it is really too bad that people don't always include an email address or trade list in their profiles. Sometimes I would be interested in a private discussion regarding availability of neat plants, or sources for people to investigate without sharing with the entire community.

It really is too bad, as those who chose not to list contact information loose out on some pretty generous offers....

You snooze, you loose.

Joe 'on my way to the post office for some trades right now' DeRosa

If you don't belong to a garden club, you may be missing out on local people who also collect Sans. I have met two locals who have huge collections and have been happy to welcome a newbie into the ranks of Sans Lovers. So much so that I'm still digesting all the plants they have provided. Heck, I'm not even sure I will be able to keep them alive for a year, let alone worry about pups and trading. However, if you want to increase your variety quickly, you might try buying on the web. In addition to individuals selling excess plants on eBay, there are growers like Grigsby's and Bob Smoley who offer a large variety. I have never read anyone complaining about not getting quality plants from either of them. Of course if the price is low, you may not be getting "specimen" plants, but there's plenty of joy waiting and watching a baby grow up.

I actually don't want to increase my collection quickly-I just want to grow plants I like and make them healthy and happy. This is my first summer in a new house with a growing plant collection. We have hot water heat with radiators in front of all windows. I am trying to figure out how I want to display plants year round in my house, what plants do I like to take care of etc. etc. Joe's posts have made sanseverias interesting for me. They don't seem to be fussy to take care of, the colorations in the leaves are incredible and I really like to watch their growth habits. I thought I put my e-mail address in my page. I want to be a paid member anyway so hopefully I will update things soon. Diane

Sounds like a VERY sensible approach, Diane. My wife won't let me bring any Sans into the house which is full of her African Violets and other assorted unnamed plants (she throws the name tags out). So all my plants have to live or die outside in the backyard. Fortunately, I live in S,Cal so I don't have to worry about about freezing temps, but I live so close to the ocean that most of the time its (perhaps) a little cool and dry for Sans. We'll see.

Hi Toots,

Hello again, congratulations on yr. 2 new little pups. Exciting isn't it!!! Do you feel a bit like a proud new Mama as I did when I first succeeded in growing from leaves? I think it's very cool. I've tried to warn people that it can sometims take a year to happen. Kudos to you for having the patience to stick w/ it.

As an extreme version of this, I have a stub of leaf from I think a S. baseball bat (never knew its real name). Some years ago it gave me 2 pups, I kept one & gave other to a friend. A year or 2 later I lost mine, but still have the leaf stub, which I water once in a while & think nice thoughts to, in the hopes that since it still looks well & feels quite firm, maybe someday it will make more pups. Also interesting to me is that the pups looked nothing like the parent leaf, they were little rosettes w/ white margins & a pink edge, I might not have even recognized it as a Sans. had I not grown it myself.

Keep up the good work!