Perhaps someone mentioned this above and I missed it--I do that sometimes. Why not try here and find out. It would take very little work to take a couple Brug cuttings as one would normally do, pack them up and put them in a box for 3 weeks. Presumably cuttings at differerent stages of maturity would be a good idea. And if one is motivated a couple ways of packing them might be ideal. Is there any possibility they would root over that period of time? If so, why not use something that needs to be propagated anyway? I suppose one concern might be that customs will open the box and inspect the cuttings. So methods where the cuttings might best survive after being removed and handled would be ideal. Perhaps sending lots of cuttings packed separately in something transparent would avoid this. I've read that Passiflora sent in plastic bags sometimes root over a period of two to three weeks. If a method like that were attempted, presumably woody bits without leaves would be ideal. Would such pieces rot or even need to photosynthesize over that period? I root B. vulcanicola cuttings (and many other plants) in 100% humidity, often with poor lighting. For me Brugs are more prone to rot than almost anything, but still many survive. I almost never have a problem with other plants. By the way, if someone claims your shipping methods are inadequate over a 2-3 day trip, letting something sit around in a box for a week can tell you whether the problem is the fault of USPS and/or due to the recipient's neglect. Unless the problem is due to evaporation, you'll almost always find it's the latter. I take it people in some parts of the country have a couple spare cuttings at the moment?

Most US residential households have 120V center-tapped two phase service (some big apartment buildings are different). Most European systems are 220V (confusingly called 230V) three phase service in a Wye configuration. The nominal difference between 220V and 240V is negligible in practice. All modern electric equipment is built to handle these small differences. If in doubt, check the appliance's documentation. Sometimes, you have to change a configuration option for optimal performance. Also, the difference between 50 Hz (Europe) and 60 Hz (US) is generally fine. You can in principle get away with smaller-size built-in transformers when using a European appliance in the US; and on the other hand, you'll drive any frequency synchronized equipment 20% too fast. It's unlikely this would affect your stove. And in fact, I'd expect the ratings plate to show you that the equipment is compatible with a range of frequencies. Some American 240V appliances use the center tap to drive a subset of the electronics at 120V and the rest at 240V. This is not really doable in Europe, and thus they don't require a 120V input. That's why you don't expect to see two hot wires and one neutral wire on these appliances, whereas American appliances frequently have that. Instead, you'll have one hot and one neutral. When you connect the appliance in the US, you'll instead connect it as if it had two hot wires. The neutral on the appliance becomes the second hot wire. This is not what the manufacturer expected, but it doesn't really matter much in practice. European equipment doesn't rely on polarized plugs (there is no such thing). So, it is always designed to be compatible with two hots, even if it never would be connected that way in Europe. The reason this sounds scary is that really old US equipment didn't distinguish between ground and neutral. In Europe, whole-house GFCI has been a standard for more than half a century. So, this was never an option. Neutral would never be connected to the chassis. So, even if the appliance has something that is labelled as neutral, it is fully interchangeable with the hot wire. This is all really basic physics. But electricians are frequently trained to memorize regulations instead of understanding the underlying principles. This makes it difficult for them to transfer knowledge from one domain to another one. My best suggestion is to find a different electrician who is more comfortable with cross-referencing both physics and local regulations. I can try to explain the physics, but you obviously need a trained electrician to figure out how to apply all of this so that it results in a safe and approved configuration. If your electrician regularly works with commercial equipment, he might be more comfortable with how electrical systems can be configured.

Yes - of course you can. Most of the high end showers we build use German, Italian, french and English hardware. The fittings you seek something you need to know how to find and ask for. Here is a secret. Don't walk into the store and say "Hey - I bought the meat and potatos all ready over seas but really need the $20.00 fitting you sell to make it work". Find out who sells the high end stuff - go ask the questions in store. here in Vancouver the goto shop is Cantu. They are bomb barded with people shopping at Ikea and not being able to hook stuff up. I have heard from multiple people that Ikea sends them to Cantu. And Cantu asks "Where did you buy it?" Round and round you go. Companys actually make Euro to North American adapters. Some companys design their pieces top be cut and once cut the remeainder is NA. So many versions. The School of Hard Knocks is your friend.

Susan asked many comments ago what roses I am drooling over. I had a gazebo installed yesterday and have been busy prepping the site and putting the cornerstones and center stone. WoW! Are Amish Country Gazebos amazing. The crew came at 8:30 in the morning and installed my 12' gazebo in 4 hours, they were on the road out of here at 12:30. I'm absolutely in love with the gazebo, so very well made! If anyone in the uS is in the market for a gazebo, pergola or pavilion, summerhouse or poolhouse I can highly recommend this company. I'm in California, so far from the manufacture in Pennsylvania but they delivered for free! Anyway back to roses...Some of the ones I see that I would love to have: Noisette Moschata, Papillon the tea, Bernard, Comte de Torres (Angel Gardens has one that looks much different than Ducher's, but they only show a bud so it is hard to judge), Comtesse Cecile de Chabrillant, and now my computer is centering everything for some bizarre reason so I will stop there. Anything pinkish floppy button-eyed, and tissue paper like :)