The Greater New York Gesneriad Society
Welcome! We are a group of houseplant enthusiasts focused on the “Miracle Houseplants,” plants in the Gesneriaceae, a family that includes African violets (Saintpaulia), florist gloxinias (Sinningia), Cape primroses (Streptocarpus), Episcias and many other common houseplants.
Next Monthly Meeting
Saturday, March 21, 2026
11am – 2pm
@ the LGBT Community Center
208 West 13th Street, New York City
Growing and Hybridizing Miniature Sinningias
with Dale Martens (via Zoom)
Join us this month as we welcome back Dale Martens, the premier, prize-winning grower and hybridizer of all gesneriads. Dale is known for hybridizing Sinningias but also Streptocarpus and many rhizomatous genera, and has been active in the Gesneriad Society for decades.
Miniature sinningias were Dale’s first gesneriads after she joined Southern California's Grow & Study Gesneriad Society in 1985. She joined the Gesneriad Hybridizers Association and became the main editor in 1997, so next year will celebrate her 30th anniversary. Before email was common, she met our own Al Romano through GHA. He was also a miniature sinningia grower and they became pen-pals, exchanging plant material through the years. At the 2024 Gesneriad Society convention in St. Louis, she won Sweepstakes in Horticulture with 13 blue ribbons. Among those was Best Sinningia for a miniature double she named, S. ‘Dale’s Double Feature’. We’ll have some of her hybrids available at the meeting.
As usual, we'll have coffee/refreshments, a fantastic sales plant, a judged Little Show, raffle, education, camaraderie and more. This meeting is not to be missed! Guests are welcome. Hope to see you then!
Mark your calendars for our remaining meetings in 2026.
March 21
April 18
May 16
June 20
September 19
October 17
November 21
December (holiday party) TBD
We meet at the LGBT Community Center on 13th Street west of 7th Avenue. It's easily accessible by A, C, E, F, L, 1, 2, 3 trains. There is a helpful map on our .