'Grainger's Humanity'

The first year a plant is hybridized and grown you never really can tell how well it will hold up.  Last year 'Grainger's Humanity' was created, and with the dark green leaves and semi-double blood-red blooms, it has great contrast value.  Over the winter months in the greenhouse, more and more people were pointing it out to me so I produced more in very limited number to trial this summer.  Well, it has held up exceptionally well.  It is a true dwarf, grows thick, and blooms profusely.  As crazy as it seems, it is not easy to get a dwarf/miniature variety with blood-red strong blooms, so this variety will hopefully spread across the country in time because I sure do enjoy it.

With the much needed rain, please make sure to check your stems and petioles for black mildew spots.  Some varieties like 'Dolly Varden' and 'Boths's Beauty' are always susceptible, but check them all.  Use a sulphur-based fungicide (Safers makes one) and lightly scrub the fungus spots off with paper towel piece that have been wet first with the fungicide.  I never cross contaminate by using small cut squares of the paper towel and throwing them out after each specimen.  Also, remove any leaves with brown botritus spots if they appear in this wet weather.  A stitch in time saves nine.