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Dischidia and other exotic plants; two mail order sources.

On Mon, 16 Jun 1997, Judy Showers wrote:

> To Keith & all others interested in this subject:

> Now they are growing all over, blooming and just being neat.

	What do the flowers look like?  

  I saw my first
> Dischidia at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens growing up the posts that
> hold the greenhouse up.  It was probably D. imbricata.  I grow my
> Dischidias on hanging pieces of bark, just like I do my small orchids,
> and they get watered once a week.  

	I have 3 or 4 mounted orchids, but I grow indoors, under lights
and in windowsills.  I have Leptodes unicolor thriving simply mounted on a
stick (from, appropriately Andy's Orchids, aka Andy's Orchid on a Stick). 
I find that I have to water that nearly every day, even though it is
hanging over a humidity tray, and has a lot of other plants nearby to help
generate humidity.  Same sp. mounted on cork bark with a little pad of
moss only requires soaking every 2-3 days.

	Anyway, I don't want to get a lot of mounted plants going if I can
avoid it.  It is a great way to grow, but is better for greenhouse
growers.  Have you grown any of your dischidias in pots?  I assume that
hoya would probably grow mounted, and it certainly grows in pots.  I'm
hoping that dischidias are the same.  

> I would be interested to find out the nurseries that sell Dischidias,
> other than Ted Green in Hawaii.  

	I ordered mine from Lauray of Salisbury, a nursery in CT.  The
plants have not arrived yet, but I have ordered from them before, and was
happy with my order.  They sell gesneriads, begonias, orchids (only about
20), cacti, and succulents.

Lauray of Salisbury		catalog: $2
432 Undermountain Rd
Salisbury, CT  06068

	The begonia selection is extensive, with lots in each category,
and a brief description of each one.  Also a good selection of gesneriads,
of all the other categories, too, it looks like to me.  One of those
catalogs which is good to keep as a reference it is so well done.  No
photos, nothing snazzy, but good information.  

I paid $ 30.00 for that Dischidia years
> ago and I guess it was really worth paying more for a plant that was
> acclimated to our hemisphere because it didn't take long for the plant
> to start growing. 	

	Lauray charges either $3 or $4, they are starter plants.  They
offer D. rafflesiana, D. bengalensis, and four un-named species. 

	The only other catalog which I have that includes dischidias is
that of Rainbow Gardens ("Flowering Jungle Cacti and Other Succulent
Plants").  They seem to be THE place to order orchid cacti (epiphyllums
and their relatives), Xmas cacti, Thanksgiving cacti, and all related
plants.  Their catalog is neat, filled with color photos and excellent
cultural info.  A few photos of the hoyas they offer, but no photos of
dischidias, of which they offer six spp., for the same general price as
Lauray.  

	If you are at _all_ interested in epiphyllums and related plants,
this catalog is a must, really informative.  Also costs $2.00, or at least
it did last year (I have the 95-96 one).  I have not ordered from them,
but their catalog exudes professionalism and good service.    They also
send a copy of their book catalog, which has books on all of the types of
plants which they sell, and then some.  Remember when I listed the name
and address of Joe's Nursery, as a place which offers lots of sanveverias,
cycads, succulents, and myriad more succulents? Also in Vista, as is one
of the most famous gesneriad/begonia/other exotic plant nurseries, Kartuz.
Must be quite a town to visit.  Most of us would need a couple of hundred
dollars and at least an empty car to bring the plants back.   

Rainbow Gardens
1444 E. Taylow Street
Vista  CA  92084

  That's my 2 cents on Dischidias.  Judy Showers
> (Greenhouse grower in Pennsylvania, zone 6)

Thanks, it was good to hear from someone who grows them.  You seem to be
the only person in the Indoor Gardening listserv group who does, so far
anyhow.

Cordially,

Keith Dabney
San Francisco
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