I am not trying to be argumentative, Mark. I have been a novice trader and so have you, and have been lead to believe a plant was 'easy', when it wasn't - I was out a plant AND money. I was just being honest with my experiences in trying to root these cuttings, so a newby wouldn't be upset if he/she traded for the cutting and it did rot. I was merely mentioning that this cutting is not as easy as it sounds to root. You are turning this into a negative when it is meant to be a positive. WHY would this information NOT be relevant? Are you telling me you wouldn't want to know if the possibility existed that it could rot instead of root?

Think equally bold colors to complement or contrast, and give the Calandrinia the space it wants; they can easily get 4~5' across and have 100's of those waving stems full of fuchsia blooms for most of the year. In my view, play off that with bold colors or forms. Phormiums such as Guardsman or Jester or Yellow Wave, coarse foliage plants with stiff upright foliage such as Anigozanthus flavidus, Neomarica caerulea, Chasmanthe floribunda v ducktii, Aristea major or Watsonias work well. Other vivid perennials such as Salvia involucrata, Verbena bonariensis, Alstroemeria 'Ligtu hybrids' or A. aurantiaca, Kniphofia uvaria, etc will stand up to the color, or lower growing ground cover types of things such as Plectranthus neochilus, Kalanchoe pumila, Setcreasia pallida, Lampranthus spectabilis, etc. Or you could go with a backdrop of cooling silver foliage of Cotyledon orbiculata, Astelia chathamica, Centaurea gymnocarpa or Lavandula intermediate. Succulents such as Senecio mandraliscae, Aeoniums such as Swartzkop or others, agaves and aloes also work well. Agaves with blue or silver foliage can work particularly well, Agave attenuata Nova is a particular favorite, but smaller tougher sorts such as Agave parryi combine well also. If you are looking for larger flowering shrubs/perennials that can bounce some of the same magenta/fuchsia color around, consider using Isopogon formosus, Fuchsia paniculata, Salvia iodantha, Salvia chiapensis, or deep purple blue things such as Salvia 'Indigo Spires' or some of the vivid Ceanothus such as Concha/Julia Phelps/Dark Star. Other equally bold flowering plants/shrubs that have the "umpff " to compete might include things like Echoing wildprettii or E. gentianioides, Erythrina x bidwillii or Chamaerops humiliating v cerifera or Dasylrion wheelwright. Pale blue foliage of grasses such as Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince' contrast nicely with the Calandrinia as well, or deeper greens of something like Foxtail Asparagus.

Hi, I have become interested in South African and Australian plants. I have: Dombeya Cacuminun Barleria lupulina Berzelia galpinii Isopogon formosus Passiflora tetandra Telopea speciosissima I haven't tried Leucodendron though. It is interesting how some of them are totally different species like Barleria lupulina, but resembles a Cassia. Dombeya Cacuminun grows similar to a royal poinciana, I don't know if these similarities to Florida plants would help them adapt.. I have researched this topic and gardeners in California seem to be successfully growing some of these plants. The Australian natives seem to prefer a warm Mediterranean climate, and overfertilizing and overwatering seem to do them in. I have just started my collection, but so far, so good with my plants. The data varies on the hardiness zones, I think since they haven't been introduced widely some nurseries estimate.

This is similar to a stick I posted on the plant exchange, but a little shorter (70 cm or 28 inches): The stick came with instructions: I have not grown Dahlia imperialis before. I assume a cutting like this is the quickest way to a blooming-size plant. I picked up three today (presumably it's quite alive...) at the UC-Berkeley Botanical Garden. For those unfamiliar with the plant, this is the tree Dahlia which grows to 20 feet (typically 8-12 feet). It's a late Fall/Winter bloomer, so it can be tricky in places that get much frost. Info on Dahlia imperialis: http://www.anniesannuals.com/signs/d - g/dahlia_imperials_BTD.htm http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=493 Or I see you can buy a small one for $35 on Ebay... I am looking for rare and unusual (sub)tropicals, either for inside (probably fairly low light) or outside in a frost-free (but coastal/Bay Area California) spot. I already have access to a lot of people and places with interesting plants, so I'm pretty spoiled as far as my choices go. I posted a second cutting on the plant exchange. I have a third that I will keep and I'll start a post on the tropical section discussion to follow it's progress. I find this an intriguing way to start a new plant fast. I say that partly because it does not seem like a green, alive, flexible cutting, but more like a stiff brown stick. I do have other things I can root at this point: Deppea splendens, Agapetes serpens, Fuchsia boliviana Alba, Brugmansia sanguinea (blooming), Rhodochiton atrosanguineum, Dicentra scandens, Chlorophytum amaniense 'Fireflash', Philodendron 'Prince of Orange', Monstera deliciosa albo variegata, Homalocladium platycladum, Petunia exserta (seeds), Abutilon megapotamicum, Darmera peltata, Centaurea gymnocarpa, Isopogon formosus, Correa baeuerlenii, Iris confusa, Roldana (Senecio) petasitis, Correa baeuerlenii, Salvia wagneriana, etc...