BAY NEWS
Newsletter of the American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco
Volume 26, No. 4, April 2004
Next Meeting: Sunday, April 18, 2004
Program: Sinningia Species
Message from the President
by Terri Campbell
I have just returned from a vacation in Italy. The only gesneriad I saw over there was an African violet on an altar in front of a statue.
There were cyclamens, geraniums, impatiens and other plants, all blooming happily, on apartment balconies and in small gardens in the cities. I'm sure that columneas, nematanthus and sinningias would be happy in those places as well. The weather in late March and early April was very pleasant, and fruit trees and wildflowers were in bloom everywhere.
This was the first time that I went on a vacation and left my plants in ziplock bags for about two weeks. They're all fine. A few leaves, mostly AV leaves, rotted from too much humidity. Some of the plants were happier in bags than they had been in the open air, and their leaves were darker green. It takes a while to put perhaps a hundred small plants in ziplock bags, but it's easier than finding a neighbor who will water one hundred plants while you're gone.
I hope that everyone is now growing plants for our two sales. You can still start more of them! My sale plants are growing fast in their plastic bags behind the light stands. We can use any type of gesneriad and some non-gesneriads as well. Ideally, we will have a large variety.
Happy growing! Don't forget to turn, groom and encourage your show plants, too. See you at the next meeting!
Information About the Next Meeting
by Jon Dixon, Vice President
April is the month when sinningias bloom naturally. Bring in your (blooming) sinningias and your questions. Also, please bring in plants to share and/or tubers (I hear Alan has a few of those) and we’ll have a tuberfest!
Photo of Sinningia araneosa in nature from http://www.gesneriads.ca/sinni167.htm
Show and Tell and Raffle Table
by Lorah Gross
Terri Campbell brought Kohleria amabilis and Gloxinia lindeniana for show and tell and Columnea ‘Red Skelton’ and Episcia ‘Silver Skies’ for the raffle table. David Waugh brought Episcia unnamed for the raffle table. Larry Williams brought Sinningia Macro Riza, Hellshorus Nigev, Terra Nustra (organic), Nirvana (Belgian), I frosty (?) (organic), German Cocoa J’Arriva, Valhrona Gran Couva (Trinidad), and some chocolate from Venezuela. Alan LaVergne brought Nematanthus ‘Othello,’ Sinningia araneosa, S. sp. “Lanata,” S. Leucotricha. Alan also wins the newsletter editor’s award for best handwriting.
Where Are the Pictures?
by Lorah Gross
At the last minute I couldn’t attend the meeting last month, so there are no pictures to share. I unfortunately won’t be at the next two meetings, so David and/or Terri will take pictures and get them to me so that I can put them up on the web page.
Bartley Schwartz
by David Waugh
Bartley Schwartz was a member of this club in the late '70's and '80's and was President for one year. He died February 17 of kidney failure. His interest in plants began well before he attended the University of California, Berkeley, Landscape Architecture Department. He did much hybridizing of Gesneriads until the mid '80's when he 'burned out'. He then switched to orchids and did much hybridizing of them. Many of his plants live on.
Potting Mix
by David Waugh
Here is the discussion of potting mixes by Jon Dixon:
One mixture many gardeners use is 3 parts Canadian Peat Moss, 2 parts Perlite, 1 part coarse vermiculite. Many nurseries carry the peat moss in compressed bales, the perlite in large sacks. The vermiculite can be hard to find but may be available at Lowes. These same ingredients mixed 1 1 1 and then sterilized is a good medium to start seeds. Add water to these mixes, stirring thoroughly before storage. Use a face mask to protect your lungs when mixing the dry ingredients. The Kartuz Greenhouses, Vista, California (http://www.kartuz.com) recommends 4 quarts each of peat moss and perlite, 1 quart of water and 1 tablespoon ground dolomite limestone.
To sterilize put moistened soil in a covered pan, or wrapped loosely in aluminum foil, and bake for 3 hours at 175 degrees.
Alan LaVergne commented that he uses only Supersoil products for his soil. If his plants don't grow well in the soil, the plants are destroyed. Bill Price of Vancouver, Canada wins many ribbons at the AGGS Conventions for his well grown plants. His soil mixture is reconstituted New Zealand moss, perlite, and vermiculite. Some growers use peat pellets, but only for their sinningias. Lecastones are also used as a medium for sinningias. Many growers of succulents use pumice as a growing medium.
Victorian Alliance Tour
by David Waugh and Lorah Gross
David received notice of an upcoming garden tour in the
mail and thought that you might be interested in the information. The garden
tour’s theme is “Bay Area Back Yards – Secret Garden Tour of Sea-Cliff” and is
“sponsored by The Victorian Alliance, a non-profit architectural preservation
organization. The tour provides a stroll through some of San Francisco’s finest
private gardens in Sea-Cliff atop Baker Beach with unique views of the Golden
Gate. Music and light refreshments included, the tour begins at 4 Sea-Cliff
Avenue, San Francisco, on Saturday, May 8, 2004, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m . Tickets are $15.00 until May 1, 2004 and $20.00 thereafter.” Please call
415-673-5057 for more information.
Sinningias
An excerpt from African Violets, Gloxinias, and Their Relatives
By Harold E. Moore, Jr.
Transcribed by Lorah Gross
Brazil is the homeland of Sinningia. There are about 15 species of herbs or subshrubs that have one or more stems from a pea-like to thick woody tuber. Leaves are borne in pairs along the stem or frequently more or less crowded at the base. From their axils appear one or more flowers generally on rather long stalks. In one species the flowers are arranged along the upper part of the stem in a 1-sided raceme. The calyx has a rounded, angled, or winged tubular base and 5 slender to broad leafy lobes. The corolla has a longish tube that varies from nearly bell-shaped to cylindric, flaring into a spreading, flat or somewhat 2-lipped limb of 5 rounded lobes. Four fertile stamens have slender filaments inserted at the base of the corolla-tube. Anthers are united in a circle or a square by their sides and tips. From 2 to 5 distinct glands make up the disk around the half-inferior ovary. The long style is tipped with a generally mouth-shaped stigma. When mature, the fruit is a dry capsule that opens by 2 or 4 slits at the top, releasing very small unappendaged seeds. (From pages 83-84.)
Minutes of The American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco
March 21, 2004 Meeting
by David Waugh, Secretary
President Terri Campbell called the meeting to order at 1:33pm. Members present were Terri
Campbell, David Waugh, Celine Chase, Jon Dixon, Irene and David Fey, Katherine Henwood, Ben Franklin, Alan LaVergne, Ken and Vera Parker, M. J. Tyler, Harriette Poss, Ron Parsons, Paula de Bella.
The President asked if there were any amendments or corrections to the minutes of the February 2004 meeting attached to the March Newsletter. There were none.
Treasurer’s Report: Our financial condition continues to be good. We appear to be ahead of the game. We will easily cover costs for the rental of our meeting place and up front expenses for the Show and Sale in June.
Business: The President then turned the meeting over to the Chairman of our June Show and Sale, Katherine Henwood, who urged everyone to grow plants for the Sales Table as well as groom plants for the Show. She showed us the following plants she had propagated and offered the seedlings to any member to grow for the Sales table: Streptocarpus ‘Mini Pink Foo’, and ‘David’s Red’ and Chirita species New York.
It was reaffirmed we will be sharing the Auditorium with the African Violet Society of San Francisco and will have a joint sales table with plants from both clubs. The two clubs will produce a joint flyer.
A first trial run of the computer program ‘Showtime’, for preparing all the documents for a judged show, seems to be working. A second trial run will be done to insure that it works. It will save much time by printing all the forms rather than having to fill them out long hand.
David Waugh has arranged for the setup of the tables and for the covering of the show tables.
Ben Franklin is arranging for the special awards.
Celine Chase has contacted and arranged for the judges.
People will be needed:
Friday June 25, Noon-when finished, for final setup of tables, arrangement of both the show and plant sale tables, including dividing the show tables into the various classes according to the Show Schedule.
Saturday June 26, Noon-4pm, Sunday 10am-4pm for guarding the show plants and answering questions at the sales tables. On Sunday the auditorium will be closed to the public at 3pm so that we can then tear down/clean up/remove plants by 4pm.
There are tentative volunteers for cashiers at the two tables on Saturday and Sunday: Irene and David Fey, Ken and Vera Parker and Alicia Morrison. There will probably be African Violet people involved with this too. Final decisions on who will be where, on what day are to be made later.
Lorah Gross will be assisting with the advertising (final production and mailing of flyers) and possible signage in the auditorium and on the street.
We need educational displays, one possibly from Debra LaVergne. Celine Chase has some good world maps that might be used to indicate where various Gesneriads come from.
Various themes for the Show were discussed and the tentative theme chosen was “African Violets and Gesneriads, Together Once Again’. The African Violet club will make their final decision on a theme at their meeting on March 27. What they decide will determine what we will use for a theme.
President Terri Campbell reminded everyone that the AGGS Convention is July 6-11 at Long Island. She encouraged everyone to come to the convention. So far, the following are attending: Jon Dixon, Terri Campbell, M. J. Tyler, Alan LaVergne. Early registration for the Convention gives the member early access to the plant sales.
Announcements: See the newsletter article about Bartley Schwartz.
We then did ‘Show and Tell.’
A discussion of potting mixes took place. See the newsletter.
We then did the raffle.
The meeting adjourned about 3 50pm
2004 Officers
President: Terri Lynn Campbell
Vice President: Jon Dixon
Secretary: David Waugh
Treasurer: Irene Fey (please request Irene’s address from Lorah Gross)
Newsletter Editor: Lorah Gross lorah@lorah.net
Meetings: Usually third Sunday of each month, 1-4 p.m. at Library of County Fair Bldg., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. (Enter from parking lot North side of 10th Avenue and Lincoln Blvd., turn right through gate next to building, go to third door)
2004 meetings: 1/18, 2/15 (in the Recreation room), 3/21, 4/18, 5/23, 6/20, 7/18, 8/22, 9/19, 10/17, 11/21, no meeting in December.
Dues: $10 single, $11 family. Make checks payable to AGS SF, mail to Treasurer.
Website: http://www.agssf.org