alex-grows-pomegranates:

Fun question for Plantblr that I am hugely curious about! Does anyone have any plants that are particularly rare or uncommon for cultivation?

I think the most unusual thing I have is my Crassula deceptor. I’ve searched online out of curiosity but can’t seem to find anyone with seeds or plants in stock or even listed in most cases. I think my local plant shop got it from an independent grower, which would make sense as to how it ended up for sale. (It only cost about $8 too!)

Seeds are available online, but the aforementioned Aloe polyphylla and the Mesembryanthemum crystallinum seedlings are also plants I haven’t really seen in cultivation besides a handful of folks.

I’d say my rarest and most obscure plant I have is Autumn Squill (Prospero autumnale, formerly Scilla autumnalis) which were formerly from seed from Cuddy Gardens; I currently have all the now adolescent specimens in two pots in the cold greenhouse which I’m still waiting to reach floral maturity so I can propagate more and even try to naturalize them onto our property. They are pretty obscure in the horticulture industry and I have never seen them sold outside of somewhat questionable websites.

I also have a Pregnant Onion (Ornithogalum spp.) and Easter Cacti (Hatiora gaertneri) which aren’t THAT rare overall but locally is pretty uncommon to rare locally imo. Some of my other succulents/cacti are probably in the same boat. I also have a supposedly unusual Agave from Cuddy Gardens which sadly I do not have the ID for but is a survivor from taking more cold than it should (basically it was given to me as it was marked for proooobably dead) and I for some reason still own.

I’d also speak of my rare native trees/perennials I got from a St. Williams Nursery sale buuuut I’m not gonna until I’m sure they’ll stay alive for me.