I can't say enough about Lyndon Lyon Nursery. Great selection and wonderful plants. The columnea I ordered each had three well-rooted pieces instead of the normal one.

The episcias were large, hardy plants.

If you order before May 1, you get one free plant for every five you buy.

Linda

I really like Lauray of Salisbury. I think she had some trouble with orders last year because her mother died (Laura) not long after her father did too (Ray--I like that name! But she is a major expert on gesneriads and has the most extensive list I know. Rob's Violet Barn is adding more gesneriads and they're very good. Marcia Belisle is very good too.

I love Kartuz in California. I can't say enough good things about them. Some of my plants were lost in last summer's storms and I called the owner to replace them (no internet service). He was so very nice. I have never received a plant from them that wasn't in absolute perfect condition.

AlenaMaria -

hope you will be able to drive one day to Kartuz - his place is one hour drive from south LA.

Marcia Belisle has a fantastic selection, everything is top notch, Rob'- always excellent quality.

I think you can order from anybody - some plants are so rare that you will be lucky to find a vendor - and even if the plants are small and not the best - you will always baby them up.

No vendor is guaranteed not to send you bugs. No one. So be vigilant - they are vigilant too - but Mother Nature gave the pests a fantastic survive and spread potential.

Cheers

Irina

You make an excellent point, Irina--or actually several of them. We have too few vendors, and everyone has problems at one time or another--don't we? I forgot to mention someone I've gotten excellent service and plants from, Yucca Do. They're not basically a gesneriad vendor, but they carry an impressive list of hardy ones. Of course, they aren't hardy everywhere, but if they're not hardy for you they will grow just fine in pots, where a lot of us had been growing them before some brave souls discovered how well they do outside!

I got some VERY nice gessies from Lyndon Lyon last Fall. I have not had any problems with them and they are all still doing very nicely.

I also ordered gessies from Kartuz and received those yesterday. VERY nice, as well. These are both good vendors.

Irina is right about pests. Even the best vendors may sometimes unknowingly send you a plant with bugs. It's up to us as plant enthusiasts to keep our eyes GLUED for such activity. I've been blessed so far not have been sent any plants with bugs, but I know, there will come a time.

GH

Does anyone know if the vendors mentioned above have internet sites? I am familiar with Lyndon Lyon and Rob's but not the others. Please help? Thanks.

You can just google Lauray of Salisbury, which is what I do even tho' I've probably got it saved. Same with Yucca Do Nursery. Last I checked Marcia Belisle was working on a website but didn't have it all set up--you could find her and others at the Gesneriad Society website. If you haven't joined the Gesneriad Society I highly recommend it; among many reasons to join they have a seed list which includes many kinds you simply won't find anywhere else. Oh--I think you probably still can find them as the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society, even tho' they have changed the name to simply Gesneriad Society, since gloxinias are gesneriads so the name was redundant, and it is an international society.