries are for reflection--- Are we going to do this one more year?

              The blog has been valuable to me.  It forces you to write an idea down so someone else may see your point.  There have been over 24,000 pageviews in the two years as Google search finds my words and pictures.

              I thank Google for providing the blog site at no charge ---- How can they do that?

              I thank everyone who may be reading.

Delaware African Violet and Gesneriad Society Show and Sale- NOW

     The Delaware African Violet and Gesneriad Society will present its free show and sale at Boscov’s Christiana Town Center store on the second floor off Route 273 in Christiana, Delaware on Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  There are several restaurants in the Town Center for those planning to come to the show and stay for lunch and Boscov's is a great store which will offer its pre-Easter promotions...and there is NO sales tax in Delaware!  Boscov's is located just off Interstate 95.  I hope you can join us.

     We’ve got plants for sale from a variety of interesting sources including member grown plants, Violet Gallery, a fabulous commercial grower (Lederer's) Gary Hunter and … a wonderful selection of choice gesneriads from Andrew Norris and Jim Roberts. If history and early registrations are any indication, the show will feature have 60-80 gesneriads in addition to violets, dish gardens, education  and design entries. 

Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie' for sale

'Li'l Georgie' will be back soon

1,000 Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie' ready for pick up at Dan River Plants

Story # 128,

            Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ will be back on the availability list soon.

            The production of the best ‘Mini’ flowering plant for Miniature Gardens is 100% dependent on the success of tissue culture propagation.

            When I lost my source of a lab with the tragic death of Dr Jon Lindstrom at the University of Arkansas, I had to start over.

            Through the recommendation of Matt Taylor, Ph.D., Research Coordinator at Longwood Gardens, I found Dan River Plants in Danville, VA.  Mark Osborne, general manager, agreed to attempt to establish S. ‘Li’l Georgie’ in culture and ship me unrooted plantlets.  We now have the second batch of 1,000 and finished flowering plants will be growing out soon.

            Indoor gardeners are looking for the perfect small flowering plant ---- The supply line is fixed.

'Li'l Georgie' shows up at the Philadelphia Flower Show

Blue ribbon terrarium by Lynn Cook & Troy Ray

Story # 127,

            The area at the Philadelphia Flower Show that displays specimen plants for judging is the most interesting to me.  It’s amazing that so many hobbyists devote the energy required to grow top quality plants and manage the entry process with the hope of a blue ribbon prize.

            This year the challenge class was Sinningia‘Li’l Georgie’.  The plants are distributed through Meadowbrook Farm in the Fall and the challenge is to grow it to perfection for the March show.  15 – 20 were entered and were grown well.

            More ‘Georgie’s’ were shown off in the big terrarium class by Lynn Cook and Troy Ray.  The terrarium had Hemizygia ‘Candy Kisses’, Selaginella ‘Brownii’ and Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’.  It earned the Blue as it was excellent.

            Lynn and Troy also had a domed terrarium with a cluster of S. ‘Li’l Georgie’.

            There is a category for returning challenge plants from previous years.  Sinningia ‘Prudence Risley showed up there.  I hope some ‘Li’l Georgie’ can return in next years show.

When can we have water everywhere we want it?

Water when we want it

Story # 126,  O. T.

            The question to the economist was: ‘With the drought in Southern California, will we have to decrease immigration?’, implying that there isn’t enough water for all the people.

            The brilliant answer by Bryan Caplan  was ‘No, just raise the price of water’

            My idea to drain the Ocean, converting salt water to fresh water and pumping it inland can solve water shortages.  The reason it hasn’t happened is because water is often free or distributed at a very low cost.

            Consider if water was equal to gasoline in scarcity and demand, there would not be any water rationing during droughts.

            If water was four dollars a gallon, there would be an infrastructure for water equal to a gas station on every corner and water would not be in short supply.

            If in California, Agriculture uses 80% of the water and water prices go up to insure supply, then Strawberries will cost more but crop failure from drought will not happen.

You're going to miss me when...

Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie'

Story # 125,

            You’re going to miss me when I’m gone!

            This is a ditty that will get in your head.  I’ve found various versions of this cup song but I listen to Anna Kendrick.  She will pep you up.

            Seth Godin preaches to create something of significance, something different.  But how will you know?  He says to make it so the people will talk about it and they will miss you when you’re gone.

            When I did not have plants for sale from 2008 to 2011, did anyone miss me?  I don’t know.  But when I started producing some of the same plants that I had before from Hunter’s Greenhouse, they were easy to sell because no grower had come in to take my place.

            Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ is still unknown to the Miniature Garden market.  It is a leap of faith to say that you’re going to miss ‘Georgie’ when it’s gone.

            2014 will be the year that Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ will be tested with adequate supply.  There will be some demand and Garden Centers will talk about it.

            If there are repeat orders than that could prove that ‘they’re going to miss ‘Georgie’ when he’s gone.’