This is probably a good idea, although I've never had good luck
with buying ceph through the mail. If you do buy it, request that
it be sent in the pot, not bareroot. A small plant will have a tough
enough time surviving shipping, doing it bareroot is almost guaranteed
to kill it. The only way I ever got a good living plant was by
going to WIP personally and picking one up (which later bit the
big one when I went to college).
California Carnivores generally caters to people who aren't
collectors, so they have the standby hardy plants. They do sell
exotic Nepenthes, drosera, etc., but this is a less formal process.
I think if you just walk in cold and ask for an exotic plant, you
may not get one if Peter doesn't think you can handle it, or unless
he has lots of extras. It took me a few months to line up a ceph.
Plus, he generally has exotic plants in smaller quantities, and
charges what the traffic will bear.
>>
>>> the things bloom! Maybe I should just send you some money and
>>> tell you to send me something interesting :-).
>>
>>
>>Sure, if you want, Rob. Just give me an idea of how many species you
>>want.
We'll see if I can get off my dead buttocks and actually send an order
in.
>>
>>
>>>Barry, what is the lifespan of pigmie Drosera? My pygmies are
>>>setting gemmae now and look real ratty. How long d'st it take for
>>>pigmys to mature from gemmae? Do you dump any of your pigmees after
>>>they gemmaeify; starting them a'fresh from gemmae? Have any trouble
>>>with mealy pygmys? My D. leucoblasta seems to have 'em bad. In with
>>>the gemmae too.
My limited selection also looks ratty, but they looked great during
the spring and summer. I grow 'em outside, as does Chuck Powell,
and they do fine with a few hours of sun in our California env.
Right now we're getting night temps down in the 30's, and day temps
in the 60's, so growth is considerably slowed. As long as you
don't overwater the less complex ones seem pretty hardy.
Robert