Alice a lot of the growers in Apopka are wholesale only. But there are those that are not. Ecuagenera of course isn;t...but on the same road they are on within throwing distance for a rock there are like 3 orchid houses that retail. There is a really well known (in begonia circles) begonia place called Harmony's in Apopka. And I know that are a lot more! Apopka large growing operations raise a lot of the plants that go to nurseries.

We have a really active trade group here. But I kinda miss the old days...Back in the mid-late 90's I think we really started trading plants through the mail pretty heavily on Spike's old Gardenweb site (which is now Houzz). The USPS had come out with the first rendition of Priority Mail and you could mail one of the big 'hat boxes' for $3.20. It made it great for people to send trades.

wow. I might have taken the Monstera at that price. Not that I 'have to have Monstera' but it is pretty for the price and new to my collection.

I hope shoppers at the expensive nursery could at least get help choosing the right plant. Depot/Lowes you are just on your own. Depot little starter plants in 2-3 inches seem mostly high light plants that may not do well for a lot of people.

Fun to browse anyway. I saw names I have heard you folks talk about but don't know personally, like Philo Birkin. . I saw a Homolamena for $20 that was visually pretty close to something nearby for $40. would have taken it IF I wasn't already full of plants and currently wondering how much I can give away before winter.

Gina, I was there on DG back in the days and yes, the trades were wonderful. Elaine and I traded a lot before the shipping costs went through the roof. I also miss the co ops. My home here does not lend itself to the same level of growing as I did before so it is probably a good thing I can't acquire so many plants. It is fun looking though..........

Alice, Most WM's have a garden center entrance so you don't have to go through the whole store to get to the plants.

I don't mind paying a little more @ an owner-operated store, but 5x as much for the same plant is ridiculous. What I usually buy @ an o-o store are things they don't have @ a BBS.

Homalomena can look so great in pics but I saw some a few yrs ago and it wasn't different enough from a peace lily, or the plain green Chinese evergreen that I've had for decades.

Shipping still seems pretty reasonable to me, UNLESS you use the flat-rate USPS boxes. Those have really gone up but if you use your own similarly-sized box, it's about half as much. The convenience of knowing the price ahead of time is not THAT convenient.

These over-inflated prices are making me nervous about people maybe thinking about stealing my plants, or your plants, or somebody's plants.

That hole-y monstera is vining itself all over my fence, and I've given large starts/cuttings to about 6 people recently. They are not uncommon and very easy to grow and propagate. Yet you see them online with the description "Rare" and a huge price tag.

Yet, at the plant sale (where I saw the infamous $200 Pink Princess plants) there were a couple of small pots of them priced at $40. Sheesh.

Tiffany, I've had exactly the same thoughts about people starting to steal plants because the prices have gotten so insane. Not planning to put any of my nice plants out in the front garden area, for sure. Although . . . some starts of that monstera sure would look nice climbing the fence out there . . . Here it is, blooming back in June!

purpleinopp said:Alice, Most WM's have a garden center entrance so you don't have to go through the whole store to get to the plants.

These over-inflated prices are making me nervous about people maybe thinking about stealing my plants, or your plants, or somebody's plants.

Yes, most WM's do have a garden center entrance but this one does not. You have to tote any plants back into the store, it is strange. The plant section is really, really small also. It is a regular sized super WM so it makes no sense.

I read a lot of local gardening sites and I see a lot of complaints about stolen plants from personal gardens in the more urban areas. It is not a problem where I live but I have heard about people stealing plants from the landscaped entrances to the suburban neighborhoods.

That is a nice Monstera Elaine, I didn't realize they gave a fruit.

I purchased this plant from my local mom and pop nursery in early 2019, tagged Monstera Deliciosa, it was less than ten dollars in a 1/2 gallon pot, this was before they started being so much in demand. Mine looks different than yours, and like most I see for sale in the garden centers/nurseries now. It has grown twice it's size in the past couple years, but only a few leaves have holes in them, most are split on the sides. I'm starting to think it might not be Monstera at all.

Maybe you or Gina, or someone can take a look at my plant and tell me what you think, do I have a Monstera?

Sherri, what you have is Monstera Deliciosa and it's the one that eventually makes a tasty fruit.

Mine is Monstera obliqua, (or adansonii or something else) changed from a Philo and known commonly as the Swiss Cheese plant. What you see is a flower with a spathe and a large white spadix. I had quite a few blooms last spring, but it doesn't seem to make any seeds or fruit.

dyzzypyxxy said:Sherri, what you have is Monstera Deliciosa and it's the one that eventually makes a tasty fruit.

Mine is Monstera obliqua, (or adansonii or something else) changed from a Philo and known commonly as the Swiss Cheese plant. What you see is a flower with a spathe and a large white spadix. I had quite a few blooms last spring, but it doesn't seem to make any seeds or fruit.

Thanks Elaine, good to know. I checked on my Monstera adansonii, and it gets flowers too, similar to yours.

dyzzypyxxy said:

• Swiss Cheese Philodendron (Monstera adansonii)
• Uploaded by dyzzypyxxy

Elaine, this pic would make a great addition to the plant database if you feel like adding it:
Swiss Cheese Philodendron (Monstera adansonii)
Somebody could click on it to add it, but the details would be missing, like the date and location.

This You Tube video is very interesting on Monstera adansonii vs. Monstera obliqua. It show three different forms of adansonii.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

I have a narrow adansonii and the new one from W-mart is the round form.

Narrow (seems to be a more vining form)


Round form

I have had more than one form of adansonii knocking around the GH for a number of years. I stopped trying to differentiate them. Its too time consuming ha ha! There is a new one now making the rounds...I think its called 'Many Windows'. It has a lot more fenestrations than the normal ones

I looked it up, it's called Double windows, and expensive.

https://orders.fairchildgarden...

At least that one is in a 2 gallon sized pot for $80.

Double Windows thats right. Barry Schwartz has a bunch of it. We may go see him in October. Always a treat

I wouldn't pay $80 for one of those either. Maybe I'd consider buying one with a group of 4 people, and we could each then have a division, but that's the only way we're going to combat this ridiculous pricing for plants.

There's a fine line between a "rare" plant and just a plant that someone has put a big price tag on to test the market. A truly rare plant is one that grows slowly and doesn't propagate easily. I can see charging a premium price for something that the grower has had trouble starting, and has grown to a saleable size over a couple of years. That certainly doesn't seem to apply to these.

The only way to get the stupid high prices back into line is NOT to buy these plants until the price comes down. We, as consumers, hold the keys to this getaway vehicle. Keep your money!

You could probably get a few starts from a 2 gallon plant and Fairchild is a non profit organization. I am reminded of one year when I went on a garden tour and every garden we visited had the same aroid prominently featured. I forget which one it was but it was the darling that year. I am afraid this is that sort of plant, it is going to be everywhere.

this article, nothing really news to this group. But it mentions 'chop and prop'.. so I wonder, some of the buyers may think this is their entry into a get rich quick scheme..
https://modernfarmer.com/2021/...

This is exactly what has fueled this craze. And influencers on sites like Youtube...some people complain that everyone certain 'influencers' even ***mention*** a plant, the price triples.

I had a few friends who went to the IAS show this year and were totally disappointed (just like last year)...it was crowded with 'new' collectors, so crowded it was almost impossible to shop, the prices were inflated, and there was a definite lack of 'rare' plants and a total overstock on 'trendy' plants

I don't understand the entire concept of influencers. Academically, I know what influencer means, but it's just hard to believe that anyone cares about what they have to say, what plants they have, or are willing to actively subject themselves to being influenced.

If a plant is called rare, I'm gone without looking any farther, assuming it's going to be expensive and die quickly.

I just really hope these influencers don't like any of the plants I like.