Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Marilyn's Garden, 0 by markroy68

markroy68 wrote:
I've always been jealous of people who live near big box stores that get EA plants- so I was very happy to find this unlabeled Hoya at a local nursery here in SF. It looks like it could be a macrophylla relative- the leaves look very similar. Time will tell, hopefully sooner than later, as this small (in topgrowth) plant has four healthy looking peduncles.
It came from Marilyn's Garden. She is a California grower who lives near San Diego and grows bromeliads, succulents, Hoyas, and other tropical looking plants for wholesale. She dosen't have a website, and I don't think she does mail order. I don't expect this to change, as I have heard she is 74! Anyone in CA, especially near LA should be able to sweet-talk their favorite nursery into ordering some plants from her. She can be a bit expensive, from most nurseries point of view, so you may have to pour on the charm.
Her plants are not huge, and at first glance they may look overpotted, but they have always had (for me) fantastic root systems, and put on growth lavishly when you treat them well. She grows her plants hard, and they have thick succulent looking leaves and the bigger ones are usually jammed with peduncles. They are usually cut back for transport, but bounce back very quickly. Sometimes I have found larger 8" pots that are very full and well grown.
I have seen from her:

carnosa, carnosa 'Picta', carnosa 'Krimson Queen' (or are they the same? Anyway, the two variegated ones)
compacta & 'Krinkle 8'
australis ssp. australis
bella
shepherdii
obovata
multiflora
pubicalyx

And now this macrophylla thingy. Her labeling leaves something to be desired, but the plants are great!