Hi Jim
Your good point brings up another aspect of plant
buying/selling/trading and that is that for many species of plants
(hibiscus
among them) it's illegal to trade across national/state borders
without
licenses. Uninspected material crossing zones and regions can
spread disease
and pests that can spread to other plants with no natural defense.
Daves
Garden and other sites unwittingly facilitate this trafficking. The
Pink
Mealy Bug in Florida and the Glassy Wing Sharpshooter in California
are two
such pests that have devastated millions in crops in the last few
years.
Worse yet are the viruses and bacteria that are unseen that gets
shipped to
unsuspecting recipients. If you suspect a problem with a plant you
receive
burn it without question.
Man, am I a bummer. Now then Andrea? I think I
promised you a bromeliad. They are looking really good!
David
-----
Original Message ----
From: james singer <islandjim1@comcast.net>
To:
gardenchat@hort.net
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 12:55:41 PM
Subject: Re:
[CHAT] succulents
Let me add what I think is another dimension to this. And
that is the
internet. Many collectors or officiandos of rare and unusual
plants do
a lot more swapping than buying. I can't tell you how many
requests
per week I get at Dave's Garden for seeds or cuttings of plants
I've
photographed. I've traded cuttings and seeds with people in India,
Turkey, Portugal, Australia, Spain, Brazil, New Zealand, Surinam,
Puerto
Rico, Israel, and probably other places I can't remember. The
web has made
this possible--you can consummate a swap in minutes, get
it into the mail in
hours, and enjoy the results in a few days--and it
will cost, max, $5-$6 for
postage.
On Aug 13, 2008, at 12:29 PM, David Franzman wrote:
Hi Noreen
I know exactly what you are saying. What was once rare is no
longer
really rare in the market place however the folks with money
are quite
often the collectors who are willing to pay a premium for fine plant
material
from reputable growers. For the greater number of consumers who
can't really
tell the difference between a succulent and a woody shrub
they shop
at where
ever they can get the least expensive material in the
largest pot.
Since the
big box stores use plants as a lost leader to
bring in customers the
smaller
growers are really having a hard time.
Rare plants is one way they
are trying
to stay in the business without
selling their souls to Lowes and
Walmart.
David
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Island Jim
Willamette Valley
44.99 N 123.04 W
Elevation 148'
Hardiness Zone 8/9
Heat Zone 5
Sunset Zone 6
Minimum 0 F [-15
C]
Maximum 86 F [30 C]
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