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 |
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