Re: Bergenia "Tubby Andrews"

In a message dated 7/27/02 4:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
diannthoma@netscape.net writes:

<< Knowing zilch about tissue culture, I'm now wondering what "luck to be 
found" could possibly mean.... >>

Same here.  We visited a tissue culture laboratory in CT. once and were only 
allowed to look through a glass window put there for that purpose.  Sterile 
conditions were strictly maintained.  I know the process but I don't know why 
some "take" and others do not.  Tissue culture has brought down the cost of 
many plants that would be too expensive for the ordinary gardener.  Shrubs 
and trees are also cultured now.  Early on gardeners thought tissue cultured 
plants were weak or might show strange characteristics but that has proven to 
be untrue.  It is not terribly difficult, many small nurseries operate labs, 
Logees of CT does begonias on site.  Alan Haskell in New Bedford has been 
doing it himself for quite a while.  You are usually not allowed to observe 
unless you put on sterile booties and keep your hands off everything.   This 
being commonplace now, it was unthought of when I was in school, the stuff of 
papers written by dreamers.

There is an interesting story on a hosta called 'Patriot'.  It is very 
striking, cool white and dark blue green.  It was also quite expensive.  
Tissue culture becoming common was cloning hostas.  A Dutch nursery cultured 
'Patriot' and it became less than 10.00 in one season.  Some paid five time 
that or more and were very annoyed with this plant being made available so 
soon.  So I guess the story is as your friend makes clear.  Wait one year and 
the plant will be in Walmart.  I bought one, a good sized plant and paid less 
than 10.00 for it, still here and happy.

I'll be watching for Tubby.  That is funny because we have a cat named Mitzi 
who is more often called Tubby, I won't forget the name plus I keep a Windows 
folder on things I want. I put it there.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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