'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.