Hello from Oregon USA

Hi everybody! I am the one who inflicted the Pacific series of semps on the world. I have always been interested in plants of artistic form and color.

Over 40 years ago, at about age 10 I was collecting succulents, ferns, and most anything strange. By 15 I was put forth as a judge for a joint society, cactus and succulent show, by my local cactus society. The other judges who were 40 to 60 years older were not amused. They did not even check and see how well I knew the species being judged. I just smiled and spent the time looking at the wonderful plants on display.

My family moved many times in those years, forcing me to limit my plants to those that could be grown outside. my fascination with hardy semps was thus inflamed. With a thirst for new and better clones, I was soon collecting seed as a cheap way to achive my goals. The next spring my father took me to Oakhill Gardens, where Helen E. Payne assured me that all the best hybrids were already done and seedlings would only make muddy low quality plants.

I named one of my first selections after her. Because she thought it presumptous to allow use of her name directly, the seedling that impressed her so much was named Pacific Hep(Helen E Payne). By the next year Pacific Hep had mutated to 2 more forms, one smalll and one with longer 'hairs on the leaf edge. Thus Pacific Mini-Hep and Pacific Hairy Hep arrived. For those who thought Helen had no sence of humor; I submit that it took much humor to allow out a plant called Pacific Hairy Hep--tho as I remember, she never put it in her catalog.

Joining the semp (postal) round robin with all the current USA breeders was an education. I still have copies of those letters somewhere. Kevin V, Bill N, Mina C, and Bill Nh. were all menbers. I grew thousand and thousands of seedlings until I had to leave for College (University).

After finishing school I worked for the major source of plants in the regon, a company called Fred Meyers which was opening more garden shops every year. I became plant buyer, manager and garden expert for a series of their garden shops.

Terra Nova Nurseries hired me to manage their plant collections, breed new plants, and work in new product development. Over time I became one of Terra Nova's most senior employees. Then my eyes started going bad, forcing a series of operations. The last operation finished several weeks ago. I now can see better then at anytime of my life. I do miss Terra Nova, but have much more time to garden.

So I am gathering semps to start breeding again. I think there is room in orange and gold colors for new clones. Some shapes and forms have yet to be done. In the years away from semps many excellent clones have been introduced in Europe. Lots of good material with which to play!
Gary in Oregon

Welcome Gary and congratulation for your Pacific series !
I have Pacific Sexy in my garden, a very beautiful plant.
Feel free to share your experience for seeding

Olivier, Belgium

Gary, I guess you got my mail sent on mysterius ways (Renee from Slovenia here!) .

Do you realize this is your one and only curiculum vitae that can be found!

My offer still stands - name the plants you need for your work!!!

Renee, I thank you for the offer and will take you up on it when I get a better idea of what I can get here in the States. There will be collected forms of species, which will be useful to get. I am always looking for extremes and new genes!
My wife fell at work and is hurting, with cracked arm, knee and ribs. Taking care of her and seeing doctors has put me behind in answering emails. I do apologize for being so slow. So do you want me to answer any questions about my old hybrids? It would be helpful to me to hear ratings on long lasting color in hybrid Semps. What do you and others like best of your collections?Best blue, red, spider type, velvet type, etc. Later!
Gary in Oregon

Gary, first of all - in the name of all forum member I wish your wife to get well soon.

We here at the forum - and other semp enthusiasts as well, would apreciate your comment on the Pacific Devils Food and Pacific Shadow look-alike. Some claim those two cultivars look alike, I but beleive somewhere someday someone made a mistake and most probably the plant named Pacific Shadow is wrong - at least here in Europe. I guess you sorted this out with Erwin, but I would really like to hear (read) your opinion. Thank you!

Pacicfic Devils Food is also making lots of problems to semp enthusiasts, I mean the name: Devels - Devils ...

What do we like best in our collections? This clames for forum - My beloved semps! :P

Renee, Thanks for the good wishes for my Kathy.
'Pacific Devils Food' is named after a rich dark chocolate cake popular in the States. it is a seedling of what we used to call Marmoreum 'Chocolate'. My memory is Mar. 'Chocolate' was itself a selected seedling from the wild collected S. marmoreum ssp. marmoreum cultivar 'Brunneifolium'.
Mar. Brun. is unique of all wild collected plants in having a different gene for getting a milky looking dark haze on the leaves.
'Pacific Shadow' has none of these genes. If any one has problems seeing the difference, look at Erwins pictures. I bet the blooms are very different too.
Any other questions?
Gary

Thank you, Gary!

Yesterday I got some Pacific in plant exchange from a grower in France. They are too small (this year's chicks) to see what will come out of them. But I'm sure new questions about Pacific semps will pop up soon.

Like for example - is there any semps starting with "Pacific" that was not breed by you?

Renee, there is one heuffelii selection that is not mine. Otherwise I think all trace back to me.
I always had relations with the local semp nursery and went several times a summer to first cut out all blooms I did not want crossing and then collecting the resulting seed. The nursery got free labor and the right to introduce the result, while I got access to the best available clones. To get good results I had to grew enough seedlings to toss thousands yearly. Most successful hybridizers will tell you their main job is throwing out the less then acceptable seedlings. It is too easy to love all the results your crosses. In those years few clones looked good past spring. I would take the best back to the local semp nursery and let them grow selections until we could agree on names and do a final culling together.
Gary

Hello Gary !

Congratulation for your works !

Now i've read you, i want to make plants with seeds !!
This morning i wanted to harvest it on faded flowers but i don't see anything !

Can you help me, please ? Are they very very small ?