BAY NEWS

Newsletter of the American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco

Volume 28, No. 5, May 2006

 

 
Next Meeting: Sunday, May 21, 2006

Program: Create a Terrarium or Dish Garden/

With an Overview of the Artistic Show Classes

 

 

 

The Prez Sez...

by Katherine Henwood

 

May has come and it looks like we're going to have spring after all, short but sweet!   Our maple tree has bloomed and is putting out leaves, some of the streps are blooming, there's a codonanthe in bloom and a columnea or two.  I hope you are all preparing plants for our sale and exhibit in June -- it's coming up faster than you think.  Our next meeting will feature terrariums and dish gardens, so bring a container, some mix and some small plants, a rock or two or a sturdy twig and we will have a party!

 

I look forward to seeing you all.

 

 

May Program

by Terri Campbell

 

We had planned to have a design program presented by May Mendes.  Unfortunately, she is unable to be with us for the meeting.

 

Instead, Katherine and I will give an overview of the design classes.  Included will be a workshop demonstration on dish gardens and terrariums.  As the Prez requested, please bring your container and a few other items and we will learn about terrarium and dish garden assembly.  It’s not necessary to bring everything for a terrarium or dish garden, if you don’t want to or don’t have everything available; just bring enough to get started.  If you don’t plan to create a dish garden or terrarium, we will welcome your aesthetic impressions or practical advice during the demonstration.

 

We hope to have many design entries in our judged show this year (to complement our room full of stellar horticultural entries).  Please consider creating a terrarium, dish garden, bubble bowl, design arrangement, gesneriad photograph, drawing or painting of gesneriads, or gesneriad-related craft project.  This would add immensely to our show, and there are ribbons to be awarded, too.

 

We can always use educational exhibits for the show, too, and there will be awards available for these as well.

 

 

Misc.

 

Lorah’s Travels Photos

I recommend our Newsletter Editor’s great photos of her current trip.  Go to www.lorah.net to see Lorah’s recent shots of her visits to Prague, Dublin, etc.

 

 

The gardens at the Filoli Estate, 30 miles south of San Francisco, are highly recommended.

Filoli’s Web site, www.filoli.org, promises that you can see old roses, hawthorns, lavender, gardens, foxgloves, delphiniums, and a knot garden in bloom in May, among many others.

Admission for adults is $12.  The hours of admission are generally Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sundays.  Visitor Services can be reached at (650) 364-8300, extension 507.

 

 

BrazilPlants Support Club

At our April meeting we briefly discussed the invitation our Club received to join Brazilplants Support Club along with many other Gesneriad Society Chapters.   We asked for more information and here it is.  We can decide at our May meeting if we should join as a  Sustaining Membership, $60/year.  If we join, David Waugh will be the contact person with Lee Stradley regarding membership fees, seed distribution etc.

 

 

BRAZILPLANTS Support Club

INTRODUCTION:
Since the late 1980´s I've been cultivating and distributing seed of many new and rare Brazilian plant species. Single-handedly I have managed all aspects of this process - from maintaining the collections in a 10 m x 30 m covered lath house to labeling and keeping records on locality and hand pollinating those requested for seed. In addition to all of this, I travel yearly thoughout southern Brazil to upgrade and expand the collections. Presently, the collection focuses upon Alstromeriaceae, Aristolochiaceae,
Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae, Passifloraceae, Gesneriaceae, Orchidaceae and Velloziaceae; but also extends to others related to these.

Over the years my personal collection has grown to about 4,000 plants - 1,250 species representing 30 plant families. It is from my collection that I harvest a good portion of the seeds that I distribute. This collection could be more extensive, but due to the necessity of my travels during the spring and summer, it has declined. At this time I cannot afford to hire a qualified person who would carry on these duties during my absence and help me when I am there. (Every year I take many people from around the world on tours of the Brazilian flora, so I know that there is a great interest in our flora.)  My desire to continue the distribution of seed and the need for the habitat information that is so critical to good plant
care prompted me to try to think of a solution. It came to my mind to propose the following:

OBJECTIVES:
1- Bring together individuals who are interested in:
  a.) helping me to preserve a unique collection of rare
  Brazilian plants, and
  b.) obtaining seed from these plants.
2 - Bring into cultivation and distribute to members new or rare species; on the Alstroemeriaceae, Amarylliaceae, Araceae, Aristolochiaceae, Begoniaceae, Cactaceae, Gesneriaceae, Iridaceae, Orchidaceae, Passifloraceae and Velloziaceae families , while not excluding others of interest.
3 - Maintain the health of the existing collection.
4 - Improve the collection by replacing the material that has been lost and adding new material to enlarge it.
5 - Collect seed from difficult and rare species from cultivated or wild plants.

WHAT I NEED TO OBTAIN THESE OBJECTIVES:
1 - One employee working full time at the greenhouse.
2 -Help in financing the repair of the existing greenhouse,
including materials to repot the entire collection (fertilizer, pesticide, potting mix, etc.)

TOTAL COST FOR THIS (THE BUDGET)
About $400.00 US per month or $4,500 - $5,000 US per year - total.

WHAT WILL BRAZILPLANTS'S SUPPORT CLUB COST MEMBERS AND WHAT WILL THEY GET IN RETURN FROM THEIR MONEY?

COSTS:
1 - Three membership levels are available with different benefits, and are to be paid by PayPal.
   a- Sustaining Membership - $60/year
   b- Preservationist Membership - $125/year
   c- Visionary Membership/Garden Clubs/Institutional-$250/year

   d- Friends of BrazilPlants – Donation up to $ 60/year

RETURNS :
1 - Free seeds pkg:
   a - Sustaining Membership = 18 seed pkg/year (6 pkg 3 times/year
   b - Preservationist Membership = 36 seed pkg/year (12 pkg 3 times/year)
   c - Visionary Membership/Garden Clubs/Institutional = 72 seed pkg/year (24 pkg 3 times/year)                                                                    
   d - Friends of BrazilPlants = No free seeds.

A complete list of available seed will be emailed to each member every 4 months, and new additions will be emailed as they became ready.

The seed will be sent on a first come, first serve basis. Seed is not cumulative (must be received within the current period. Deadlines: April 30, August 31, December 31)

IMPORTANT NOTES:
a - Free seeds are limited to one pkg from each species per order.
b - There will be only one free shipping within the current period; the others should pay the regular postage fee.
c - Quantity of seeds in each pkg may vary according to availability.
d - Extremely rare seeds like Worsleya raineri and others that have a very high market price (up to $10 each seed) will be rated accordingly to its rarity.
Example: Each Worsleya raineri seed will worth three to five ordinary seed pkg.
e - Orders having more than one pkg from each species will be filled only 10 days AFTER the remaining members had made their choice.
f - Discount is not cumulative to Wholesalers, Botanical Gardens or Garden Clubs that already have discounts on large orders.

2 - Priority in obtaining new and/or rare species (seeds, tubers or  cuttings). Members will be the first ones to know every time that I have seeds from rare or new species. Tubers or cuttings could be sent(as available) through express mail at member's own risk and expenses-TUBERS OR CUTTINGS ARE NOT FREE.

3 - The members would get a 50% discount on additional seed from the site seed-list.
Exception: Friends of BrazilPlants will get 20% discount from the site seed list

4 - Satisfaction for helping to keep alive one of the biggest collection of Gesneriaceae, Passifloraceae, Amaryllidaceace and Aristolochiaceae, in Brazil - a unique way of actively conserving a part of Brazil's Atlantic rainforest biodiversity.

HOW IT WILL WORK?
An exclusive and non-listed club will be created at Yahoo called "BRAZIL-PLANTS Support Club"
A - In the club's "Files" section will be posted:
  1 - The complete initial plant inventory (Plant Family,  genera, species, origin, etc).
  2 - Complete financial balance with all expenses and receipts, including a member-by-member payment profile every three months.
  3 - Quarterly online newsletter with all additions and deletions from the collection.
B - In club's "Photo" section will be posted:
  1 - Pictures of new material and/or rare plants from the collection.
  2 - Pictures of interest to the club.

C - In club's "Messages" section will be posted:
  1 - Offering of new species and rare material to the members, will be attended on a first ordered - first served basis. (Exclusively through the club message section, so everyone will have equal chance) All the new offering will be supplied with information of how many seed packets are available, and they will be limited to one of each species per member.
  2 - Updates to the seed-list will be available at least one week before the list goes to the site, so members will have the possibility of ordering before the general public.
  3 - Messages of general interest to the club.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
The main objective of this club is to provide funding to maintain and run the best documented collection of Alstroemeriaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Gesneriaceae, Iridaceae, Orchidaceae, Passifloraceae and Velloziaceae in Brazil.
Once the club starts running officially, any modification to its by-laws only will be effective with approval of two thirds of the total members - One member equals one vote, regardless of membership level.

If a significant number of members leave the club, and the income is no longer enough to pay the employee salary, we will first try to find new members to replace the missing ones. If we fail, the club will be dismantled and all members will receive their remaining free seeds at once, without any other kind of compensation or refund.

 

 

Terri’s Greenhouse

For those of you who are interested, there will be several photos of Terri Campbell’s new pop-up greenhouse on the Web site.  The plants are still moving in.

 

 

Pond and Water Garden Tour

We received the following notice from Pauline Sakai:

 

POND AND WATER GARDEN TOUR May 20 and May 21st, 2006!

I am a member of the Camellia Koi Club of Sacramento and a member of this year’s Pond Tour committee.  Attached is a copy of the News Release and poster announcing our upcoming Pond and Water Garden Tour.  With interest in backyard water gardening and ornamental fish ever increasing, this tour has become a favorite of spring activities.  Your club members are invited to join us.  See the attached poster and News Release for more details, regarding where to purchase tickets. 

Mark your calendars.  This tour only occurs every other year.

             Dates: Saturday, May 20th, North Area (Roseville - Granite Bay - Natomas)
                        Sunday, May 21st,   South Area (South Sacramento   Elk Grove)
             Time:  9am - 4pm

If you have a club newsletter we would appreciated if you could add an entry to your Upcoming Events calendar announcing this event.  Also, if you could email a copy of the poster and News Release to your members, we would greatly appreciate you getting the word out for us.  We would be happy to reciprocate in the future with any club’s events.

Sincerely,
Pauline Sakai

 



 

Show and Tell and Raffle Table

by David Waugh/Terri Campbell

 

Jon Dixon brought a great variety of plants for Show and Tell, including nematanthus hirtellus and nematanthus ‘Petropolis,’ 4 kohleria seedlings from the same cross (2 are named, ‘Grape Fizz’ and ‘Cimarron’), kohleria ‘Mary Jane,’ a kohleria hybrid seedling from Dale’s cross, a streptocarpella seedling, a lipstick type aeschynanthus ‘Mona Lisa,’ an aeschynanthus species from Thailand (“good pink bloomer”) acquired at the last convention, strep. ‘Orion,’ eucodonia ‘Celeste,’ sinningia leucotricha ‘Max Dekking’ x self, and sinn. nivalis (2 seedlings showing variation).

 

Jon contributed nematanthus ‘Petropolis’, episcia ‘Suomi,’ episcia ‘Chocolate Cream’, kohleria ‘Caliph’ and kohleria ‘Cimarron’ to the raffle table.

 

Alan LaVergne brought streptocarpus ‘Kismet,’ nematanthus australis, nematanthus ‘Othello’, and corytoplectus congestus for Show and Tell.  Also, Alan contributed the following plants from Celine Chase to the raffle table:  kohleria ‘Emily Roberts’ and nematanthus ‘Othello.’

Harriette Poss contributed a streptocarpus ‘Pink Fu’ and a kohleria species grandiflora to the raffle table.

 

Gene Sussli brought three different versions of seedlings (strep. rexii x strep. Primulfolius) for Show and Tell, as well as kohleria ‘Manchu’ and kohleria bogotensis.  He also contributed kohleria ‘Manchu,’ kohleria bogotensis, strep. ‘Orion,’ and sarmienta repens to the raffle table.

 

David Waugh brought an alsobia ‘Chiapas Mexicana’ for the raffle table.

 

Katherine Henwood

 

Anna Chou contributed two philodendrons and a basket of three plants to the raffle table.

 

Larry Williams contributed several wonderful chocolate bars to the raffle table:  Venchi (Italy), Valrhona Manjari (France), and Jacques Callebaut (Belgium).

 

Terri Campbell contributed two sinningias ‘Ruffled Wood Nymph’ and two egg terrariums to the raffle table.

 

Photos will be up at:

 

 

Minutes of The American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco

April 23, 2006 Meeting

by David Waugh, Secretary

 

The meeting was called to order at 1:14pm by President Katherine Henwood.   The following were also present:  Harriette Poss,  David Waugh, Anna Chou, Alan LaVergne,  Gene Sussli, Larry Williams, Terri Lynn Campbell, Jon Dixon, Irene and David Fey.

 

Minutes:  There were no amendments to the minutes of the March meeting printed in the April Newsletter. 

 

Treasurer’s Report:  The President announced that our Treasurer, Ken Parker, has retired effective immediately, for personal reasons.   He had come to the meeting before it commenced, brought the papers necessary for the functioning of the Treasurer, and had prepared and passed around copies of a report of our income and disbursements for the month of March 2006. We have no outstanding debts, a comfortable balance in the bank, and a cushion reserve in a Certificate of Deposit.  If you missed the meeting and want a copy, contact the new Treasurer.  See below.

 

Continuing Business:  Because the editor of Bay News is out of the country, the May issue will be produced by Terri Campbell.  Please pass any news to her.

 

New Business:  As mentioned above since or Treasurer, Ken Parker, has retired effective immediately, the President called for volunteers to take the Treasurer’ job.  Gene Sussli volunteered.  It was moved and seconded that he be our new Treasurer.

 

We received an email from Lee Stradley, a member of one of the New York chapters, and active on the internet group Gesneriphiles, sent us a message about a group recently organized to help Mauro Peixoto of Brazil maintain his greenhouses and research on Gesneriads.   We have asked for more information, will discuss it, and consider joining the group at our May meeting.

 

Because we have changed our name it is logical we should also change the URL on our web site.   The URL is presently www.agssf.org .   It would be logical to use sfgs but that has already been taken.   The possibilities we might use are shown in the April Newsletter.   They are:  sfgesneriads.org        sfgesneriadsociety.org           gsofsf.org

It was moved and seconded to use  www.sfgesneriads.org . 

 

The main program was a slide show of the 2004 AGGS convention in Long Island.  The pictures and the descriptions of the plants were very good.

 

We then had Show and Tell and the Raffle.  

 

The meeting adjourned before 4:00 p.m.                               

                                                                                    -  Submitted by David Waugh, Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

2006 Officers

President:  Katherine Henwood

Vice President:  Terri Lynn Campbell

Secretary:  David Waugh

Treasurer:  Gene Sussli

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) 

 

2006 meetings: January 15, February 19, March 19, April 23, May 21, July 16, August 20, September 17, November 19, December 17 Holiday Luncheon at Lakeside Café.

 

Shows, Sales, and Field Trips:

June 3 Display and Sale, June 18 Field Trip to Annie’s Annuals, July 4-8 Convention in Rochester NY, August 11-20 San Mateo County Fair, September 23-24 Show and Sale, October 22 Field Trip to Delta Show.

 

Dues: $10 single, $11 family. Make checks payable to AGS SF, mail to Treasurer.

 

Website: http://www.agssf.org