What's up doc! Sorry, had to say that. :) So good to hear from you again.

That nursery sounds like my kind of place! I will have to check it out when we are on that side of the state in May. Was the var. banana AE AE? Would love to get my hands on one of them.

Rebecca

Doc glad to see ya back! We missed you.
Are you going to be able to come to the Mid TN Swap?
Cheryl is having an East TN Swap in Seymour. I'm sure that you can make that one.

Rebecca -- I dunno what variety/varieties the bananas were! Calvin mentioned that he goes down to Florida to pick out variegated plants by hand from large wholesalers (picking the variegated plants from large plots of normal plants), so they may not be established varieties at all. He's happy to talk about oddball plants, though, so I'm sure he'd love to tell you all about them. :-)

Thanks BO! The mid-TN swap is just toooooo far for me. I can't be gone overnight, and the way I figger it I'd get there about time to turn around and go back home. ;-) If they'd just have it up in Nashville I could handle it! Not sure I'm gonna have much to swap this year any way....I really neglected everything last summer, so I'm doing a lot of starting over this spring!

Doc, stuff at that little place use to be higher than a cats back. I only went in there a time or two over the last four years and never bought anything.
BTW, that is only a couple of miles from our house so I'm PO'd that you didn't holler at us!!! Next time let me know and we'll hook you up with some dinner before you go home.

Jeff

Yeah, but this is a new owner. Good guy! Btw -- he's got some reasonable looking oakleaf hydrangeas, I think in three gallon tubs, for only $9.95 -- not a named cultivar, but still a good price. :-) I bought the BIG "Looking Glass" begonia for $8.95 -- the baby B. rajah, B. conchifolia, and B. escargot for $3 each -- quart foxgloves 'Apricot Beauty' for $5.99 each -- baby variegated Monstera for $10 -- nice Philodendron 'Pink Princess' for $20 (and worth it!). Some stuff is still pricey -- I wouldn't pay for his gallon columbines at, I think, $8 each -- but if you look in all the corners you'll find interesting stuff!

Thanks for the dinner offer! I grew up in Nashville, though, so I always eat with my folks before I go home. But maybe lunch some time, when I've got enough time! :-)

I know Calvin and he is a true plant freak, which means of course that he's a really great guy. He's got a booth this weekend at the Bloom n Garden Expo in Williamson Co. He's got some gorgeous Alocasias at the booth -- go check 'em out if you're going to the Expo.

Marty

Yeah, actually he told me he was gonna be there. Too bad I won't be!

He had one Alocasia I was really drooling over. Small round leaves, planted in hanging baskets. Very pretty!