J.
Berkeley Horticultural Nursery has them, so does Magic Gardens in Berkeley. Also since you're interested in aloes, if you come to Berkeley you must go to the Dry Garden on Shattuck Ave. More aloes than you can imagine. The owner might have the chasmanthe as well and the prices are the best.
J.

If Berkeley isn't convenient, you can also have your local nursery special order from Suncrest Wholesale or San Marcos Growers. I second the recommendation for visiting The Dry Garden, it really is a neat local nursery, with lots of South African and succulent plants.

Thanx Bahia,

As it turns out Berkeley only has the orange one -- when they have it in stock. I tried San Marcos Growers, but they said they don't grow it anymore . . . :-(

I'm planning a trip to Ruth Bancroft's garden in a few weeks, so I'll make a side trip to the Dry Garden while I'm down there -- I live in the south bay.

Other than Sierra Azul, I don't know of any local nurseries that specifically carry xeriscape/South African/Australian plants. So I'm always open to suggestions of local nurseries others enjoy.

So SA Gardenwebbers -- are there nurseries you particularly love to purchase from (bay area specific or otherwise)?

The Dry Garden is amazing and the prices are reasonable. Berkeley Hoticultural Nursery has an interesting selection, prices are high. Orchard Nursery in Lafayette can be surprising and that's right off the freeway on the way to the Bancroft garden.
I've bought the yellow chasmanthe at Magic Gardens in Berkeley, but if you can't find it, Jim Duggan sells them as bulbs. He had them in his 2003 catalogue. He's on the web. They're easy enough to grow so in the end, this might be the simplest.

Thank you JayEmVee! I contacted Jim Duggan and he says he'll have the yellow chasmanthe available in his summer catalog.

Now I just have to find the patience to wait to order until June (when his plants will become available).

But in the meantime -- thank you, thank you, thank you! :-D

j.

Suncrest Wholesale Nursery in Watsonville had this as recently as November when I ordered some, so as I thought I had said in my first post, have your local nursery special order it from Suncrest. As to other local nurseries specializing in South African plants in general, you can't beat Annie's Annuals for an interesting selection of various South Africans, mostly all grown from seed. Rosendale/Sierra Azul is also good, and Monterey Bay Wholesale Nursery as well as San Marcos Growers in Santa Barbara also grow many South Africans. Desert to Jungle Nursery in Montebello and Glendale Paradise in Lakeview Terrace, (I think it is now renamed Worldwide Exotics or some such, still in Lakeview Terrace), also has a good interesting selection of South African plants. As well, you should try and get to the annual sales at Strybing, Berkeley Botanic Garden and Santa Cruz Arboretum.

Annie's Annuals has a fabulous collection of at least 20 or more South African bulbs, many of which are just coming in to bloom. Check out the web site, www.anniesannuals.com for species list and current availability. No yellow Chasmanthe, however, which in any case are nearly through blooming this year. How about the equally vivid yellow Bulbinella nutans, which is still yet to bloom? Also available through Suncrest...

Thank you bahia,

Yes, my local nursery did try Suncrest. They do not show it available. I will keep checking back with them.

I will try the other nurseries you've noted . . .

Thanx again,

j.

Your local nursery may have just given you the brush off. Just because something isn't listed on the current availability list doesn't mean it isn't available, only that it may be past bloom or in smaller quantities that would not warrant putting it on the current availability list. I suspect that it is available still if requested...

Thank you for the words of encouragement Bahia.

A fellow gardenwebber took pity on me and is sending me the chasmanthe from her garden! I'm sooooo excited! It's wonderful to *finally* get a plant that you've been craving :-D

My SA/Med garden is coming together, thanx to all of you who've helped me along the way. I just added quite a few new aloes -- and i think I'm "aloe-ed" out for the moment; but then, one never knows -- do one? ;-)

Thanx again for your responses. Wish I could start a one-on-one relationship with Suncrest directly instead of having my local nursery as my go-between . . .

j.

Would this be hardy planted outside in metro Atlanta? jxa44, how has yours done?

Hi Butterflylion,

Actually, I never found the yellow chasmanthe. however, I'm fairly certain that my climate is very different from yours -- i'm in california in an area that can get fairly cold in the winter (usually snows, but always freezes) and gets feet (vs. inches) of rain in the winter. Add to that our hot, hot dry summers (of July and August) and I'm battling quite a unique micro climate. Still finding plants that do well here is easier than keeping the deer from eating everything in sight. They seem to find South African plants most delectible! :-)

At any rate, if there's anyone out there that has yellow chasmanthe that they'd be willing to share, please contact me.

thanx and happy new year everybody!

jxa44,

You want C. floribunda 'duckittii'!? Those stinking things have been seeding themselves about a little too prolifically; I wish I'd read this before I ripped out most of them a month ago. The tops will die down pretty soon and I'll send you every bulb I find if you want. I'll also have Sparaxis and Freesia if you're interested (some of those are always spoken for, but I'll have some extra).

Ryan

"Posted by: bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on Wed, Mar 31, 04 at 15:01

Your local nursery may have just given you the brush off. Just because something isn't listed on the current availability list doesn't mean it isn't available, only that it may be past bloom or in smaller quantities that would not warrant putting it on the current availability list. I suspect that it is available still if requested... "

Thanks for that bahia, now I understand why when I clearly state on my website 'only 6 left in stock' people order 12 and ask me to sell them from my 'out of stock supply' .

Socal23,

If you have the yellow flowing chasmanthe, please contact me -- I'm definitely interested! I have beenn looking for these for two seasons now. with very little success.

Thanx, jxa44