Also, a Google search pulled up some results for Alan's Fallen Angel that look nothing like the pictures shown on the Bluebird Greenhouse website. How much does the varigated varieties differ from one individual plant to another? How can one be nearly solid white and another have barely any white? Can you change the plant's appearance by changing the growing conditions, light, soil, temp, acidity?

Many variegated hybrids are a bit slow in growth. I have grown Alan's Fallen Angel and it did not make its own crowns. Probably if I wanted to take it to show I would have pinched the center. But it seems that in one year's growth it made only one crown. I'm not sure it will make a good show trailer.

Foliage is very pretty and that is important since flowers are not speedy to develop. It is still a very nice hybrid.

Nancy

Nancy, what does it mean when you say it doesn't develop its own crowns? I have one trailing violet, but it hasn't developed multiple crowns yet, so I haven't had to learn how to train it yet. Also, why pinch the center? Does this cause it to grow new crowns?

I don't know much about trailers except that they have genes from other plants and can be grown in hanging baskets or as ground cover.

Lun,

If you remove the main growing point of a plant, it stimulates latent growth cells in other parts of the plant-the plant will produce side growths, what we call 'suckers'. Have you ever grown petunias and pinched out the centers to produce a bushier plant?

Same principle.

Linda

Lun,

Variegation is usually brought out by growing in cooler than usual temperatures. Also, for me, the larger a plant grows, the more variegation it shows.

Linda

I've had good experiences with Bluebird - 2 small orders this summer from there. Normally there are 2 leaves per packet and a few extras thrown in as gifts.

Louise

I really like Bluebird Greenhouses. My order from them was great and they included a couple of gift leaves. I will order from them again for sure.
I think Nancy was referring to the trailing type AV growing more crowns, which they are supposed to do. They sort of branch out and spread. Allen's Fallen Angel is a trailing AV.
Variegation (with any variegated plant) does fluctuate and you can have babies from a mother leaf that will all have different levels of variegation. Sometimes variegation disappears for a while, then comes back.
This has all been a great learning adventure for me!

Alan's Fallen Angel is a pain in a tush. It is very heavily variegated, the leaves are thin and brown easily, it grows very slowly and blooms rarely. It doesn't want to put 3 crowns - the best I ever had was 2. Probably with extra TLC you can get somewhere - but really - there are plenty of AVs that perform better without any effort. A friend in FL grows a very decent one - so maybe it loves only FL and should be grown in warm and humid climate.

I.

Irina, thanks for cluing me in. I thought it might be a fussy plant. I'm tempted to give it a try anyway. I mean, I live in Georgia, nice and humid here (sometimes more than we humans would like it to be, but AV's love it). I guess the worst that can happen is that it dies. I've said it before, I'm stubborn and I enjoy a challenge. Wouldn't it be rewarding if I could pull it off? Then again, maybe this one would be better left until I have a few more years of growing and experience under my belt.

Lun,

Experimenting is the name of the game.

Linda

I think when you are newbie - you need to stick to rewarding plants. You can be discouraged. When you are a very experienced grower - you want them to perform well - and if something looks like you know what- you do not get discouraged. I would start with easy trailers and learn how to grow them well. Rob's trailers are very rewarding - and if you decide to get more info - AVSA has a CD with instructions - by Bill Price. This is a fantastic info from the best grower of the century. And it is an easy step by step manual how to grow them great.

Hi LunR,
In my experience with Bluebird, even though they show
the plant on the website, they might not have it in stock.
With my order, they substituted several of my selections
without asking permission first. They also did not include
a copy of the invoice in the shipment. Plants appeared to have been hastily packed, with almost no extra packing material, aside from being wrapped in newspaper with plastic on the soil, but not on the leaves. The leaves were wilted from resting against absorbent newsprint while in
shipment. For those main reasons, I would not order from them again.
Here are more details:

I recently ordered from Bluebird Geenhouse for the first
time. They substituted two or three of the plants I ordered,
with no copy of the invoice included in the box. (The plant sticks were labelled "substitution.") I found it difficult to communicate with them. I wanted to make sure they had the plants I chose. The plants were of a good size, however, they were not first wrapped in cellophane, they
were wrapped in newspaper. This caused several plant
leaves to dry out and consequently had to be removed.
On the plus side, the plants were in strong little 2.5" pots,
and do not need to be repotted. I felt the order was handled hastily. I believe they may have had a note on
their website that they were very busy. Joanne 47

Joanne -

they cannot wrap leaves in plastic - they will rot. You always get some damage on the leaves - they are going to get tossed in the mail. Strong young plant will get over it - and if you have broken leaves - put them down for babies.

If you order from any vendor - always put a note - no substitutions - or give a list of plants that are your second choice for substitutions.

Bluebird Greenhouses have a very good selection, bunch of rare plants. They recently downsized their operation from greenhouses to home growing- so probably they have less plants- but the quality is better under the lights.

These people are very involved in the works of the AVSA - so could be at the Convention or meeting at that time. I personally met owners several times - and they are great people, pleasure to know and deal with.

You cannot get from mail as nicely looking plants as you get
just unpacked from Optimara truck. These are packed in boxes, transported in the temperature controlled trucks, they do not touch one another - sitting in open sleeves in boxes...But the only thing you can get that way - Optimaras. When you get your parcel - you sometimes wonder -if somebody was playing soccer with these boxes.

But you are paying for a healthy starter of the rare variety, not for the fact that every leaf in some miraculous way arrived immaculate.

Every vendor has some customers who are not 100% satisfied. You can choose not to deal with them again. But - IMHO - these guys are good. You just need to be more specific regarding substitutes.

Irina

Hi Irina
Thanks for the feedback, it is very helpful! The plants
from Bluebird were quite large and bounced back
very quickly. I think they were busy with the Convention
when they shipped my order. I have ordered a lot from
LLG over the years, so am accustomed to their
packing and customer service. Probably not fair of
me to compare others as Bluebird is certainly providing
a service.
Joanne

LLG is a business with employees - while BlueBird is hubby and wife - so there will be some issues with delays. You can ask if they can put leaves down for you of the specific varieties you missed first time - so you can get your plants later.

Irina

Hi Irina,
You answered the very question I had!
(about relative size of LLG and Bluebird).
thanks for the advice! Believe me, I truly appreciate
anyone who has taken this up as a business and is
willing to provide plants for others to enjoy.

Bluebird did not
communicate too well with me so I will leave
them alone. I enjoy their website and am happy
with the progress the plants are making that I got from
them.

However, another grower has been very friendly
and responsive by email. (I guess she "spoiled me"
a little!) She offered to get leaves from a grower
she would meet up with at a show and put them
down for me. This was for a vintage variety.

Needless to say, I was very impressed!!

Joanne