Well, Happy belated Birthday to you! I'm all for buying oneself a little something on one's birthday - and good choices. (Love the name of that strep and I'll have to look it up!)

Hope you enjoy opening your "present" when it arrives. :)

Anne

Happy Birthday, DB - hope all your plants will do their best for you!

I ordered 3 plants last week from Rob. I needed Primulina dryas "Angustifolia" for the project - and decided to treat myself with Aeschynanthus humilis 'Topaz" and Kohleria hondensis. Plants arrived in a very good shape - they were hefty starters from the very beginning - Kohleria hondensis is in bud - and they were well wrapped and came without a single creased leaf... I am quite happy with my new plants.

I have Bristol's Ravishing Ruby - and in my conditions it is not ravishing. Strong compact plant, good grower, flowers are on a small side and lack pizzazz. Primulina "Destiny" is excellent. Jolly Mars is a good reliable Pittman. Grows and blooms really well.

i.

Well, I was a bit doubtful on the shade of RR, wish I'd asked your opinion first. I can only hope my lighting suits it better. The small flowers won't be a problem for me at all. Glad your Robs plants arrived well, mine should be here, Wed I hope (shipping I hope Monday)....but the shipping date is in my mind and nowhere else.

I'm of course anxious to see what freebie Rob throws in.

Didn't get none ;-((..

But with quality of the plants i got... who cares. Plus Aeschynanthus "Topaz" - the yellow sport of humilis - I think I got his last one. It is extremely rare...

Happy Birthday DB!!!!! Love those birthday gifts!!!!! Rosie

Well they arrived today...all look good, some of the AVs flowering. The chirita(s) (yes plural) are young but look good. The streps are always tiny (two leaves)..but they'll get there.

The surprise plant was Chirita linearifolia...which isn't well documented out there. Anyone know anything about growing it ?

Like the rest of them. Grows more like a bonsai - with elongated stems and elegant linear leaves. Close to impossible to start from a leaf, only from tip cuttings. Blooms with long graceful bloomstalks. I use a regular AV soil with a bit of extra perlite, a pinch of dolomite and perlite on the bottom of the pot. I think it is pretty tough.

Yes, it reminds me (and other ppl apparently) of C tamiana, which is about rock solid for me. My read is perhaps heavier light than tamiana and maybe a shade better drainage/less moist, but otherwise, I plan on treating it similarly.

I had no idea it had been renamed (yet again)...darn botanist that have nothing better to do (I'm a horticulturalist and I grow them...not name them).

I suspect when the new batch of them taxonomists need their PhDs... New splitting and/or lumping starts...