The recent Plant Heritage Collection Holder Conference 2024 at Kew Gardens was a great experience for Lynne and me. Did you know Plant Heritage is the world's leading garden plant conservation and research charity? It provided us an opportunity to connect with fellow growers who share our passion for preserving the heritage of plants in our country. At Dibleys, we proudly maintain three National Plant Collections.  We hold National Collection status for our Streptocarpus, Saintpaulia and Petrocosmea.   We currently have 183 varieties of Streptocarpus in our collection.

As a child, going to Kew was always a special experience. Exploring the greenhouses and discovering the Begonias and various gesneriads, including Streptocarpus and Saintpaulias, was especially enjoyable. This time it was fascinating to observe the Petrocosmeas thriving and flowering profusely in the alpine house, even with a much lower temperature than we typically provide - a valuable lesson to take away!