Annual Show and
The
Delaware African Violet and Gesneriad Society will present its free houseplant
show and sale in the Auditorium at Boscov’s Christiana Town Center store off
Route 273 in Christiana, Delaware (click here for directions) on Saturday,
The 2011 Show
Many
of the easiest and most beautiful plants for the home or greenhouse belong to
the Gesneriad family, which includes the popular African Violet. Most are from
tropical and subtropical regions and are often found growing in humus-filled
depressions or rock crevices, on humus-covered forest floors or epiphytically
on tree branches. There is a wide variety of plant sizes, shapes, flowers and
colors. This is a plant family of great diversity, and they frequently grow
under the same conditions of the typical home.
Some
of these houseplants have been hybridized extensively, resulting in hundreds of
varieties that can be quite different from those growing in their native
habitats. In addition to the African Violet, some of the more common gesneriads
grown by hobbyists are the Florist Gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa),
Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus), Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus),
Cape Primrose (Streptocarpus), Flame Violet (Episcia), and
Cupid's Bower (Achimenes). Gesneriads provide you with
blooming plants of one variety or another throughout the year, an especially
welcome sight on a cold winter day.
The
theme of this year’s show is “Golden Jubilee – The Delaware African Violet
and Gesneriad Society Celebrates 50 Years”” and will feature exotic prize
winning houseplants from Tropical Africa and the Rain Forests of the
Amazon. The show also features floral design classes interpreting the
main theme for the show. The show also has design classes for
arrangements of growing plants, terrariums and dish gardens. The Society
also will be creating an educational exhibit on growing houseplants under
lights and will have knowledgeable members on hand to answer questions about
houses plants and how to grown them.
A
very special class will have plants grown by children from the
One
of the most popular aspects of the Show is the annual plant sale offering a
wide range of affordable exotic house plants from miniatures to specimens in
hanging baskets, most of which are rare and difficult to find locally.
There also is an astounding assortment of African Violets, the most universally
popular flowering houseplant. While many plants are member grown, there also is
a nice selection from commercial growers, including greenhouses which
specialize in African Violets and other Gesneriads. The Show and
sale are presented the weekend before Easter, and many of these are wonderful
for holiday gifts, outlasting the typical tulips and other spring bulbs. The
sale also offers choice and unusual plants for outdoor container plantings.