I'd love to try one of your mystery plants or one of your bananas! I live just down the road from you, off of 120th past the fire station.

I don't have a lot of tropicals to trade, but I do have a few nice Iris, any particular kind you're looking for? I have several of the PCI irises and a few of the beardeds also. I have a hardy aloe that I'm not sure if I can divide a piece of yet, but if I can would you like to try it?

Looking forward to meeting a new neighbor on Saturday :)

Andi

Hi Rick, thanks for that email, sorry I was a little slow getting back. It's good to find another tropical nut in PNW. :)
Your plants that would interest me, in order:
Bauhania variegata
Musa acuminata
citrus trees
Also if you have extras these 2 are on my someday list:
tibouchina
Passiflora actinia
Here's a picture of my big epi:
{{gwi:683219}}
Do you have a tacca yet? Triple yellow Datura? I also have a rare mini epi (pink) that I haven't listed, max size in a 6" pot.
Also not on the list is a variegated brugmansia with big yellow flowers and large leaves. Tons more if I ever get the time to list it all. :)

hi, good to hear back from both of you, glad to hear there is some interest in tropicals out there!

Andi, you're welcome to have the Cavendish banana and it sounds like Tom would like the other one, so that seems to work out well. On irises, I mostly like blue or blue and white types, or black ones, but I especially variegated types. I'm not a big fan of orange and yellow colors. I'm not that familiar with the PCI irises, but it looks like there's a lot of those that would work for me. You're also welcome to one of the mystery plants. As I think I've said already, we don't need to worry about trading even up, I'll be happy if I leave with fewer plants than I bring! Not that lack of space has ever stopped any of us from getting another plant, I'm sure...

A hardy aloe? Like something that grows outside in this climate? That sounds really interesting but please don't risk damaging it on my account, if it's not ready to divide.

And Tom, nice epi in the picture! Will you be moving that inside soon? And I would love a Tacca!! That's on my list of things I need (okay, not that I really need any more plants, but you know...). Brugmansia is always impressive, but definitely too big for me to handle right now so I'll have to pass on that (and I'll pass on the datura, those are fair-sized too, right?). So in other words, I'd be happy to give you 5-6 plants in trade for a few epi cuttings and a Tacca.

p.s. to Andi. I'm not at all sure where the fire station on 120th is. Is that between Prairie Ridge and Bonney Lake? I'm across the valley (the valley that Hwy 162 runs through) from Prairie Ridge.

No way Rick! You might be happy, but I won't. I'll go down into the bowels of my basement to see what else I can dig up for you tonight. So, small is a consideration huh? The Daturas will flower on a 3-4' tall by 2-3' wide bush.
Do you like orchids? Plumeria (they're really skinny!)?
How about christmas cactus? If you like epi's then I'll bet you'd love a yellow christmas cactus. How about dragonfruit (pitaya)? Close cactus relative of the epi's. Exotic edible fruit.
I'll come up with something.

I bring the epi in at the end of October. I let it get nipped just barely by the first 1 or 2 nights that touch freezing (it's protected from the dew under an overhang. I stop watering about a month early to click their cold/dry blooming trigger. It blooms shortly after I bring it indoors that way.
I do the same and give it a cold & dry period when I put it out in the spring and that way I can get 2 good flushes a year out of it.

No, it's okay, I really don't have room for any more plants!!

But a pitaya? I had never heard of that before, that sounds interesting.

And, yeah, the datura is too big. And I already have a few plumeria. If you tell me what I'm doing wrong with them, that would be worth a few plants right there!

And I guess I'd have to say no to a Christmas cactus. The related plants are more interesting because they will climb (like the pitaya does?) or hang in a basket (like the epi's).

Hi Rick,
I would love one of your tibouchina or small citrus trees (doesn't matter what kind). I don't have much to offer this go round, but do have some nice iris, and maybe a darmera peltata you'd be interested in. My posted trade list is pretty current, I just won't be digging unless someone asks, so take a peak at it too. Thanks.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/expacnw/msg0812323220790.html?2

http://members.gardenweb.com/members/exch/nightnurse1968?9686

How about an Aristolochia elegans (Dutchman's pipe)? That's a climbing vine with really cool, strange flowers and large tropical looking leaves.
Plumeria? Drainage, drainage, drainage. I always seem to use a slightly too-fine of a mix because I know my lazy watering habits. Ideal is a super-coarse mix that dries out very fast and then frequent watering to make up for it. Make sure it dries before you rewater (I'm bad at that) or the roots will rot and the plant will flounder.
They also really need fertilizer & full sun to look great. Unglazed clay pots help too because they dry out faster.

Here is a link that might be useful: pictures of A. elegans

hi nightnurse, the darmera peltata looks interesting but some quick research on that says it has to stay moist all the time? I'm not good at that for outdoor plants. Like Tom, I'm too good at keeping plants moist indoors, but in the past few years I've killed blueberries and hellebores outside due to lack of watering (actually, with the hellebore, I trained it to go dormant in the summer, which apparently it's not supposed to do and plus that also cuts out the flowers).

But the Loop de Loop is just the kind of iris that I love, so a piece of that would be great. Not sure about the Streetwalker because I don't know what color that is (googling that name led to some interesting finds, but nothing about flower color). I'd be happy to trade a piece of that for a tibouchina and a citrus tree.

And Tom, the Aristolochia elegans looks interesting but also looks huge! Did I mention that I'm out of space? Really, one of your bat plants for 5-6 of my plants sounds like a great trade to me!! And thanks for the tips about plumeria.

I have Iris 'Gerald Darby' that has wonderful purple coloring at the base of the foliage. I honestly don't remember what the flowers are because the foliage is what I like about it, but I'm sure they're not orange-ish.

I'll take a peek at my aloe tomorrow and see what it's like. It spent the winter in my unheated greenhouse, mainly to keep it dry, and it came through our last crazy winter just fine.

Andi

Hi
I, like you and the ohers, love, love tropicals. I was feeling shy to participate in this exchange because I probably don't have much you might be interested in but, would you consider a big, big "Hens and Chicks" for a Bauhania variegata? I don't know how I'd keep it alive but I will figure that out later :) I'll browse my garden tomorrow and see what else I could offer you. Thanks

You have one of those big hen and chicks? I've been looking for that! (but I guess you knew that from my trade list). I'd be happy to trade some plants for one of those. Don't worry about finding me any other plants, my needs are simple. :) I'll set aside one of the bauhania's for you for starters....

Rick did you want the epi cuttings too (as in picture above, also the mini epi), I saw they were on your trade list?
The Dragonfruit get huuuge. Much bigger than even the epi's, so that's probably out for you.
How about orchids, do you like the small ones? I'll bet you 10 square feet of greenhouse space that I have an orchid you have plenty of room for. ;)

Flora2 did I give you a brugmansia at the last trade, I can't remember? Would you like to try a seedling of the triple yellow datura? I have lots of those.

Yes, the epi cuttings would be great if you can spare some of both of those. And you're right, if the dragon fruit gets big then it would be too large for me. On orchids, my success is mixed, I guess I haven't gotten those figured out yet, but a small one could work for me if it's idiot-proof.

Hi Rick,
Actually the Loop de Loop and Streetwalker are Irises that I have...not for trade. That was just my list to show what I already have so I get different ones in trade. Sorry about that being confusing.

As far as the Darmera goes. I haven't found it to be that sensitive to getting dry. Mine is in the afternoon shade. Actually come to think of it, I have had the ones I'm trading in pots for quite a while and I havent watered them at all other than the occasional rains. They are still alive :-) I'll bring them and you can try one no trade necessary. Its really a neat plant especially in the spring when it send up its alien like flowers (before the foliage).

BTW, the irises I do have have for trade are the ones in the first link. Very cute about Streetwalker. I recall another comment...from who I can't remember, regarding the fact that I have Streetwalker and John listed together !

rickhl: My hen and chick measured 8 1/2 inches wide. Is that OK? Thanks
grrrnthumb: Yes, I'd like to try the datura (can I keep it in the garage all winter?) Thanks very much. And no, I did not get the brugmansia. Do you have any seedlings of the round palm tree you have in your trade list? I don't know if I have something you might like (we can talk about it later) but, is that hardy here? I'd love to have that.
Speaking of things...would you like some cuttings of my Honey fig? I can give you cuttings or I can try starting some for you. Whatever you prefer. Let me know and thanks again.

hi nightnurse: oh yeah, I see where I went wrong on the irises. No biggie.

And to flora2, yes that sounds big enough!

Flora it might be possible to keep a Datura alive in the garage if you have lights right on it and it never freezes, but a little harder maybe than the brug. I'll bring you one of each and you can try it out.
The Licuala palms are tropical greenhouse only, fairly finicky as palms go.
I'd love fig cuttings, thanks.
- Tom

Hey Flora,
If you see this could I have a tiny fig cuttng too? :-) Hopefully we can work a trade once we get there because I probably won't have time to look back here. Thanks~
Susan