Saturday, December 31, 2022

Field Trial

Sunny Gloxinia erinoides by Vicky


Field trial

 

            Gloxinia erinoides may be better than we ever knew.

 

            This is the beginning of one field trial by Vicky.  The plant is greenhouse grown and now moved to indoor windowsill conditions.  It’s in the sunny West window.

 

            This plant makes small rhizomes that we use for propagation.  Like all minor Gesneriads, supply is the limiting factor.

 

            But first we need to be sure it’s a good plant that will be successful for casual indoor gardeners.  Everyone wants small flowering houseplants.  Why aren’t there more?

 

            Vicky will keep watching it.




 

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Hiding in plain sight

Gloxinia erinoides

Hiding in plain sight.

 

            What plants are in the most demand?

 

            Garden center buyers will tell you that they want variegated and flowering.  And the underlying feature --- cute.

 

            The Gesneriad world has many of these plants that are hidden away --- only to show up occasionally in hobby plant shows.

 

            The plant, Gloxinia erinoides, is a species from South America that is tougher than it looks.  Growing from a rhizome, the clone I have from Barb, may be ‘Red Satin’.  It has spotted leaves and flowers easily with multiple spikes with delicate looking flowers.  It’s very cute close up.

 

            I’m testing it on my west kitchen window.  So far, the flowers continue to open and there are no brown leaves --- apparently it doesn’t need extra humidity.  It can be in a terrarium, but who needs it.

 

            This flowering houseplant has been in cultivation for years by almost no one.

 

            It just needs to get out there.





Thursday, November 10, 2022

World's Best Achimenes

Achimenes 'Blue Swan'



I will tell you I have the World’s best Achimenes.

 

            But who decides?

 

Wise men say: ‘Let the market decide’.  What does that even mean?  Put it out there.  If they want it, they will buy it.  If they buy it twice, it may be good enough.

 

Nobody knows about Achimenes nor is paying any attention.

 

The best Achimenes compared to what?  Within all the known Achimenes varieties, my selection is the best.

 

Achimenes ‘Blue Swan’ is very heat tolerant. It doesn’t wilt at 100 F.  With large (2”+) blue flowers and dark green foliage, it grows vigorously all summer.  It grows well in part shade and the flowers hang on while other buds open.

 

Coming from the world class hybridizer, Serge Saliba, it will lead other durable colors into commercial production.

 

But saying you’re the best is not good marketing strategy.  You need to be different.

 

The heat tolerance will be the feature that will give it repeat acceptance.

 

Hide and watch.




 

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

A New Commercial Crop

Achimenes 'Blue Swan' grown by Gary's Gesneriad Farm 

 

            “A major horticultural company has decided to introduce a new commercial crop into the United States market.  The CEO has gotten approval for the project from the Board of Directors and a quarter of a million dollars has been allocated for development.

 

            A long forgotten crop --- Achimenes, has been chosen to make a come-back to take advantage of the booming houseplant market.

 

            The search is on for the best varieties in the world.  Hybrids are secured and trials will begin for the best production techniques.  It’s apparent that day length will need to be manipulated, so LED light stands are installed.  Long days can be used to start Achimenes growth in the winter, so flowering plants can be complete for the spring market.

 

            Trials for growth retardants are started.  Propagation of scales from rhizomes is perfected.  The best 10 varieties of various colors are selected.  Production guidelines are quickly determined --- light, temperature, fertilizer, water, fungicides are settled.

 

            Perfect Achimenes crops are produced the first year.

 

            Garden centers sell out immediately as the perfectly grown plants arrive weekly.

 

            The spring demand absorbs this new flowering shade plant in pots and hanging baskets.

 

            The CEO is happy.”

 

            Will this fairy tale come true?





Friday, September 16, 2022

Kohleria - The Potential

Kohleria hybrid

 

Kohleria --- The potential

 

            Do indoor gardeners buy plants they don’t know about?

 

            Every garden center must stock houseplants that are tried and true.  We want customers to have success with plants and be back for more.

 

            But new plants are bought every day.  “This is pretty.  I want it”.

 

            Kohlerias are not a commercial crop and are never seen for sale beyond hobby circles.  It’s the classic chicken and egg problem.  Nobody buys Kohlerias because there are none to buy.


            We are trying to grow 500 for Christmas.  Will that be enough?




Thursday, September 15, 2022

The Name

The Name.

 

            By talking to a lot of smart people, the Begonia common name that is floating to the top is --- Spotted Lizard.  Thanks to all who played along.

 

            The angel-wing leaf is pointy on both ends like a lizard.  It seems more spotted than speckled.

 

            If we call it the “Spotted Lizard” Begonia, will we sell more?

 

            We know that if it’s called Begonia amphioxus, it will not be called by name.

 

            ‘Spotted Lizard” Begonia --- it might catch on.

Begonia - Name?




Sunday, August 28, 2022

Kohleria from seed.

Kohleria 'Ruby'



Kohlerias from seed --- revolutionary!

 

 

            Millions of annuals are grown from seed produced by large international seed companies.  Seed is the propagation method of choice because it’s the cheapest.

 

            Then what happened when some hybrid seed got expensive?  This allowed vegetative cuttings to be produces by the millions.  Off-shore farms can ship unrooted cuttings into commercial horticulture at a reasonable cost.  This allowed for selection of the best clones to be maintained vegetatively.

 

            What if Kohleria, an unknown flowering houseplant, could be produced by seed like annuals?

 

            The very few Kohlerias maintained by Gesneriad hobbyists and specialty retail mail order greenhouses are select named varieties.  Vegetative reproduction is time consuming and costly.

 

            Let’s get good seed lines, grow thousands of a new flowering houseplant and make people happy.

 

            By crossing the best Kohleria hybrids together, the seedlings can make very good crops.  They will be variable, but that’s a good thing --- More variety.

 

            Can Kohlerias grown from seed bring them out of the woods into garden centers for all to see?

 

            It is worth a try.  The named selections will be the standard, but seed crops will introduce a hidden gem to indoor gardeners.




 

Sunday, August 21, 2022

What is a RARE plant worth?


 

Begonia amphioxis grown by Vicky

What is a Rare plant worth?

 

            Supply and demand still works.

 

            A rare houseplant, by definition, has low supply.  The price can be high if you can find one.

 

            We constantly look for the next ‘hot’ plant.  It’s where the money is.

 

            A new plant I’ve found is Begonia amphioxus.  It’s small with bright spots on pointy angel wing leaves.  It can survive drought, therefore an easy houseplant.  What is it worth?

 

            If I sell it for $5.00 wholesale, it will be $10 - $15 retail.  Is that a fair price?

 

            Because there are so few available, some indoor gardener will want it enough to pay that price.

 

            If I had 10,000, what would the price be?

 

            It’s still a great plant at any price.




Sunday, August 14, 2022

We need a good common name.

Begonia - Common Name?

 

We need a good common name.

 

            By now we know that Begonia amphioxus is a good houseplant.

 

            It just has a bad name.

 

            We need to get serious about naming the Begonia something that is pronounceable and catches your attention.  It has angel wing leaves that are pointy on both ends.

 

            So far, we have:

 

            Spotted Lizard

            Red Dot

            Butterfly

            Spotted Angel

            Red Dot Angel

            Shiny Spots

            Spotted Double Point

            Pointy Angel Wing

            Rings of Fire

            Poison Dart Frog

            Cinnamon Red Hots.

            Confetti

            Speckled Lizard Tongue

  Blood Dot

  Scarlet Feather

  Blood Drop

 

            Whoever uses a good common name first and sells the most plants, wins the game.           



 


Sunday, August 7, 2022

Why is no one copying us?

 Copy us?

 

Why is no one copying us?

 

            Gary’s Specialty Plants has a business model that has been highly successful.

           

            We grow houseplant foliage and succulents in small pots (2.5”) and small hanging baskets (10 cm, 15 cm).

 

            We sell to independent garden centers and internet retail mail order sellers.  By delivering on our own trucks, we provide a great service of retail-ready plants, with a blue plant tag.

 

            Our custom blue tag with common name, botanical name, plant description with care, has become a recognizable trademark throughout the east coast.

 

            Our Florida competition must pack and ship with all the problems of breakage and unpacking labor.

 

            “Nobody does what we to with plants. They could, but they don’t”

 

            Is this still true?

 

            My friend, Sam, has been telling for years that there is someone out there who is watching what we are doing and will decide to copy us.

 

            My other friend, Bob, tells me he knows of a greenhouse grower who is doing it.  Will it matter?  Of course, every plant that they sell will take away from our sales.

 

            But it’s a big market.  There is room for everybody.




Monday, August 1, 2022

How to beat the recession?

Sunrise or sunset - All is good

 

How to beat the recession?

 

            If you don’t have a plan, recessions are mean.  They can put you out of business.

 

            Or you can decide to not participate in the recession.

 

            Every financial advisor tells you to save cash and reduce debt to ride it out.

 

            Our plan is simple.  If every customer buys half as much next year, we need to have twice as many customers before that happens.

 

            If they buy 75% as much, then we only need 25% more customers.

 

            If you like doomsday, where they only buy 25% as much, then you are in deep trouble.

 

            But free market capitalism allows for infinite possibilities.  If you have a high-quality product, there are 365 Million people out there who are buyers.  Stop complaining.




Wednesday, June 22, 2022

It's better than I thought!

 

Begonia amphioxus


It’s even better than I thought.

 

Begonia amphioxus is an interesting plant to look at.  With narrow leaves and bright reddish spots, it is worth having in your collection.  We just need a good common name.

 

            The one I have at the North window does fine with no additional humidity needed.

 

            But here is how it’s better.

 

I went on vacation, and it was not watered for 12 days.  When I got back, it was very dry but suffered no damage --- no brown leaves or leaf drop.  The slight wilt perked up with water.

 

            Begonia amphioxus is the perfect houseplant.  Everybody should have one.






Thursday, April 14, 2022

It has happened again!

 

Primulina 'Xuan's Party Dress' with Sinningia 'Prudence Risley'



              It’s happening again.

 

            My Primulina ‘Xuan’s Party Dress’ is flowering with multiple buds and flowers at the west windowsill where it has been for years.

 

            Successful reflowering for Primulina is a major test which it has passing again this year.

 

            ‘Party Dress’ is one of the best for early flowering and the flower is blue, a change from mostly purple varieties.

 

            This year it is joined by ‘Prudence Risley’ with spectacular red flowers.  This plant’s early life was in the greenhouse, but the buds have been opening regularly here.





Saturday, March 12, 2022

There's a story here!

 

  • Garden Center Magazine
  •  

  • February 2022
  • Marketable miniatures
    Achimenes 'Petite Fadette'
    Photo courtesy of Gary Hunter

    Marketable miniatures

    Features - Plants

    Flowering miniatures tout colorful blooms and space-saving options for retailers to market as attractive alternatives to larger, more traditional houseplants.

    February 7, 2022

    In the last 50 years, houseplants experienced quite the trend cycle. With interest peaking in the ‘70s and ‘80s, demand waned in decades that followed, only to be resurrected by plant-happy millennials in the last 10 years. Of course, it’s hard to predict what comes next without a crystal ball, but Gary Hunter, owner of Gary’s Specialty Plants in Drumore, Pennsylvania, believes the latest trend may be flowering miniature plants.

    “When I started nine or 10 years ago, one of our sayings was ‘miniature plants for miniature gardens,’ and that was a thing that was going on at the time where people would make their own little miniature garden scenes,” Hunter says.

    While people are no longer as interested in the trinkets, there’s still a spot for miniatures — and that’s alongside traditional houseplants. Right now, Hunter says retailers are still very interested in houseplants and notes string of pearls and the Chinese money plant are some of his bestsellers.

    “We hope houseplant popularity continues but we don't have any control over this trend,” Hunter says with a laugh. “Why did it start? Why did it continue? Why did it go up? It will go down — we just don't know when.”

    However, he thinks flowering miniatures will start to take off soon, especially varieties found in the Gesneriad family — all of which are flowering houseplants. These include African violets, Streptocarpus, Aeschynanthus, Achimenes, Smithiantha, Kohleria, Sinningia and Primulina.

    “You can get a lot of plants in a smaller area for display and that’s a good thing. In general, the price went up on that stuff. When we started, the retail was about $4. Now it's almost $5 everywhere and some places they're selling it for $6,” Hunter says. “So that sounds like a lot of money for a little plant, but actually, if somebody can buy several little plants for not much money, that helps sell them and the customer gets more variety.”

    Here are some varieties to get you started:

    Achimenes ‘Golden Bells’
    Photos courtesy of Gary's Specialty Plants

    Achimenes

    “Almost no young person knows about this one. We grew these 40-50 years ago. It’s most like an impatiens. It has pastel flowers and can flower in the morning sun and afternoon shade,” he says.

    Hunter points out that Achimenes have always been grown by Gesneriad hobbyists, but it is not in the commercial system.

    “The easy method for the homeowner is to grow it as a summer plant or a patio plant. In the fall, it will die back. You can either just put it in the basement and let it go until next spring, or you can knock out the pot and harvest those little rhizomes and save them, and start them in March or April and start the next year,” he says.

    There are many hybrids in all colors — ranging from pinks, reds, yellows, white and lavender — with single and double-flower, upright and trailing varieties.

    Sinningia ‘Li'l Georgie’

    Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’

    A micro-mini, Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ is one of the world’s smallest flowering plants, Hunter says. Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ contains many purple flowers on a compact plant, and, if grown from a tuber, can resprout if it goes dormant, he says.

    “I have produced these before and am in the process of reestablishing a supply from tissue culture. The breakthrough with this micro-mini Sinningia is that it does not require the extra humidity of a terrarium, but can grow on a windowsill,” Hunter says.

    Primulina 

    Primulina 'Loki'

    African violets are already popular amongst houseplant parents, and Hunter believes Primulina is an excellent miniature option.

    “I’ve been growing Primulina for 10 years as a variegated small plant in our assortment of 2.5-inch foliage. There are hundreds of species and hybrids in the hobby world. Primulina are like an African violet, but better,” Hunter says. “The plants can survive being dry, low and high light. They flower after one to one and a half years from being propagated by leaf, similar to African violets.”

    According to Hunter, Primulina is in the same stage as African violets were 70 years ago, and he predicts that Primulina will eventually replace African violets. Native to South China and North Vietnam, most of these contain purple and blue flowers, but some contain white, pink and yellow flowers, he says.




    Sunday, March 6, 2022

    The Begonia amphioxus are coming!

    Begonia amphioxus

     


    The Begonia amphioxus are coming!

     

                This rare Begonia species was discovered at Strange’s Garden Center in Richmond VA.  It was in a terrarium display and I was told it may need extra humidity.  So, I bought one to propagate.  It is small and delicate looking but it may be tougher.

     

                I have a dome to cover it in the house but it’s doing fine with no cover and no extra humidity.

     

                I’ve never seen a Begonia with such bright and shiny spots.  It may only be for collectors, but I like it.

     

                Since then, I bought 8 stock plants to cut from and to grow in 2.5” pots for the world to see.

     

                It’s small so will take time.  Prices will be high, but if you find one, how can you not have one?





    Thursday, March 3, 2022

    What should I call it?

    Sinningia 'Prudence Risley' - Coming soon from the farm



     

    If you would decide to grow plants in the Gesneriad family, what would you call the business?

     

    First, you could reconsider your assumption that Genera within the Gesneriad family are worth producing.  The answer is if there ever is a time to try it, it is now.  Houseplant demand is so strong, you can sell any new plant that you have.  If it has a flower, even better.

     

    These Gesneriads would feed into the Gary’s Specialty Plants LLC distribution system.  Nothing has changed expect adding more varieties to the inventory list.

     

    I want to call it --- Gary’s Gesneriad Farm.  This will be my third plant business.  Coming after Hunter’s Greenhouse and Gary’s Specialty Plants, I like Gary’s Gesneriad Farm.

     

    My son warns me against having ‘Gesneriad’ in my email address.  Nobody knows what that is or how to spell it.  It must be better than tech companies that choose nonsensical combinations of letters.

     

    So why Farm?  The standard is ‘Greenhouse’ or ‘Nursery’.  They’ve always been wrong.  I don’t sell greenhouses or raise babies.

     

    Since I grew up on a farm, I’m returning to my roots.


                        Gary’s Gesneriad Farm ---- I like it.




    The tuber gets better with age!

    Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie'

     

    The tuber gets better with age!

     

                When you root a Sinningia tip cutting, you get roots, shoots and flowers.

     

                A tuber forms to replace roots and the next shoot grows from it.

     

                This shoot (top growth) is stronger, and you get more flowers.

     

                When you have an old tuber of Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’, it is spectacular.

     

                Another reason that Mini Sinningias are so interesting.


    Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie' - Old tuber









    Wednesday, March 2, 2022

    Gary's Gesneriad Farm

     

    If you would start a Gesneriad Farm...

    Mini Sinningias - Assorted


    If you would start a Gesneriad Farm, what would you do?

                Let’s suppose that the houseplant boom of the 1970’s is starting again.

                The leading commercial horticulture trade magazine, Grower Talks, gave its lead story to this idea.  The Sill, of NYC, gets a mention as a rising star by building a retail mail order source for foliage houseplants.  They also just opened their second storefront in Manhattan.

                If every apartment dweller in NYC suddenly sees the need for a plant, we will need a lot of plants.

                The grower at Costa Farms, FL, makes this novel observation:  “Urban markets are exploding with small apartments and rental units, and houseplants are, in a way, taking the place of pets.”

                Last time, the supply never did catch up with the demand.  Then it peaked, and houseplants proceeded to crash toward zero.

                While starting with easy surviving foliage plants, it quickly moved into more interesting oddities and flowering plants.  Enter---- Gesneriads.

                African Violets, the leading flowering houseplant in the World survived ---- most others did not.

                Are indoor gardeners ready for Streptocarpus, Nematanthus, Columnea, Aeschynanthus, Primulina and Sinningias?  Since there is very little supply, nobody knows.


                As Seth Godin says:  “Start small, start now!”

    **************************************************************************************************

    UPDATE:

                This was written December 2017.  In four years, foliage houseplant sales continued to boom.

                 My prediction is that the next trend will be flowering houseplants.

                 What we need is Gary's Gesneriad Farm to grow some of these.