I’ve been looking at photographs from The Gesneriad Society’s 2009 Convention and remembering Nell. Nell Hennessy. Looking back, most of my memories of her are at the Convention - chatting outside the show room, watching her run the logistics, talking over dinner.... I can’t say I knew Nell well or that I’d known her for many years, but I count myself among the fortunate for knowing her at all. And every future Gesneriad Society Convention will bring back memories of her.
This year's Convention will be in Philadelphia. (What better place to be for the week of July 4?) In anticipation of this "local" event, we’re revisiting some of the 2009 show entries and you saw the first of these posts this morning.
I am hoping that the Philadelphia Convention will be packed with gorgeous plants - new hybrids, big tuberous Sinningia, microscopically small (well, not quite) Sinningia, some of the less-commonly-grown species, larger growers that are a bit too big for your “average” home growing environment, bloom-packed plants and luscious foliage.... And I feel I should give specific mention to other genera, so let me clearly say I'm hoping for good representation from the Chirita, Petrocosmea, Columnea, Aeschynanthus, Kohleria, Saintpaulia, Streptocarpus, Drymonia, Nautilocalyx, Gesneria, Episcia, Alsobia and other camps as well. I’m also hoping that some of the plants shown in 2009 will make an appearance with two years of additional growth.
I'll leave you with a picture of a 2009 show entry: Sinningia muscicola (formerly known as sp. "Rio das Pedras"), exhibited by Paul Susi. A small pot of micro miniature Sinningia was the last plant material that passed between Nell and me.
