The Plant Matters!

Blue Job's Tears - Pilea glauca - Groundcover

Story # 134,

            In the internet world, the advice/warning is ‘Content Matters!”  There is an industry of advisors preaching that ‘Content Matters!”

            What does this mean?

            I’ve come to believe that in advertising with words, that it matters what you say and how you say it.  Most advertising is ignored unless it’s something that you actually want to know about.

            The equivalent in horticulture is ‘The Plant Matters!’  The industry thrives on improving varieties and introducing new plants to gardeners.

            With my focus on ‘Mini’ plants for Miniature Gardens, the plants have been selected for use in that category.  They are houseplants that are proportional to small scenes in Miniature Gardens and Terrariums.  We are continually looking for plants that are small and have a purpose as a tree, shrub, vine, flowering or groundcover.

            All of the specialist propagators of small plants, who are trying to catch up with the demand, have their assortment.  Surprisingly there is not much overlap in varieties --- Everybody has their opinion.  I, of course, believe that my selected ‘mini’ plants are the best!

            Each plant matters.

How to create a new commercial crop.

Primulina 'Loki' hybridized and grown by Peter Shalit

Story # 133,

            Walmart has a deceptively simple system for sales.  They continually monitor what sells and then get more of that.

            To create a new commercial crop we need supply to be introduced into the market.  Every Garden Center is looking for the “What’s new?” plant.  “New” keeps gardeners interested.

            Commercial plant production has evolved into three phases --- the specialist propagator, the grower/finisher and the retail garden center.  The last two in the chain may try a new plant but will only continue if it can be finished in 3 months or less and be durable enough to survive shipping and hold up in the store for weeks.

            Can Primulina ‘Loki’ be entered in this race for acceptance as a commercial crop?

            Nothing can happen until a specialist propagator decides to take a chance on producing Primulina.  At the moment, there are limited stock plants.

            A parallel crop to study is Cyclamen.  It is a long crop from seed to flower, so an extra step evolved --- pre-finished.  A finisher may decide to pot twice as many as he needs and then sell off budded plants in order to have room to space out his own.  This gives the final finisher the illusion that it is a short crop.

In any case, for Primulina to be grown as a flowering houseplant, multiple production segments may be needed to get it to flowering within a year.

Do Primulinas have the same potential as African Violets?  Violets started with only blue flowers, leaves that were brittle and detaching flowers.  Holtkamp Greenhouse solved these problems and now produces millions, worldwide.

There are Primulinas with blue, yellow and white flowers but flowering time is prohibitive. That leaves it to be grown as a small foliage plant and P. ‘Loki’ is the best one.

            If they sell, we’ll get/grow more.

Will Primulina 'Loki' break the commercial barrier?

Primulina 'Loki' grown by Gary's Specialty Plants

Story # 132,

            Primulinas, formerly named Chiritas, have never been a commercial crop.  Growers who may be familiar with these Gesneriads, native to China and North Vietnam, soon eliminate them as a flowering houseplant when it’s learned that it may take a year or more to flower.

            My friend, Quentin Schlieder, has been trying to get me to see the value in Primulina.  I’m starting to come around.  The variegated forms are interesting as foliage plants.  I’ve propagated P. vericunda, P. ‘Betty’ and P. ‘Loki’ and easily sold the few that I’ve had in 2 ½” ‘Mini’ pots.  They are young variegated plantlets that are attractive as little rosettes---- no flowers required.

            Primulina ‘Loki’ is a hybrid by Peter Shalit, past President of the Gesneriad Society and a hybridizer famous for not releasing selections too soon before testing them.

            All of my ‘Loki’s have been grown from a single leaf of Peter’s  show plant that he handed me during break-down at the Mid-Atlantic Gesneriad Show at the University of Delaware in 2012.

            Since I had not been following Primulina, I didn’t have the story until later.  P. ‘Loki’ is a cross between P. brassicoides and P. dryas ‘Latifolia Dwarf’.  Peter tells me that it has hybrid vigor and was the most compact seedling he selected.

            So what commercial plants are sold as small foliage plants and if they eventually flower you get a surprising bonus?  Succulents or cactus, maybe?

            I’ve seen ‘Loki’ used in Terrariums and Miniature Gardens with great success.  It is a better long term choice with its variegation than Mini Violets which look nice while flowering but need replacing.

            Primulina ‘Loki’ is propagated by rooting leaves, similar to African Violets.  I finally have enough stock plants to stick several hundred leaves.  Once a steady supply of 2 ½’ plants can be produced, we will find out if there is demand.

            Primulina ‘Loki’ with its distinctive variegation and faster growth may be the one that gains commercial acceptance.  But it will take time.

Primulina 'Loki' grown by Jay Sespico

Do you bid on 'A hope and a promise'?

Streptocarpus 'Fred's Moon Lines' (Bellairs) grown by Dale Martens

Parents of 'Fred's Yellow Ice' and 'Fred's Moon Lines'

Story # 131,

            I went to the Gesneriad Society National Convention in Nashville to show Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ and came home with a new Streptocarpus.

            Thankful to be judged with the Best Commercial Display, it was worth the effort to show multiple ways S. ‘Li’l Georgie’ can be used in Terrariums and Miniature Gardens.

            The hobbyists who show at Convention are true experts in the culture and hybridization of these infinitely diverse plants.  There was a new Streptocarpus in the silent auction grown and donated by Dale Martens, the genius leader of the Gesneriad Hybridizers Association.

            The hybrid, S. ‘Fred’s Yellow Ice’ was in the judged flower show and the entry card showed the hybridizer as Fred Bellairs in Michigan.  The parents of S.  ’Fred’s Yellow Ice’ are S. ‘Keigetsu’ (K. Hirose) and S. ‘Fashion Statement’ (D. Thompson).

            The plant for sale was muti-flowered with large crisp flowers and distinctive line markings.  I’ve grown S. ‘Keigetsu’ and know it to be a strong plant, while the pollen parent was an unknown.  Maybe it’s worth taking a chance.

            The silent auction is a way to donate money and get something that you want.  I was successful in the bidding but had to pay $130 to get it.

            Will my prize be a good one?  One strategy in hybridizing is simply cross the best with the best and hope for the best.

             Streptocarpus ‘Fred’s Yellow Ice’ has flowered all summer.  Some leaves have rooted and may be salable by Christmas.

            ‘Fred’s Yellow Ice’ is a very nice selection by Fred Bellairs and has a nice story to go with it.  Thank you to Dale Martens for introducing it.

Streptocarpus ''Fred's Yellow Ice' (Bellairs) grown by Dale Martens - Nashville 2014

The IGC Trade Show Report- 2014

Gary's Specialty Plants  IGC Display 2014

Story # 130,

            We survived a major undertaking last week by setting up as an exhibitor at the Independent Garden Center – East Trade Show in Washington, D. C.

            The goal was to introduce my 5 plant products to the garden center plant buyers who came to look for the new, the different.

            We were fortunate to have John Boggan, Garden Blogger, stop by.  I want to thank John for including a picture of Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie in his IGC report.  I encourage you to go over to John's story.

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.