I have to be organized this season... we're setting up to sell most of what's growing in the Seed Dungeon! Normally, I don't have enough labels to mark everything, and for some reason I'll never figure out, I keep thinking I'll remember what's planted in each flat or pot. Ya, right! I never do, and I end up having to wait until the plants gain some size before I figure out what the heck I planted! I prefer being organized, but it's not in my nature to always be that way! I'm an Aquarius... artistic, disorganized, a dreamer, laid back... if I sit too long, check my pulse! :-) But seriously, it's much nicer to have everything lined up, tagged, and be able to properly start the plants in a halfway decent environment! Bulbous plants have always fascinated me, and Ledebouria is no exception. When I first received the piece of plant, it didn't have any roots. Kitty told me it would root easily, but I worried that it would die on me... many things do, and I just don't have rooting cuttings down pat yet. Larry looked at this little guy, and said that he had a feeling it would root in and do fine. Well, they were both right! I staked the little guy upright in a pot of soil, and before I knew it, it was sending out a flower spike and blooming! Now, it's got a few offsets surrounding it, and it's ready to be moved to a larger pot. I love this plant! I've researched it, and I found out that there are several different varieties, each with slightly different leaves and flowers. I'm hoping to eventually get other types!

Question is regarding genetics -- assuming that seed supply was not inadvertently pollenated by another variety, should I expect to see different results from different seed suppliers? Generally speaking, no. However from year to year one can expect differences in traits that are influenced by environmental factors such as size and taste. There is also another potential reason, selection preferences. If supplier A and supplier B both received stock of a line at the same time but had been growing out stock seperately for a number of years then it is possible that there could be some selection pressure differences that developed over time. Such as if supplier A tended to cull out lower yielding but larger fruits types and supplier B selected for larger fruits vs higher yielding. If I buy some Delicious seeds, should I expect them all to be the same genetically? Even from a reputable supplier one can expect to see some variation within an open pollinated line. This is more likely when one is growing out larger number of plants. The variation will be from several potential factors including, but not limited too, environment, natural variation within in lot due to missed selection and occassional, though rare, mutations. For the most part they should be relatively the same if the grower for the seed company properly isolated and culled any off types. But again one has the potential for the same issue stated above about inadvertent selection pressure biases influence line selection between different growers/suppliers (ie this is what I think it should be). True hybrids should be highly uniform.

Couldn't sleep past 3:00 this morn, so got up at 4:ish. Thanks a million, y'all. JANE - can't wait to see how you work yours out. HAZIE - you gonna make her a set??? TASY - that expression comes in sooo handy. GYPSIE - your whistling make me LOL. I wish I could take credit for the idea, but the ones in the Haciendo Mosaico were sooooooo wonderful, I just had to try to copy the idea. Those were made from metal that had a patina and the old-fashioned screen that rusts. Can't find that here. Thanks again.

@emmarene "exactly where I am going to plant it".....wait, please, I can't stop laughing...... Cistus are just the absolute best...love cistus. Just thinking that I'm going to WM and pick up some potting soil, will check on whether or not they have steer manure....in hopes. I use a lot of nassella tenuissima / Mexican Feather Grass and yes, I do get a lot of seedlings to use elsewhere. I do think I've reached the point of being able to just weed them now, have potted maybe 100 in the last several weeks. I think of them the same as anything else that reseeds a lot, I would rather weed the seedlings than do without the plant. Since I'd last read that HD and Armstrong nurseries had "vowed" not to sell the plant due to its invasiveness, I noticed last week that WM must see potential there as they are now selling it....LOL...