Try Tropic to Tropic in B.C. http://www.tropic.ca

Bougielover, thanks, but the price for a gallon, plus shipping plus Phytosanitary Certificate equals a very expensive plant. Does anyone have suggestions for nurseries in the USA?

Hi kayjones,
I have found that the more I search the net for specific plants the more I find great deals on plants. Obscure sites have good prices alot. With that said what specific tropicals are you looking for? Bananas, alocasia's, palms, etc. Sometimes you can get good deals on Ebay.

Shipping gallon sized plants that aren't stripped of soil gets expensive, have you considered smaller sized plants in 2 or 4 inch sized containers as an alternative? Kartuz Greenhouses in Vista, Ca. has lots of flowering vines of this size and they do mailorder. Still not as cheap as buying a one gallon here locally in California, but it may be the most economical way for you to go.

Thanks, everyone. Tropicallvr, do you have any names of the obscure sites? Again, thanks!

kay - I have had good luck with Jene's Tropicals in the past. Forgot what the shipping was but I think it is tied to how far away it is going. They are in Florida and indicate on their website that they got hit bad by the hurricanes last summer, which is a shame. But all I know is that what I had ordered a couple years ago, came in as huge container plants (a Brown Turkey fig and a Tahiti gardenia), like 3 gallon size. You could maybe call them to see if they can get what you are looking for if they don't have it.

I have ordered from Jene's Tropicals. Their packaging is first rate and the prices competitive, however they once charged me more for shipping than they said they would (via e-mail). I argued the point, but they refused to make amends. Use caution and good luck.

i recommend wellspringgardens.com
great prices and quality!!!!

I checked out a couple of the sites recommended above because I'm always looking for new sources. Wellspring 'didn't answer my request for information'--hate it when people refuse to speak to me! but they're probably taking advantage of the season to get things cleaned up from the storms. I guess I'm getting old enough I should be more interested in places like Jene's that seem to sell most of their stock in 3 gallon pots, but the very same thing that makes me wonder if I can wait a couple of years for a plant to show up means that I have trouble digging big holes or carrying big pots, so I prefer smaller sizes, and not just because they're cheaper, tho' that helps. Some of the tropical vines you want might be available in small sizes from, for instance, Logee's Greenhouses, where they sell things as houseplants and therefor in small sizes, and much cheaper than 3 gallon pots would be to ship. Another site I have had good results from is Dollan Nursery (they're on vacation 'til the middle of February) where they sell very small but healthy and well-packed plants for very low prices. They do need extra coddling at first because they are so small, and I lost a few last year because we had a very strong windstorm and I couldn't find where they'd blown to in time to save them. But that was strictly my fault and I plan to order from them again.

I would second the recommend for Dollar nursery for cheap plants. This was the obscure one I had in mind, but I couldn't find it.

Here is a link that might be useful: dollar not dollan

Hi kayjones,

I have had suggest buying smaller tropicals off of ebay, there are a lot of tropical plant sellers on ebay, just make sure you check their feedback to find one that ships good quality plants. A couple of sellers that I have ordered items from recently are: butterflykissedme and plantranch....

Thanks for all the suggestions. I may not have made myself clear about what I am looking for. Here is my 'want' list:

Plants I am looking for:
Lapageria rosea
Clerodendrum minahasse
Solanum macranthum
Saritae magifica
Stigmaphyllon malpighaiceae
Plumeria
Alyxia olviformis
Phillipean violet
Passiflora mollissima
Cassabanana vine
Dolichos biflorus
Mucunas vines
Bananas
Brugmansias
Stemmadenia tree
Clerodendrum wallichii
Clerodendrum splendens
Erythrina
Solanus wendlandii
Aristolochia elegans
Aristolochia gigantica
Canavalia rosea
Clytostoma callistegiades
Congea tomentosa
Ipomoea pes-caprae
Lygodium species
Phaseolus coccineus
Pyrostegia venusta
Jade vines - both red and green
Abrus precatorius
Condonopsis clematidea
Condonopsis lanceolata
Condonopsis pilulosa
Echinocystis lobata
Tripterygium
Cananga odorata
Passiflora vespertilis
Allamanda 'cherries jubilee and choc. cherry
Dalechampia dioscoraefolia
Clerodendrum speciosum
Clerodendrum philippinum
Clerodendrum quadrilocalare
Dichorisandra thysifolia
Passiflora perusii
Passiflora platyloba
Passiflora 'ruby glow'
Passiflora citrina
Passiflora cyanea
Passiflora 'lady margaret'
Passiflora nephrodes
Passiflora decaisneana
Streptocarpus
Thunbergia mysorensis
Araujia
Canarina canariensis
Sandersonia aurantiaca
Merreimia siberica

Solanum aviculare
Aristolochia clematitis
Calystegia (yellow morning glory)
Telosma cordata
Ipomoea longiflora (pink moon vine)
I will trade OR buy either plants or seeds for these.

Since you list a wide selection I sugguest you search for each plant and maybe a nursery will have more than one of the plants you want.
Logee's Greenhouse, Native Habit, Ecolage, Aloha Tropicals, are a start.

I can help you with the plumeria, bananas, brugmansias, passiflora citrina, passiflora lady margaret, and thunbergia mysorensis.

Rylaff, I emailed you - love ya!

Rylaff, I saw that you have passi lady margaret, do you think I could grow this particular variety indoors? I have been searching the web for an indoor, small vine passi that would bloom most of the year. And the perfume is also a plus! Please advise. Thank you!!

Unless you have a solarium, it's unlikely you will get most plants to bloom indoors. The best thing to do is just try it - ya never know - anything's possible! Let us know.