2025 Convention (Parsippany, NJ)
Gesneriads Gather in the Garden State
The 2025 Convention Team hosted The Gesneriad Society’s 68th Annual Convention at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in Parsippany, New Jersey, and welcomed the 150 convention attendees.
The convention was a great success based on the enthusiasm shown by all the attendees whether they were simply socializing and talking plants with other attendees, enjoying time together on several well-planned trips, listening and learning at judging school or during the various lectures, programs and meetings held all week, participating in or just enjoying the flower show, plant sale, and auctions. The annual meeting/dinner was well attended where this year Yi-Gang Wei (China) was honored with an Award of Appreciation.
The flower show displayed 208 high-quality entries from 42 exhibitors. A list of all awarded entries as well as the Flower Show images will soon be available on this website. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who exhibited to help make an educational, well-rounded show.
- Sweepstakes in Horticulture – awarded to Mel Grice with 5 first place, 3 second place, and 2 third place ribbons
- Sweepstakes Runner-up in Horticulture – awarded to Vicki Ferguson with 4 first place and 3 second place ribbons
- Best in Horticulture – awarded to Dee Stewart for Sinningia ‘Judy Becker’
- Runner-up to Best in Horticulture – awarded to Rachel Armstrong for Streptocarpus ‘Bristol’s Lollipop’
- Sweepstakes in Artistic – awarded to Karyn Cichocki with 3 first place and 3 second place ribbons
- Sweepstakes in the Arts – awarded to Vicki Ferguson with 3 first place ribbons
- Best in Artistic – awarded to Jill Fischer for her Natural Garden
- Runner-up to Best in Artistic – awarded to Karyn Cichocki for her design “Under the Boardwalk”
- Best in Arts – awarded to Vicki Ferguson for her Streptocarpus quilt
- Runner-Up to Best in Arts – awarded to Vicki Ferguson for her color print of Primulina ‘Lavender Apple’
- Best in Educational/Commercial – awarded to Wallace Wells for his educational exhibit “Exploring Gesneriads in Malaysia”
The featured speakers/lectures at convention were
- Olive Ma Robinson (New York) – “Take Me to the Jungle”
- Dirk Bellstedt (South Africa) – “Streptocarpus – Diverse Habitats and Implications for Cultivation”
- Streptocarpus Growing Panel (Presentations and Discussions): Bob Stewart, Hung Nguyen, Rob Robinson, Terri Vicenzi
- Ron Myhr (Canada) – “Great Beauty, No Flowers”
Downloads of all the featured lectures as well as other convention programs will soon be available to enjoy at your leisure complimentary to convention registrants or to all others at a nominal cost in The Gesneriad Society Shop.
Thank you again to the chairpersons, workers, and volunteers; to those who provided sales and auction items; to those who entered or helped with the flower show; and to all who attended and helped in any way to make our 2025 Convention a success. The New Jersey Convention may be over, but wonderful memories remain.
In 2026 we hope to see old friends and new in Wheeling, Illinois, from June 28 to July 4 at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel to enjoy “Chicagoland Celebrates 75 Years of The Gesneriad Society.”