You can get them on ebay relatively inexpensively if it is a small non-blooming plant. Mostly they will bloom true, but no guarantee.

Right now - it is winter - less plants, more expensive shipping. You can see better choice in a couple of months.

Otherwise - good luck with an exchange. AV vendors charge even more than ebay sellers.

Many people love two tone flowers. There are ways to get the look without the expense of buying chimeras, which can be difficult to grow. However, the best way to insure success is to buy a chimera directly from the hybridizer such as Lyndon Lyon's Greenhouses. Chimeras are costly because they are not easy to grow or propagate. The hybridizer is most likely to have strong plant stock. Then you will have a better chance of succeeding. If the plant fails, then you know it is the variety itself, not the source of the plant material. Joanne

Hear, hear. These plants are not especially stable, they easily mutate back to one tone. Red and white chimeras often become red on pink, they "bleed"...

If I would select what chimera to chose - I would say - 'Yukako'- that's one cast iron plant.

So - I would say - you want to try one - get a good one, pay for it and enjoy. Plus you will have something to swap with when it gives you suckers.

Most plants are not so "unkillable" as Optimaras from the Big Box Store. They are much more fussy and require more attention. The Chimeras - are mutants of these fussy plants - so they are fussy too.

Thanx for the info......

Irina, These are all great points, your last sentence is excellent. I tried to grow Calico Queen by Lyon's and found it delicate and small. The newer Hawaiian Cloud, also by Lyon's, has a similar color combo, is more natural looking, with larger blooms. Although costly, not nearly as costly as Calico Queen and provided the same "bang for the buck." Joanne

I have Calico Queen - and it is blooming and growing like there is no tomorrow. I think you got a sickly sucker and it never took off. May be next time you will get one from somebody else. I got mine on our Council sale last September, it was a young plant in first bloom and I paid $15. I took the buds off, repotted and sprayed it - and it is blooming non-stop since a month after that. Another plant I got - was supposed to be a chimera trailer - 'Enchanted Watercolor' - oops - it reversed to be 'Enchanting Waterfall" - the original fantasy, not a chimera - very bright and very rangy standard trailer. It is interesting, but I was buying a chimera. Another LLG Chimera - 'Rockin' Rosie' - I bought a rooted sucker of it - it grew and suckered more. I have one with a soild coral red with white edge blossom, another plant - chimera - but it supposed to be white with coral red stripe - but its red bleeds all over the petals so it is coral on pink. I probably got an unstable sucker - but it is just another illustration to the fact - that they are tricky. Even when they are originated from a very good outfit like Lyndon Lyon. You pay for them - and lot of them end disappointing. One out of three I love.

Those are very good points to make for Leon to consider, Irina. Chimera's are not the easiest plants to retain. Joanne, I had my troubles with Calico Queen, too, pretty much finding like you did that it was a small, poor growing plant and I finally trashed it. We both must have been unlucky enough to buy duds. Glad to hear that Irina has a good one - so they're not all duds anyway. That's that 'one out of three,' I suppose. ;-)

Cashing out $25... it is more than I want to pay... my biggest flop was buying leaf chimera Primulina 'Cynthia' starter at the Convention for $100. It turned all white and croaked. It was too white to start with... you live - you learn...

The Calico Q I got was from Lyons so the plant was fine. I did not know it needed special care. It was me, not the plant. As for Violet Barn, if ordering from them, plants need special attention. Again, as a newbie, I did not do well. Years ago lyons gave extra plants. One they gave me is a two tone mac's that is still going strong. At this point I go for easy care beauty. JoAnne

My CQ doesn't need a special care. But it was already acclimated to Colorado by the lady who bought the mother plant from LLG. I got the plant that was grown from a sucker here. Sometimes plants take long time to adjust to your conditions. I brought Russian trailers to my friend in Florida - and he is an exceptional grower. It took him 3 generations to tame these guys. Until - leaf - to starter- to leaf - to starter - they were just sulking and missing cold weather.

With VB plants - their soil is so not good for my growing - that's the first thing I do - shake it off and use mine. After that - they do OK. Love Rob's trailers. Especially Rob's Vanilla Trail. Rob's minis and semis - sucker for me, Ma's plants for whatever reason do not want to grow a good rosette. I see people showing them - they look very good, but not for me.

But these plants are grown under lights - they will take time to adjust to the window growing. What I can say about Optimaras - they do pretty good on natural light...

I do not think Calico Queen will ever do that well on the window... As well as most of the fancy hybrids. I think it makes sense to hunt for oldies if you do not plan to put light stands all over your house. They were bred to grow on windowsills.

i.

Thanks again. Having read all the comments I've decided that chimeras aren't for me...too much for a beginner.

Leon - patience is a virtue. Right now - it would be very disappointing to get one and kill it...But in a year - you can become a top chimera grower. It is all not a rocket science. But - if you didn't get the light shelves yet - do it. Makes difference.

Leon, Did we mention to you the Violet Reflections Yahoo group? They have a program called Share the Joy. Someone will be assigned to be a violet pal and mentor you by mailing you violets, not sure if the person sends leaves or plants. It is for new growers like yourself. The leaves would be specialty violets.

That Violet Reflections sounds really interesting....I'll check it out....THX

Irina, good to know that Calico needs to be under a lamp. When I had it, it was under a lamp. But when we moved, I got rid of the shelves. It was an expensive Flora Cart set up that seemed so awkward with the lights on chains, that I let the mover cart it away. Then later regretted not keeping it. Joanne