I went to the RI Flower Show recently and attended a talk on Streptocarpus plants. I ended up buying two plants from Brennan's Orchids (they gave the talk). Aly's Tiger Lily and another called Blue Mars. So far they are thriving in my kitchen!
Here is a photo of the Aly's Tiger Lily. Anyone else grow these interesting plants. Please share your pictures!
Sue
Beautiful plant Sue ! Thanks for sharing it ! Your lucky you got to go and a talk on Streps wow ! Do you know who the speaker was ?
Almost all of us here in the forum are growing Streps !
Streptocarpus Daniel
Both are very lovely.
Welcome to the Forum Sue :)
African Violets or Gesneriads ?
Christmas Morning
Thanks. Lovely photo! I had never heard of these plants. So when I saw the talk I decided to go and see what they were about. The speaker was Molly Dugger Brennan from Brennan's Orchids. She gave a great talk on the care of the plants. You definitely have to treat them differently than African Violets! She mentioned the Dibley site and how he is the worlds expert on hybridizing these plants. They had a 10% off coupon for attending the talk so how could I not get a plant or two!
Look for them at the flower shows. I ran into her again at the New England Flower Show. So they have a booth there also. She said they were making the rounds to all the flower shows.
Sue
Wow that's nice. Nanna did you not buy your plant from them ? In our second sticky sue the two threads that are stuck at the top all the time the second one has all kinds of info about Streps and pictures.
How long have you had your's ? Realy nice you got to go to the lecture about them now you can help us !
Thanks for sharing yours. Do you have pictures of the other ?
I don't have this one anymore. It was my favorite so I don't know why I gave them all away but I do things like this.
Hi Sedum,
I love streps and have7 plants. they are still small so I do not have flowers on them. I had on one but it is gone now. I have blue mars and the flowers are gorgeous.
Thanks Violet for the welcome and for posting your photos! The colors are just beautiful in the photos. I love the one's that have a throat. My husband picked out the Aly's Tiger one he thought it looked like an annual I grow out in the garden called Painted Tongue. I have a rather boring photo of the Blue Mars without any flowers. Unfortunately in the ride home the flower it had fell off! There were some other flowers that came and have gone by since and I didn't get a photo when it was in flower. Molly told me some of them bloom all at once and others send up a few blooms staggered over a couple of months. So I am not sure what Blue Mars does.
Brennans has a shop in the Washington DC area and I think they sell on eBay. I got the the two plants for $8 each plus the 10% off that so it wasn't a large investment if they croaked. So far so good though.
This message was edited Mar 14, 2006 5:24 PM
Oh Sue, thanks for sharing Aly's Tiger Lily! What a beauty!
I love all the Aly plants Av's Streps Epsicas :)) To bad their Hybridizer got sick :(
This is Cythnia :))
Here's a couple close up's on my blooms. This one is Suzie Sunshine
And this is Bristols Party Girl
Hi fellow new englander,I lived in Ri for 20 plus years.and still a NE girl at heart.Where was the show?I never heard of one while I lived there.Was it at the new convension center in Providence?Love the picture.Very pretty.
Oh man Anita your making me drool.LOL.I think I have a new love.hee,hee. How the doilie coming?
Beautiful plants!
Beautiful plants Anita ! Put down leaves we need a Atrep trade :))
Jannich - They've had the RI Flower Show I think for 10 or 12 years now at the Providence Civic Center (now named the Dunkin Donuts Center - yikes!). This year I think was the best ever. We especially like the talks and demos at RI. Also the crowds are much less than Boston. We go to both shows to get a fix of spring.
Here is the web page:
http://www.flowershow.com/r_show_1.php
Thanks to all for posting your strep photos! Did I mention that my husband hates the name 'streptocarpus'? He said it reminds him of step throat!
Sue
I thought it might be there.but never heard of the flower show.I did hear about them changing the name but Dunkin Donut center.LOL.Providence must have really changed since the last time I've been there.The flower show sounds great.Thanks for the link.
Boston oh Boston! I love that town! I'm home sick!i miss the Seafood,Newport,Seafood.Did I metion seafood.LOL.
Your welcome SUe ! Wish I could go :)) I lived in RI from ages 3-11 years old and back when I was married and two sons born at Womans and Infants Hospital in Prov. RI . Now some 31 years ago. Seems just like yesteray
Crystal Dawn
I like this one but I separated it into two. One died . It blooms but just does not seem to grow. It says it grows small compact .
Gorgeous! Allison I have done that before- separated and lost one. Very disappointing isn't it. I love Crystal Dawn! Pretty!
You've got it! I already have some ears on my leaves from Suzie and I am waiting for some more leaves off of Bristol before I harvest any.
So I stopped in a local nursery and I checked by chance and they had streptocarpus plants! The guy that does the ordering said they got in 36 streps 2 or 3 weeks ago. An employee at the nursery immediately bought 12 of them. All but three were sold. So I bought one of the remaining 3. The other two were wilted (but not dead). I wasn't sure if these would recover with water. Anyone know the answer?
The only problem. The streps didn't have a name. The grower on the tag was Jolly Farmer. Anyone have an ideas?
Sue
Edit: Grammar
This message was edited Mar 17, 2006 8:24 PM
Here another view a little closer. I love the texture of the flowers!
Sue
Sue
It's beautiful ! When they are wiliting if they are dead dry and watered they will come back. But if they are wiliting from being over watered they will not .
Allison may be I should have bought the other two! They were only $4 each. There was a red one similar to the Christmas one you posted and another one with a white throat and purple (I think!). The one I got was very healthy. The leaves looked nice. I asked the guy at the nursery if they would get more and he said they would try since they sold well but it depended on the places they buy from if they were offering them. I looked on the internet Jolly Farmer is a wholesaler.
Sue
you might be able to call Jolly and see what names they grow or if they know them.
nice find for $4~
Hi Sue !
How are your beautiful Streptocarpus plants ! Have you bought any new ones?
Allison
Hi Allison,
How nice of you to remember me and my strep plants! I haven't gotten any more plants yet. I have just the three I bought originally and they are doing well. I have been very involved with my outside garden now (or at least getting it ready). Also yesterday I went to Blithewold Mansion and Gardens Daffodil Days to see all the spring shrubs and daffodils in bloom.
I posted my pictures on my online photo album if you want to take a look:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gid9914104
I am still facinated by these plants and am checking all the places I go to get plants for my outside gardens (some of them are carrying strep plants which is exciting). So I tried (and failed to propogate) one of my strep plants. The leaves just rotted. Here is a photo. I have to read the strep FAQs and try again.
Sue
I enjoyed your pictures Sue ! Thanks for sharing them.
Your Hyacinth forcing is so cool and pretty I know I could smell it ! That was so neat.
Hope you try rooting a Strep leaf again :)) Iy really is fun and easy.
Thanks again for sharing !
Allison
Hi Allison,
This was the first year I tried the hyacinth forcing in water. It was super easy to do. All you'd have to do is put the hyacinth bulb in the refridge in a brown paper bag for 8 weeks (or buy prechilled bulbs) then you can force them in the hyacinth glasses or any vase or jar that is large enough to hold the bulb above the water. It lasted quite a while in the house. I hope to try daffodils next year.
So I thought you might like to see the daffodils!
Sue
Very nice ! Thanks for sharing :))
Beautiful photos, everyone!
How have I been so 'immune' to streps all this time?!?!?
I need to do some research on them.
I really don't think I've seen them available around here.....or maybe (very doubtful) I didn't notice!
Nan everyone should have one Strep ! Their easy to grow ! In our second sticky is a lot of infomration and pictures of Streptocarpus plants !
Nan,
If you look where the African Violets are sold that is where I've been finding them. However not in the big box or discount stores. You need to go to a full service nursery. I've found them this way. Or you could ask your full service nursery to carry them. If you talk to the person who does the ordering. It is good to read up on them since they do require some different care than African Violets.
Sue
Oh how pretty!!! I loved all the pictures and since I have to go out to my nursery today I'll have to see if they have any Streps...I have to have one or 4 :). LOL my DH is going to have to add another shelf in the window for this new love....Lauri
Thanks for the info.
You know, maybe I *have* seen them when they weren't in bloom, and just thought they were something else?
I'll have to look more closely next time.....I usually peruse the tropicals, and likely may have just passed by the streps!
