thanks and questions

[Jim Hanger]

Jen and David,

To folks who have ordered in the past from the Littles: just what percentage of "wants" become "haves" in this process. How many alternatives should one list? How does one specify first choices from cuttings that are "subs"? What is the usual survival rate of cuttings and just how dessicated are they upon arrival. I hate to toss funds to the four winds...grin.

I certainly appreciate the help as I pour over the Little catalog--what a treat to sit and search on Google for pics. I have found that most people concentrate on pics of the flowers with little attention to the leaves unless spectacularly variegated while the speckled and conspicuously veined go begging for attention. Perhaps I just haven't discovered the right site yet--more visual digging yet this evening.

Being a potter I usually make the pots for the plants myself so over-sized saucers deep enough to hold water with stones to keep the plants from SITTING in water are no problem for me. I do grow in a home environment but have a 50s picture window with good light and a 3 tiered, 4x8, home made, light table where I rooted my first cuttings (off eBay from Sarah) easily. The ballasts provide good bottom heat for the plants above.

We also have about 100 orchids in the basement over winter; all plants going out of doors during good weather here in western Virginia.

Again, if there is such a thing as a Hoya with easy culture with good veining or spectacular flowers out there I would appreciate other's recommendations. I tend to like the exotic or unusual in the plant world. That means there are lots of selections awaiting...yes?

Thanks again for the help, folks!

Jim

[dmichael]

Jim,

In most cases you usually get what you ask for on an order. There are
times though,especially if the hoya is new to the Liddle's list that
demand will be greater than supply and all who asked for that
particular hoya will not get it. For instance in the 2008 catalog
David introduced hoya sp. Sarawak IML 1752. The demand for it was so
great that it sold out instantly and only 3 or 4 people got it. People
are still trying to get that particular hoya!!! It just depends on
the popularity of the hoya,what they have in stock and how many people
ordered that species. The Liddle's work on a first come first serve
basis so it's always good for a group to try and get their order
submitted as quickly and early as possible.

I always place a large order,when I say large I mean for between 20-30
cuttings and sometimes more.I have now taken part in at least 8-10
consignments to the Liddle's and with such large orders as i've placed
for myself i've never had more than 5 not be available on any one
shipment. As far as alternates go, I usually don't list any for myself
as i'm always looking for very specific hoyas.If those happen to be
out then I just keep trying until I get them. If I were going to list
substitutions, I wouldn't do anymore than a half dozen.

As far as survival goes,it's usually very good. On any one consignment
i've never lost more than 3-4 cuttings and on many I never lost a
single one. How they look when they arrive depends on many factors.
Too many to talk about!!!! The majority of the time the cuttings
arrive looking as if they had just been cut and placed in your hands
but there have been time when they arrived looking pretty bad to say
the least and even in those cases the cuttings usually survive. Hoyas
are very resilient plants and can spring back from the brink of death
in no time!! Ordering hoyas from so far away is like playing bingo or
the lottery. Sometime you win, sometime you don't!!!

Over the years I have probably ordered a minimum of 200 hoyas from the
Liddle nursery and i'd say i've probably lost less than 20 altogether
so survival is pretty good.

david

[treelover3]

I would recommend NOT ordering hoyas with thin leaves from Marie Liddle. Get the hoyas with thin leaves from a US supplier so the travel time is greatly reduced.
While the US supplier might be a little more expensive, the chances of the cutting surviving and rooting are much great with the US supplier. Travel time is usually a couple of
weeks from shipment until the cuttings arrive in our grubby little hands and hoyas that are not very succulent sometimes don't make the trip very well.
My .02
Mike

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[treelover3]

Oops, it's Iris Liddle, not Marie. My bad.... (:o(
Mike

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