What is a new flower worth?

Achimenes 'Blue Swan'

 

What is a new flower worth?

 

            I read a lot about innovation and found this story in Inc about a product that solved a pain point.

 

            “… Fivetran, which is today a fully managed data integration provider valued at over $5 Billion.”

 

            I have no idea what this is or does.  Nor, how it can be worth five billion dollars.

 

            If I have a new flower, Achimenes, what is it worth?  Everybody can understand --- New Flower.

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign, Part VI

Achimenes SRG 'Limoncello'

 

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign, Part VI

 

            The production method for Achimenes must be perfected.

 

            Propagation is either by top cuttings or rhizomes or tissue culture.  Tip cuttings require hundreds of stock baskets.  Rhizomes are produced after a long Summer’s top growth.  Tissue culture protocols have not been worked out.

 

            All of these are very expensive and time consuming.  The breakthrough may be the technique of shelling rhizomes into scales.  Every scale has potential to grow into a plant.

 

But, if this works, large quantities can be produced the first year --- 2023.

 

            So far, I have not been able to determine all the reasons that Achimenes failed as a commercial crop the last time it was tried. Production costs to build up stock may have been the killer.

 

            We’ll see.

I need 1,000 'Pip Squeek's

'Pip Squeek' - Micro-mini Violet

I need 1,000 ‘Pip Squeek’s

 

            Since we’ve discovered that the micro-mini African Violet – ‘Pip Squeek’ is a solid plant, what to do?

 

            How do you get 1,000 ‘Pip Squeek’s fast?

 

            They propagate from a leaf, just like the big violets.  Will we get 1 or 2 plantlets per leaf or zero?  The leaves are small and there may be losses.

 

            So, if we get 100 plants from 100 leaves, grow for 4 months to get 500 leaves to make 500 plants, then grow for 4 months to get 2500 leaves, etc., etc.

 

            In less than one year, I could have 2500 plants to sell.

 

            Life’s rule: “Everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much”

 

            Watch for ‘Pip Squeek’ sold in flower next Valentine’s Day.

 

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign - Part V

 

                                                    Achimenes 'Yellow English Rose'

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign – Part V

 

            What marketing is required to promote a new flowering plant to retail garden centers?

 

            What is needed to introduce Achimenes to the gardening public?

 

            There is such a hunger for new colorful flowers they will sell themselves.  But, they say:  “Falling in love with your product is the doom of many sure things”

 

            The sequence of events is grow a crop, tell the garden center buyer you have something new, deliver to store and they immediately sell out.

 

                        But nobody knows what Achimenes are and what to do with them.  Horticulture trade magazines have no mention of Achimenes among the hundreds of color pictures showing the newest clones.

 

            Big budget brands promote what’s coming ahead of a big bang introduction.  Can a slow roll out work?  Put Achimenes in the store and hope for the best.

 

            We’ll see.

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign, Part IV

Achimenes 'Golden Bells' - Serge Saliba hybrid

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign, Part IV

 

            Nobody knows which are the best Achimenes hybrids, but we have some very good ones to start with.

 

            Achimenes species are native to Mexico and have been used to make hundreds of named hybrids.

 

            Serge Saliba, living in Romania, is a World-class hybridizer of Achimenes.  Through his dedication and love of the plants, he has created exceptional selections.

 

            I heard of his work through the Gesneriad Society and studied his plants.  It was serendipity --- a happy accident.  He was looking for a United States distributor and I finally convinced myself to try it.  We negotiated and I have the North American rights to his plants.

 

            We have many of his varieties here and expect to have saleable flowering pots this year --- 2023.

 

            We are starting with exceptional varieties, the best in the World.  Over time the best of the best will rise to the top.

 

            Will the flywheel effect carry us to commercial success?

 

            Start small, start now.

 

Comments tell the story !

Achimenes 'Sauline' by Ron

            This comment about Achimenes deserves to be seen.

 

TwoBearFebruary 8, 2023 at 12:41 PM

I tried growing Achimenes back in the 80s under lights with my African violets and other gesneriads. I was moderately successful, but I'm looking forward to trying them outdoors this summer. I think that once I get them established they will be perfect hanging basket plants for my shady front porch and rear deck area.

            TwoBear has described what is the distinctively different feature of Achimenes.  They can be a houseplant in early Spring, then put out on the shady patio/porch/balcony.

 

            The ideal use of Achimenes is outside with morning sun and afternoon shade.  In full shade, they may flower less.  In full sun, the leaves will burn, and the plants may wilt.

 

            One thing that has changed since he grew them 40 years ago is the varieties are better.  Intensive hybridizing by Serge Saliba in Romania has produced strong varieties with bright colors.  We have miniature varieties that flower short for small pots  Upright types fill out hanging baskets and trail down once the heavy flowers cover the plant.

 

            Heat tolerance is a breakthrough and a necessary trait for acceptable commercial production.  Many named hybrids have been identified as very heat tolerant.  With average temperatures moving up, varieties like ‘Blue Swan’ will be needed.

 

            If Achimenes can be known as the houseplant for the shady outdoors, every gardener will want one.

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign, Part III

Achimenes 'Red Elf' by Ron

 

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign, Part III

 

            A commercial horticultural crop takes a long time to develop.

 

            Impatiens were a weed until Claude Hope and Ball Seed Company created a hybridizing station in Costa Rica.  After many years, Impatiens became the dominate summer shade annual.  Then a devastating fungus, Downy Mildew, crippled Impatiens.

 

            In the meantime, New Guinea Impatiens, which also started as roadside weeds, filled in for the shady annual.  There are national field trials for annuals to compare varieties.  That is a joke with New Guinea Impatiens because there are no bad ones.  They are all superior flowering shade and sun plants.

 

            These are two examples of horticultural innovation.  Achimenes are already beyond the weed stage of development.  Modern day hybrids are already exceptional.

 

            So how many years will it take to establish Achimenes as a popular flowering shade annual?

 

            We need the World’s best varieties, a champion producer and a stable supply system.

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign Part II

Achimenes 'Purple Elfe' by Serge Saliba

 

Achimenes --- The beginning of the campaign. Part II

 

            Achimenes (Ah-KIM-en-eez) may make a comeback.

 

            We haven’t seen Achimenes in any quantity for 50 years when it was a commercial crop for a while.

 

            A promotor of the crop --- Mickelson Greenhouse sold rhizomes of a few clones.  I remember a pink one --- Tarantella.

 

            So, if this is such a great plant, what happened?  An outsider always has the reasonable question: Why is no one growing Achimenes?  Does it have a fatal flaw?

 

            One big problem is that cold water plus sun on the leaves cause the leaves to burn and makes the plant unsalable.  Garden centers have learned to have warm water to prevent leaf damage.

 

            Another problem is simple logistics.  If there is no champion specialist maintaining the stock plants and producing the rhizomes, widespread production is stymied.

 

            The answer can be simple.  Nobody is doing it because nobody is doing it.

'Pip Squeek'

'Pip Squeek' - Micro-mini Violet

If you are a ‘Pip Squeek’, you better be good at something.

 

            We have Mini Violets that are equally as showy as their bigger standard African Violets.  Mini Violets are a very desirable category of houseplant.  They have flower power with all colors of single or double flowers and grow easily at a bright window.

 

            Hobby violet growers like to have mini or semi-miniature hybrids because they take less space so you can have more of them.

 

            There are varieties that are half the size of Mini Violets. They might be called ‘Micro-mini’, but they are seldom seen so it’s hard to know.

 

            I have one who says it all --- ‘Pip Squeek’.  It’s full-size leaves are smaller than a nickel, but it loads up with many pink flowers in a 2” pot.  This is not restricted as a bonsai, but genetically tiny.

 

            As with any rare plants, they are hard to find because there is no supply.

 

            ‘Pip Squeek’ has vigor and pretty flowers.  One of the smallest flowering houseplants will attract attention.