Half of the named Streptocarpus are no good!

Streptocarpus 'Blue Ice'

Story # 2, Part 1

            But we don’t know which half!

            Commercial horticulture currently only has a few varieties in the system.  A series branded as Ladyslipper Streptocarpus are imported from the United Kingdom by the marketing company GreenFuse and distributed national to local growers.  The varieties hybridized by Dibley’s in North Wales have the U.S. names of ‘Blue Ice’, ‘White Ice’, ‘Pinot’, ‘Red/Rose’, ‘Blue Halo’, ‘Pink Halo’ and ‘Scarlet’.

            The hundreds of named varieties from the hobby world have limited availability and have had no formal performance testing.  Like I say: ‘We don’t know if they are any good’.  Hybridizers are free to release any selection that they like and we are free to buy any flower that we like.  Time will tell.  Let the market decide.