It gets better

Achimenes 'Petite Fadette' - Four Flowers Open 

 

         Achimenes grown in a small pot (2.5") has a chance to be a commercial success.

         'Petite Fadette' looked good four days ago. 

         Will we get six flower's open?

Achimenes - The Beginning of the campaign, Part IX

 

Achimenes 'Petite Fadette' 2.5" --First
Flower by Kerri

Miniature Achimenes could be a giant category.

 

            If these little spots of color would show up in houseplant departments, they will attract attention.

 

            We have first flowers on the 2.5” pot we’ve been watching.

 

            If we were trying to get a million dollars from a venture capitalist, they would want Proof of Concept.

 

            This is it --- Proof of Concept.

 

            We know how to do this and expect it can be duplicated by the thousands.  The small pot will solve several needs.  They will fit into our small assortment as finished plants for Independent Garden Centers.  Small pots are needed for mail order shipping so  can be sold wholesale to our internet mail order customers.

 

            Grown in 2.5” pots, one plant --- No pinch necessary.  Use short varieties with proportional smaller flowers.  A plant from scales may work, as well as rooted cuttings.  There are three or more varieties that could look like the picture.

 

            The step after Proof of Concept is Execution.   Then Profit or Loss.

              Cropped High Resolution -- Which is the clearest?

Achimenes, The Beginning of the Campaign, Part VIII

Achimenes 'Petite Fadette' in small pot by Kerri

 

What if we could get Achimenes to flower short in a small pot?

 

            Our hybridizer, Serge Saliba, has varieties selected that are considered to be miniature.  The varieties, ‘Petite Fadette’, ‘Little Lulu’, and ‘Petite Marquise’ have small crisp flowers.  They appear to flower quickly so we hope we can have flowers before the plant gets too tall for a 2.5” pot.

 

            An Achimenes in a 2.5” pot is horticulturally sound when you want a cute little spot of color.  Long term as a summer plant, it can be repotted into a bigger pot so it can go longer between watering and maintain itself better.

 

            Achimenes are not known and, for sure, a miniature Achimenes has never been seen at a U. S. garden center.

 

            We know that small flowering houseplants are scooped up quickly.  Our newly added plants of Mini Cyclamen, Mini Violets and Exacum are special treats for indoor gardeners.

 

            If Mini Achimenes can be perfected, everyone will want one.

Vietnamese Violets are here !

Metapetrocosmea tamiana by Dibley's

 

Vietnamese Violets are here for the World to see.

 

It’s not often that a species can be a commercial crop without any hybridizing improvement needed.  A species is how a plant is collected in the wild.  By definition it is true from seed, as all the seedlings look like the Mother.

 

            Why it has been overlooked is baffling, because it has it all as a flowering houseplant.  It can be grown in quantity from seed, prolifically generated from self-pollination. 

 

            We have a believable common name in Vietnamese Violet.  It’s native to Vietnam and grows like an African Violet with clusters of bright white and purple flowers.  Culture is the same as African and Asian Violets – Bright window or under florescent/LED lights.

 

            The botanical Genus name keeps changing from Primulina to Deinostigma to Metapetrocosmea.  But that won’t matter with the strong category name – Vietnamese Violet.  There are other Metapetrocosmea species but it’s unknown if they are commercial.

 

            It’s a nice plant.  Pictured are multiple seedings growing at Dibley’s Greenhouse, U.K.

 

            It will be accepted as a flowering houseplant, if the supply and distribution get better.

Achimenes - The Beginning of the Campaign, Part VII

Achimenes 'Petite Fadette' - Miniature

 

The Beginning of the Campaign, Part VII

 

              The development of a new commercial crop is absolutely a ‘startup’.

 

            One of the best definitions of Entrepreneurship is creating something out of nothing.  Are we creating something out of nothing?  Yes.

 

            Some startups are criticized for getting their sales and marketing ahead of product supply.  People want it but we don’t have any.

 

            Producing an acceptable commercial crop of Achimenes is proving to be harder than it looks.  The techniques for stock build up are being learned as we go along.  There is no protocol to follow.  Hobbyists grow their prized Achimenes yearly with their own system.  They grow when they grow.  They flower when they flower.

 

            But it’s not the same as growing 1,000 4.5” pots uniformly to flower as fast as possible. They must withstand the rough treatment of delivery and retail display.

 

            We will get it right.  It’s just going to take time.  If it were easy, everyone would do it.

 

            The clock is ticking.  We need something to sell this year.