That is fantastic! You have to have at least 70 to be
considered a collector. So just relax and enjoy! You have a part of nature indoors to brighten your life.
When you get to 700, then you are in "business." It is all
just a matter of how you look at it! Why not enjoy what you
love, and help to keep nature alive! Congratulations and looking forward to your pictures. It is nice that your local store carries them because I know you said it is not possible for you to send for them where you live.

Lol Joanne, I better not start counting, I probably have 400 seedlings now plus my 'actual plants'.

Juju, were they actually labelled? WM usually only carries optimaras here, and i was thinking optimara modesty might resemble private dancer (in photographs at least), and there is also a pink optimara with raspberry edge, never looked up the name though.
Just wondering. I find it hard to find anything named in my area, unless it is by mail...

Karin

Karin, you must be correct. These might be Optimara modesty, etc.

How is Optimara modesty different from Private Dancer in the real things?

Karin, being a botanist and raising them from scratch puts you in the "very serious scientist" category. Head and shoulders above us mere acquirers!

I'm no botanist ;-p more creative dabbler :-D

and i can't tell what the difference between o. modesty and private dancer is in real life - i've never seen private dancer in person, and my o. modesty wasn't labelled, so it's ID is more of an educated guess, really. (goes to show ow much i actually don't know ;-p )

i think the main difference is size and probably leaf shape, but that is another guess....

Karin (who guesses a lot)

lol, based on previous posts, I think Bob Serbin should know for sure.

I have absolutely no trouble telling Private Dancer from Optimara Modesty. I grow them both (or did until Modesty went so pink - am trying to get a nice plant back).

Private Dancer (8548) 11/09/1996 (S. Sorano) Semidouble-double dark blue pansy/light raspberry ruffled edge. Variegated dark green, white, cream and pink, plain. Large

Optimara Modesty (8328) 12/14/1995 (Holtkamp) Single dark blue frilled. Variegated green and cream, variable pink; heart-shaped, hairy, wavy, serrated/red back. Standard

Optimara Modesty is single blue. Private Dancer is more purple with the raspberry edge and is semidouble to double. O. Modesty has serrated leaves, Private Dancer doesn't and its leaves aren't heart-shaped. The ruffled edge on Private Dancer is more ruffly (I'm sure there's a better way of saying that! Plus it's raspberry.).

Diana

Diana is spot on! I have both and flower and leaves are different - which is why I love them both :)

Diana,

My Optimara Modesty is gorgeous. Its colour is not dark blue but varies to a light blue - actually light purple, but the reflection of colour under sunlight is a true blue. Some flowers have wavy edges while a few don't (maybe they are young?), and a few flowers do have light raspberry ruffled edge (maybe they are old?). Oh, it is gorgeous. I love it.

Optimara Modesty does have a blue violet tinge to it. That's why I thought it looked so bad when its foliage turned very pink. I can't decide if plants differ or people's view of the colors differ in the blues. I think all violets have some purple in them. None are cornflower blue for instance or forget-me-not blue.

You would see the distinct raspberry band on the tightly ruffled edge on Private Dancer. It's thin but it's there.

I love both plants too.

Diana in PA