G. -

Did you pot the broken stem? Should be possible to root it.

Sorry - cannot say anything about growing hardy gesneriads - in our area it is waaay too dry - I tried achimenes - got the rattiest looking plants - and in winter they will freeze.

I think you need to check with the gesneriphiles chat group and look up the previous messages. There are people in a northwest successfully growing all kinds of hardy gesneriads.

Irina

Thanks, Irina. I haven't had courage enough to post to the list, tho' I lurk regularly. Silly of me. Also kinda hope to get more people interested in them! I know parts of the country they can't grow outside--but they still make fine houseplants!--and I have the impression they grow more places than people realize. Both coasts for sure--or should I say all three coasts?! I'm growing some in pots for exactly the opposite problem for yours--I'm concerned about drainage. Always something, hmm?

G. -

could it be too hot in LA for some of the alpine gessies or the ones that came from Japan? I heard that these plants do not grow well indoors.

As I remember our Jon_D grows a lot of gessies in his yard in a Bay area but they are in pots as well - and I believe that soil and drainage are the reasons.

I think people grow hardy sinningias in beds in a Pacific coast and may be cover them for winter with mulch. Just ask this question on gesneriphiles. These people are very nice and will be glad to share their experience.

I.

Should have said about the broken top--by the time I found it it was pretty dried out. Thought about putting it to soak to see if I could revive it, but I think the kittens had been knocking it around for awhile and had pretty effectively killed it. They're so cute! I do put things that get broken in a pot to root quite often. Even the best-packed plant orders usually have a leaf or even the top of the plant broken off, and I can usually manage two for the price of one! Trouble is, I don't really have room for the one (not that that ever stops me).