The Alsobia are coming!

Alsobia dianthiflora borrowed from internet

 

The Alsobia are coming!

 

            The Alsobia are coming, just not very fast.

 

            The leading species, dianthiflora, has a pretty white flower to give the common name --- Lace Flower.  Formerly called Episcia, it was moved to its own little Genus, Alsobia.

 

            Alsobia dianthiflora can be propagated by cuttings and seed from ripe berries.  You get a lot of seed per berry, so this is a feasible method.

 

            This houseplant pops in and out of commercial foliage assortments.  Grown best in small hanging baskets, it attracts attention when there is a flower.

 

            It trails with stolons like a strawberry, so is a durable houseplant that can withstand abuse of being hot or cold, dry, or less dry.  Bright light is best.

 

            Alsobia dianthiflora is not wimpy, so is worth having.

The Aeschynanthus are coming!

Aeschynanthus 'Big Apple' from Gesneriad Reference

The Aeschynanthus are coming!

 

            Nobody knows what an Aeschynanthus is, but everybody knows about the ‘Lipstick Plant’.

 

                        Aeschynanthus are great foliage houseplants.  Many have shiny leaves, are trailing and rugged.  If you get an occasional flower, all the better.

 

            Most Aeschynanthus species are obscure with only hobbyists promoting their merits.  If we could make them flower on command, commercial growers would jump on them.

 

            It might happen.  My theory that ‘Big Apple’ is a day length sensitive plant could revolutionize this crop.  I’m expecting all of my ‘Big Apple’ stock plants to set bud by mid-April and flower all summer with long days.  I’ll be very disappointed if I’m wrong about this.

 

            If we can move the day length trait into other Aeschynanthus hybrids with selective hybridizing, then we’ve got something.

 

            Something amazing!

 

            Until then, watch for the many existing hybrids.  The plants are durable, and the flowers will surprise you.

The Codonanthe are coming!

Codonanthe digna -Pink form

 The Codonanthe are coming!

 

            Codonanthe are so obscure that nobody gets to see them.  But his small trailing species meets a lot of the rules for a commercial plant.

 

            It has white flowers, self-branches, can take hot or cold, sun or shade, dry but not too wet.  Propagate by cuttings or seed.

 

            Seed is the way to go.  It self-pollinates often to form green berries that ripen to orange so you can find them on your plant.  Harvest the ripe berries and squish them out on paper to dry for a day.  Then scrape them up to collect the seed.  You may get 10+ seed per berry.

 

            I’ve been describing the clone that I have here now.  The names have been confused but it may be Codonanthe digna.  Others are C. carnosa and C. devosiana.

 

            So why don’t we see this small flowering plant everywhere?  Same as always, somebody must do it.

 

            Codonanthe is a rugged plant for small hanging baskets.  You need one of these flowering trailers --- if you can find one.

Codonanthe carnosa 'Libby'

Codonanthe carnosa 'Libby' -bigger flowers and leaves

The Primulina are coming!

Primulina pseudoyungfuensis- For the Future

 The Primulina are coming!

 

            Primulina, the Asian Violets, are on the rebound.  I’ve grown and promoted Primulina for 10 years.  The Earth did not shake.  Rarely did anyone buy more than 24 at a time and the most common order is 6 per variety.

 

            If you don’t raise enough chickens, you can’t sell eggs.  Our Primulina production has been limited by not enough stock plant leaves.

 

            I probably have the largest stockpile (tiny) of Primulina in the United States.  Now we’re sticking leaves consistently to finally get quantities of all varieties all the time.

           

There are many varieties here in North America, but the numbers of species and hybrids are exploding in China.  Eventually they may get here.

 

In a trade magazine, I was quoted as saying: “Primulina will replace African Violets as the top flowering houseplant”.  No one has challenged me yet.

 

We are growing more Primulina this year to find out what the true demand is?

 

Buy an Asian Violet and tell your friends.

Primulina 'Xuan's Party Dress'

The Columneas are coming!

Columnea 'Jude' grown by Ron

 

The Columneas are coming!

 

            Soon there will be some of the old Columnea hybrids showing up.  Columneas, one of those great Gesneriads that no commercial grower deals with, are worth having in small hanging baskets.

 

            There is no breakthrough, nothing new.  But we can grow the old hybrids which nobody knows about --- they’ll look new.

 

            A lot of common names add to the confusion.  Some are called ‘Goldfish Plant’, but that applies more to Nematanthus.  I like ‘Flying Dolphin’ better.

 

            There are a few variegated leaf varieties that are interesting to have even without flowers.

 

            I like ‘Aladdin’s Lamp’ with black foliage and red flowers.  Also, ‘Inferno’ with burnt orange flowers.  These would be considered everblooming which means they can flower anytime with age.

 

            Columneas are vegetatively propagated with tip and stem cuttings.  To get a flower on a small pot you must maintain stock baskets to get budded tips.  By the time the cutting is rooted the buds start to open.  Time to sell.

 

There is no fast way to grow Columneas, so there will not be a lot available.  Because they are arching, trailing plants, small hanging baskets are ideal.

 

            That’s what we have.

Columnea 'Frosty Hills'

Primulina 'Wu Gang' -- Is this the Breakthrough for Flowers from Seed?

Primulina 'Chasity' - Propagated by leaf

 Primulina ‘Wu Gang’  ---   Is this the breakthrough for flowers from seed?

 

            Primulina has a problem.  It takes a young plant too long to flower.  We sell Primulina as small foliage plants with a ‘hope and a promise’ that it will flower when it’s older.

 

            Here is the description of Primulina ‘Wu Gang’ (P. gueilinensis selection) in the Gesneriads journal, Vol 70, # 4, 2020.  You will find the picture on page 32.

https://www.gesneriadsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gesneriads2020Q4HD.pdf

 

Primulina ‘Wu Gang’, 2020, IR201531, (P. gueilinensis chance seedling selection), Wen Fang, Wei Yi-gang, and Li Shu of the Guangxi Institute of Botany, CAS & GCCC, Guilin, China. Cross made in Apr. 2018, seeds planted Jul. 3, 2018, first flowering Apr. 6, 2019. Fertile, true from seeds. Basal rosette, stem 1 cm long. Leaves green with white veins, 8-10 cm long × 5-7 cm wide, linear, with cuneate base, acute tip, and entire margin, hairy, petiole 2 cm long. Calyx split, green, 1 cm Fourth Quarter 2020 Return to Table of Contents 33 long. Pedicel 0.8-1 cm long, 5-10 flowers per axil. Corolla salverform, 6 cm long × 5-6 cm wide, purple. This cultivar is the choice selection from wild stock with larger flowers and linear leaves. It was determined that this variation is stable and these desirable features are passed through seeds. Shade tolerant but enjoys bright scattered light; prefers moist but well-drained substrate; will not bear temperatures below freezing.

 

So, where is the news?

 

It flowers in 10 months and will get 5-10 purple flowers per axil.

 

            Maybe this could be the flowering Primulina we need.  A lot of 2” wide purple flowers could make this Primulina worth growing.

 

            Commercial crops need to be fast, as in 3 months.  A 10-month crop would not be considered.  But if in 7 of those months, the seedlings didn’t take much space and if there is a big show at the end, it has a chance.

 

            We don’t know how many seed per seed pod, but it is a fertile selected species.

 

            Who has this seed?

Achimenes are coming!

  Achimenes 'Golden Bells' from Serge Saliba - World-class hybridizer - Romania

The Achimenes are coming

 

            Soon there will be new, exciting hybrids from Serge Saliba, world-class hybridizer, who lives in Romania.  He’s a hobbyists turned professional and has Achimenes like you have never seen before. There are all colors, single and double flowers, upright or trailing.

 

            I have negotiated for the North American rights to his amazing assortment of named hybrids.  We will need rapid build up of stock plants to meet the high demand for houseplants and patio plants.

 

            Achimenes were grown and sold commercially 50 years ago.  Then they disappeared.  You can find a few on the internet from specialist mail order sellers.  There are some good, old varieties.

 

            They can be houseplants at a sunny window but do better outside on the porch in planters and hanging baskets.  Morning sun and afternoon shade is the best.  If you can grow Impatiens, you will have success with Achimenes.

 

            Achimenes form rhizomes by Fall at the surface of your pot.  Save them for next year.  You can harvest them and store in plastic bags or just leave them in the pot to resprout in the Spring.

 

            Gardeners always liked Achimenes until the supply went away.

 

            Achimenes are coming back.  Watch for them.

'Big Apple' is waiting for a champion.

 

A. 'Big Apple' -Award winner, DAVS, Oct 7, 2017

           Aeschynanthus ‘Big Apple’ has become an overnight success.  They are available in every garden center, every supermarket plant department and every big box store as plant of the week.

            I’ve missed April Fool’s Day, but it could happen.

            With my discovery that this unknown flowering houseplant is a long-day to flower plant, it can be programmed to flower every week of the year – guaranteed.            

Why won’t it happen?  Because nobody will do it.

There are fewer pot plant growers than there used to be and thus fewer specialist liner producers promoting flowering plants like ‘Big Apple’.

There are a few things to test, like post-harvest reliability --- will the flowers hang on in shipping?

            It will be fun to see if I can flower 200 4” pots of this interesting, unknown hybrid, ‘Big Apple’. 

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UPDATE

This story is four years old.  And still there are none in the garden center.  Which just proves that ideas are easy --- execution is what matters.

I have some stock plants again and will try it.

Watch for more updates.

What will be the common name for Achimenes? --- THE ANSWER!

Achimenes 'Serge Saliba'

              Five weeks ago I wanted to find the new common name for Achimenes.  Today, I’ve given up.

 

            The answer is:

           

Achimenes   ---   ah-KIM-eh-neez

 

After talking to a lot of smart people, they all say that all current common names are stupid and should not be used.  I won’t write them here to help cause them to disappear.

 

A common name for a plant helps gardeners remember it, so they can discuss it with others. And more importantly, they will ask for them at a garden center.   Botanical names are difficult and only make sense if you can pronounce them.

 

Achimenes can be called Achimenes.  Once you learn it, Achimenes will be common.