PLANT WATCH
Your plant recommendations from expert plantsman, Michael.
Gesneriad. No, I’m not sneezing, I’m telling you about a plant you might not have heard of. Although you probably have. The Gesneriad family feature many old favourites- from Streptocarpus to Saintpualia and I’m recommending them as the perfect way to lift those winter blues.
Gesneriads come in almost every colour of the rainbow, and are easy to grow (as long as you don’t overwater them.) Sounds like the perfect houseplant! They were very popular in the 80’s, and I remember propagating many with my grandma. But, somehow, they fell out of favour whilst everyone salivating over Calathea, Anthuriums and all the showy leaf plants.
Well, just like Strictly Come Dancing, Kate Bush tracks, and lycra, Gesneriads are having a long overdue revival in 2024. And when you think of Gesneriads, there’s only one place to go for varieties and expertise, and that is Dibleys in North Wales.
Here’s the pick of their crop for this season:
Streptocarpus ‘Crystal Dawn’
Years ago, breeding programmes resulted in an array of available colours and forms. However, flowering performance was sometimes lacking until the arrival of the ‘Crystal Ice’ Series. Launched to great fanfare at a January RHS show, this absolute beauty will bloom all year round.
The perfect marriage of genetics, ‘Crystal Dawn’ is a pink selection, with slender, somewhat more tidy, foliage than some of its siblings. The flowers are also a little slimmer, with the look of a foxglove, with gorgeous markings. An excellent plant for a position in filtered light (i.e. your dining table), which could easily outflower a Phalaenopsis… awkward…!
Kohleria ‘Strawberry Fields’
I am so in love with the flowers of this plant. ‘Strawberry Fields’ is a newish hybrid which flowers from May to October, which offers fantastic value.
All parts of Kohleria are fuzzy. Plants can become tall and gangly, but a little prune here and there can encourage a better shape. Again, keep in bright indirect light, water only when dry and feed to help ensure you the best of the blooms.
Saintpaulia ‘Nitida’
I have such fond memories of my grandma’s African Violets on the windowsill, and it was probably one of the first plants I experienced propagation with. They’ve been ubiquitous in homes up and down the land for many years, but have you ever seen
