Dan -

I have had good experiences with rare-succulents.com in terms of what you describe, though perhaps a little pricey. Nice plants, though.

Tom

Hi Tom, Thanks, they are on my list to contact...they have a nice looking plant that I am interested in so need to contact them.....obviously I want to buy for next spring....a tad cool now for anything else :o) Dan

The best plants, the best service! The Great Petaluma Desert! Outstanding specimens!! Shoot Jerry an email for something your looking for.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Great Petaluma Desert

I e-mailed GPD last year in my search for a nice C. juttae....he didn't have anything with any real size and I've never seen anything on his site that I was interested in (in terms of exact specimen.....he has lots of great plants), but I can always ask.....thanks for the suggestion :o) Dan

Specimen Cyphostemmas are never at the nursery long, they are fast movers!

How big of a juttae you looking for? Art over at Plantoddity has a couple large ones for sale. The one in the link is a beauty! He's in AZ though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plantoddity

Thanks for the link.....I got my C. juttae...the big one in the post that you started.....I'd only want another one if it was really something special.....the wrap around root on that specimen ruins it for me......I'm exceptionally picky....I can easily spend over a year looking for the plant that I buy....I'm sure that is some sort of disease!!!

I am looking for a really spectacular Pachy. bispinosum now and have contacted the guys in India and Thailand to maybe import a really nice Adenium....not the ugly grafted hybrids....some of those are just awful......I contact many people looking for just the right thing.....thanks for the help :o) Dan

Hi Dan,

Rare Succulents comes up our way for the summer C&S show - I have been impressed by her plants - very nice, but yes spendy. However what kind of a price tag do you put on a plant that is almost an art form (IMHO)? It is OK to be picky (and patient) to get exactly what you want - especially when you have limited space.

Great Petaluma Desert is about 8 hours north of Long Beach. Worth stopping in if you are in the area but I'm not sure the drive would be worth it. However Jerry does have a lot of plants there that are not on his website.

I visited Grigsby in San Diego this summer and purchased some plants. They are a two hour drive south of Long Beach. I would inquire to see what their availability is before driving there (no email but they do take calls) and also ask them who they might suggest in their area. There are a bunch of growers just on their road alone. They have some amazing specimens growing in their garden.

Fullerton Arboretum has some lovely Cyphostemmas growing in the gardens, worth seeing if you are in the area at all.

Good luck with the caudex bug,,,, dangerous territory!

Alicia

Hi Alicia, Thanks for the post....did you see the pic of the wonderful bulb you sent me?? It is also producing a nice big offset so it seems to be very happy with me :o)

I will be visiting a very good friend (science geek like me) in San Diego after the Biophysics meeting in Long Beach so can definately stop in at Grigsby!!

Rare Succulents has a Pachy I really like.....just haven't pulled the trigger!! They also have some fantastic winter growing specimens, but I think I will hold off on those. I agree by the way, that these are art-like. I always describe my huge Boophane as architectural in their appearance.....worth every penny.....I could start with a seedling and in 50 years would probably still not have what I do in my collection because of my environment.....my time is fairly valuable to me and if I can spend a couple or few hundred $$ to get a phenominal specimen then I do not worry about it getting bigger.....just more of an aged appearance with time is all I am after once I own it.

I still owe you some Worsleya seed....this years crop is supposedly being harvested in Brasil as I type so hopefully can get you some soon!

My shipment from Peru is also finally on the way....man, that was a long slog through red tape!

A dangerous bug indeed :o) Dan

you might want to call Calif Castus Center on Rosemead Blve. in Pasadena . Calll first and ask 1626 795 2788

It's a place not to miss, this is not a backyard nursery.
Norma

I was going to add Calif. Cactus Center in Pasadena too. It's worth a trip if you can do it. 'Bout an hour's drive from Long Beach if you are lucky and avoid traffic.

I cannot say if they respond to e-mails, but they are always helpful when I'm in there. If you buy something, they'll repot it in the pot of your choice if you ask. I do not know if they ship.

If you are in the Pasadena area, try to to take in the Huntington Gardens in San Marino. They have a fabulous cactus garden and greenhouse. Not much plant shopping there, but lots to see.

Hope this link from the Huntington Gardens greenhouse works:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/suzuj/Cactus%20Garden/IMG_1388.jpg

I agree with visiting California Cactus Center. Really the only nursery that you are going to find a gem around here. Unfortunately, they are ridiculously expensive. You can find rare stuff there but expect to pay for it...alot. And as mentioned, the Huntington is 5 minutes away.

Hey All, Yep, CA Cactus Center is definately on my list of places to go. They do not e-mail (never understand that), but based on some of the pics on their site they have some nice plants that I might come back with. I do not mind the price as long as it is something I really just have to have.

I'm waiting for Obesa in South Africa to send me some pics.....assuming they can come in cheaper then I might go the import route!! After all, many of the nurseries just import and then sell to us, so if I can get the right things at the right price I might just leave out the guy in the middle :o) Dan

I have wanted to go to the CA cactus Center for the last year but it seems like whenever I am in southern CA I go straight through Los Angeles en route to see the family in Orange County. I keep thinking that I will go back up after settling in but never want to deal with the traffic. After seeing all these post I am going to make the next trip around stopping in LA first thing!

Dan I think that you are correct about the nurseries importing - I believe that most of the "fat plant" nurseries do import the majority of their stock. One thing to consider though is that I think most of the importers are doing a bit of traveling and hand-picking the stock that they want or have local sources that they trust to pick nice plants. That might be worth researching.

By the way,,, I am so glad that your Haemanthus 'King Alfred' bloomed for you this year. Isn't the color of the flowers amazing? Considering that it was divided, potted up, then bare-rooted again and shipped says how little it takes to disturb their bloom cycle. Pretty cool plant indeed!

I would be delighted to get some Worsleya seed when it comes in. Sounds like fun.

Alicia

Hi Alicia, Well, after these posts I am pretty sure I will be going there!!

I agree about the overseas nurseries and I can say that I contacted Obesa based on a recommendation. I have asked them to send me pictures of specimen plants I can choose amongst and hopefully they will come through and I can get some nice specimens that way. I can e-mail you some pics if they send me any so you can get a feel for them as well if you would like. I'll contact you via e-mail about this. One of my biggest questions is always whether they will ship Amaryllids and such with roots intact....many people do not realize that it is the shipping country that determines this as well as the receiving country.....the U.S. allows washed roots obviously (think Amaryllis from the Dutch), but as far as I know the South African govt. requires that they be removed...makes it harder to start the plants again.

I was shocked the King bloomed.....I thought it would take atleast one more year to settle in properly, but obviously this is one tough hombre :o) Dan