Yes, lots of choices. I'd reconsider Escargot since it can be cantankerous - great in summer but usually will tank (die) sometime in winter unless you grow it in a terrarium forever (this will keep it somewhat dwarfed though).

Be forewarned that Violet Barn plants are very small so you must baby them along until they get some size and this can be tedious/frustrating as too much water and they rot or not enough and they dry out and die.

Some of your wish list are rexes and may frustrate you if you aren't aware of their nature. Once you understand them they are some of the most beautiful of foliage plants.

Give Steve's Leaves and Taylor Greenhouses a look since they have lots of plants and are usually grown quite well. eBay is another place to look (PJ's Violets is very good).

I've had 'Tempest' and 'Vista' for years from Rob's Violets so I guess they are my favorites.

I wanted a mix of Rexs an rizo begonias. And I have an ulterior motive for buying from robs, there are some avs that I've been wanted to order for some time now. I have heard that Robs plants are pretty small/immature but I have an old fish tank they can stay in until they've grown a bit. And as far as escargot goes, it's only 3.99 so can't pass that up right?

It isn't the cost of the plant, it's the frustration of some finicky ones. If anyone thought begonias would be an easy plant to grow and started with Escargot then they would swear off begonias after the best care they gave this one and it still died.

Lots of folks eschew rexes due to their behavior but I find them appealing and have dozens. Even as annuals they are worth it.

I wished I knew the best advice on the Violet Barn to give you, perhaps repot them as soon as you can. Maybe it is the media they grow them in that causes the eventual problems.

I've had quite a few begonias over the years. After several moves I'm down to two noid Rexs and I'd like to expand my collection. And I'm not worried about the size of the plants the violet barn sells. I'm just curious if I'd left of a favorite or of anyone knows of one that is much better looking in real life.

There are thousands of cultivars and species out there. What colors, sizes, types are you interested in?

I'd like to stick with these two venders for now. I have a bit of a space constraint so no extra large growing varieties. I love Rexs but unique and beautiful rhizos are great too. I haven't looked into angel wings but I might be interested in those. As of right now I'm not really interested in cane or shrug varieties.

I'd say you have a good selection to start with. Think about adding rajah - great terrarium plant. B. bipinnatifida is a great terrarium plant and can get very bushy. Some small terrarium species are kingiana, luzonensis, iridescens (so far this has stayed compact for me but I see it might get larger than I thought), and quadrialata ssp. nimbaensis. B. amphioxus and serratipetala are more shrub like but can be managed in a terrarium too. There are a lot more of course but these are some I have had very good experiences with.

If you want an easy dark one but can get medium sized try 'Taconite'. 'Black Coffee', 'Joe Hayden' are fairly easy too.

Silver/white - get U489, Silver Dollar, and many canes have silver streaking or white dots. Cancan stays silver through summer but as the temps get cooler it will turn pink and eventually a very dark pink then shed all its leaves like a rex normally does but it is worth the year's wait.

Rexes - Fireworks, Blue Wings, Mike's Mauve, Celia, Pink Champagne (can get very large), Judy Cook takes heat and gets huge, Andrea Prado, Alma Crawford, Cancan, Merry Christmas, Purple Curl, Super Curl, Navajo Sunset, Plum Paisley, Green Dreams, Persian Swirl, Georgia Tasker, Indian Summer, and so many more - hard to beat putting six different ones in the same large community pot or basket for instant color. Deco Twirl is one of my favorites and is part of the Deco series hybridized by Tim Anderson at PHOE and are bred for the heat.

Hugh McLaughlin looks like a rex but doesn't act like one. Very easy - very colorful. I think this was created by Antoon in Holland.

Here is my big Hugh and is quite easy to keep going year long.

I've found 'Helen Teupel' to be a very easy and vigorous rex hybrid.

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