Newsletter of the San Francisco Gesneriad Society
Program: Field Trip to Conservatory of Flowers
May Program
by David Waugh
Our May gathering is a field trip to the Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco on Saturday, May 17 at 10:00 am. Tickets required to enter the Conservatory will be paid by our club. Meet at the ticket kiosk.
The reason we moved the field trip to early Saturday is because it should be less crowded and road access for parking is better than on Sundays when the road in front of the Conservatory is closed to vehicle traffic.
For those who would like to do so, bring a small bag lunch and something to drink and we will have a picnic near the Conservatory after the tour.
At present, there are no free docent-lead tours of the Conservatory. We will do our own self conducted tour with the help of the brochure picked up when we show our tickets at the entrance. After we finish our tour of the public areas, work permitting, club member Clare Cangiolosi, who works at the Conservatory, will take us to the other areas of the Conservatory not shown to the public.
Parking suggestions if you are driving: park around the Dahlia garden, or on John F Kennedy Boulevard. To get to the Dahlia Garden drive West on John F. Kennedy boulevard. Once inside the main park beyond the Panhandle you will see, to the right, the park headquarters building, a road leading to it, a second road which circles around the Conservatory, and a third road (with dense trees and shrubs on one side and open lawn on the other side). Take this third road to get to the Dahlia Garden and parking. There is a Dahlia Garden sign.
Please let David Waugh know right away if you plan to go on this field trip so we can be on the lookout for you at the ticket kiosk. So far we have 9 RSVPs. This will be a great opportunity to see the Conservatory at no expense to club members, and if possible we will have a special visit with club member Clare Cangiolosi.
May Display and Sale
by Terri Campbell
We will meet at 8:00 a.m. in our usual meeting room on Saturday, May 31st for our one-day display and sale. We need as many people as possible to set up for the display and sale, which opens to the public at 10:00 a.m.
Bring your sale plants! Bring cuttings or rhizomes in plastic bags as well, if you have them.
For the display, please bring plants with flowers or attractive foliage. We aren't concerned with show quality for this event. Display plants help us to sell the sale plants, so this is important.
We'll see you there!
Show and Tell and Raffle Table
Transcribed by Terri Campbell
Alan LaVergne showed sinningia 'Serenade' and sinningia 'Ozark Scentimental Journey." TehShan Lee donated kohleria 'Cimarron' and begonia richmandensis to the raffle table. Anna Chou showed mimulus guttattus and streptocarpus glandulosissimus. She donated one of each of these to the raffle table. Jon showed the following sinningias: machrostachys x leucotricha, machrostachys x lineate, lineate, species 'Doris', species 'Desfinado', and cardinalis x bulbosa. He also showed streptocarpus saxorum and streptocarpus 'Mighty Mouse, and saintpaulia orbicularis purpurea. Jon donated aeschynanthus sp. aff. radicans 'Red Calyx' and an aeschynanthus species from Mona from Brunei to the raffle table. Katherine Henwood showed x codonantanthus 'Barsoom." Gene Sussli showed three generations of sinningia cardinalis, kohleria 'Jester,' kohleria 'Manchu,' kohleria 'Queen Victoria,' sinningia speciosa 'Hollywood,' sinningia speciosa 'California Mini,' streptocarpella 'Boysenberry Delight,' a gesneriad seed project, and a blooming non-gesneriad plant. Gene donated kohleria 'Jester,' 'Queen Victoria,' 'Manchu,' and an unknown kohleria to the raffle table. Gene also donated sinningia speciosa 'Emporer William' and streptocarpus 'Maasen's White.' Terri Campbell showed columnea 'California Gold' and pinguicula 'Wesser.' She donated the following plants to the raffle table: codonanthe luteola, kohleria bogotensis, streptocarpus 'Northwoods Purple Lightning' x self, nematanthus australis 'Yellow' MP 1183, kohleria 'Manchu,' diastema comiferum, kohleria 'Queen Victoria,' and ruellia macrantha prostrate.
Minutes of San Francisco Gesneriad Society
April 20, 2008 Meeting
by David Waugh
The March meeting was called to order by Vice President Terri Campbell about 1:15pm. Also present were Celine Chase, Alan LaVergne, David Waugh, Bob Hudak, Katherine Henwood, Anna Chou, Gene Sussli, Kevin Daly, Teh-Shan Lee, Tommy Liu, Nirmela Arsem, Larry Williams, Jon Dixon, Vera and Ken Parker.
Announcements: San Francisco Botanical Society plant sale is May 2. San Mateo African Violet Society Judged Show and Sale is May 2-3 at San Mateo Garden Center.
Minutes: There were no corrections to the minutes for the March meeting which were in the April newsletter.
President Jon Dixon took over the meeting from the Vice President.
Treasurer’s report: Our financial condition is good. We had additional expenses paid out during March, mainly last years rental owed to the Fair Building. Our cash balance is less than usual but we are still in good financial condition. If you wish a copy of the March Treasurer’s report please contact Gene Sussli.
Continuing Business: Katherine Henwood announced we have a variety of new pots and labels for sale. David Waugh passed around the new flyer for our May 31 sale produced by The-Shan Lee. 4 x 6 postcard size flyers will be mailed May 5 to our mailing list and 81/2 x 11 copies will be mailed to newspapers.
The program was a slide show titled “Designer Displays.” We saw a good number, some very intricate, of winning displays from Judged Shows. The hope is that viewing these winning displays will inspire entries from members for our September Show.
New Business: A show of hands indicated that three members plan to attend the Gesneriad Society Convention in Denver July 2008.
A list was passed around for members to make suggestions and indicate which name they preferred for our September Judged Show and Sale. The name picked by the most members was BLAZING TROPICALS.
It was moved and seconded that the Club sponsor a $25 award, to be used as needed, for an award to a winner at the Judged Show at the Gesneriad Society Convention in Denver July 2008.
We received a letter from Convention organizers asking if the Club would be interested in sponsoring table favors for any of the various convention luncheons and dinners. It was agreed we would not participate in this.
Gene Sussli discussed what he is preparing for the May 31 sale to boost sales revenue.
The San Mateo County Fair is August 8-17. The individual entry deadline is July 9. In addition to individual entries from our club members, there are 7 tables, 2 ˝ x 8 feet, which clubs can sign up for by providing a “theme.” There is no fee if a club is assigned a table. If our club is assigned a table we would tentatively call it “Gesneriads”, and have a map of the world with live plants tied to a ribbon indicating where the plants originated. Our education board would also be a part of the display, along with literature about the Gesneriad Society and our club. It was agreed the club would participate in this table.
We then did Show and Tell and the Raffle
The meeting was adjourned about 3:48pm.
2008 Officers
President: Jon Dixon
Vice President: Terri Lynn Campbell
Secretary: David Waugh
Treasurer: Gene Sussli
Newsletter Editor/Webmaster: Lorah Gross lorah@lorah.net
Brazilplants Support Club San Francisco contact: Terri Campbell
2008 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)
January 20, February 17, March 16, April 20, May 18, June 15, July 20, August 17, September 21, October 19, November 16, December 21 Holiday Luncheon at Lakeside Cafe
2008 Shows and Sales:
One day plant sale May 31, Judged Show and Sale September 27, 28
Dues: $10 single, $11 family. Make checks payable to AGS SF, mail to Treasurer.
Website: http://www.sfgesneriads.org