Nice photos of the Show. As for plant names, I had thought there are (international)rules for botanical nomenclature. The Latin binomial system for species & cv. names, for those in the horticultural trade, botanical gardens, etc.. In this way, we all know exactly which plant we are properly conversing about, (of course, taking into consideration, when labeled correctly.) b.t.w. Moscow has a rather long history of plant collecting. Select Seeds Antique Flowers is one source I've used, for mail ordering the 'rosebud' type...

Hello, Does anyone know where I can buy a Westdale Appleblossom Pelargonium or seeds for same in the US? Thank you! Teresa

Oh my goodness, I love the colour. I see a bit of coral in it? That is more incentive to pamper the ones I've got so they make it through to spring! They are looking good now, and the red is setting up some buds, so I will let it bloom to make sure. Thanks Patty. I will send you a private email sometime in February or March about mailing, though with our weather, mid to late April may be a safer timeframe (or early May!). I would think I'd need to check the weather all along the mail route to be sure the time is good. Thanks to the original poster asking about miniature geraniums, and somehow it has morphed to be a wonderful gift for me! I hope the origianl poster has had positive luck locating some in her area.

I showed some african violets in the spring. I think about 12-13. I didn't make the the top few, but I did pull off a few best in class. This summer I've been badly neglecting them - I am struggling with several other passions/challenges and the violets/ indoor plants are getting the short end of my time. I am at the point realizing I have more plants than I have space for but not sure which ones I want to part with. I'll have to shave down drastically to keep sane. I'm also feeling like I'm constantly fighting an uphill struggle trying to maintain the African violets and a few Streptocarpus in an environment that is hostile to them - too much light + too much heat. Light - to give an idea: Coleus grown indoors will show most of their flashy colors under the lights. (the yellow/green and pink/yellow/green tricolors, some darker ones keep their purple too.) By the window - a little faded, but still okay. Further away, they will reach for the lights. I obviously need the artificial lighting, but not sure how to regulate it for the violets. They are getting pretty bleached and curling/ pushing their leaves down/ away from the lights. I'm still having issues with them drying up too fast. I can try to resolve the light or take a few near the wall/ac but the other is just as damaging. Also I suspect they really resent the tap water and the mineral buildup that ensues rapidly. That said there are a few successes or partial successes I made over the winter - summer. One of them was I successfully sprouted geraniums from seed - speedy mix. They bloomed later than the bedding plants I bought,and still not as big. But still I did it. I am currently starting a 2nd gen from seeds I harvested from my bedding geraniums. We'll see how those survive. I hope they make it over the winter. So far they tolerate the frequent dry spells much better than the AVs. So far, I do not see the rotting issues with the seed started geraniums. I also suspect the overly bright T8 lights are what help. I successfully rooted some rex begonia leaf cuttings in water and got some pups off the stem. (now separated and waiting to see if they thrive on their own.) If rex begonia leaves thrived under the lights/ near my window, perhaps if I tried again with geranium cuttings they might grow too. I'll try that with a tricolor one.