On a whim,
I just picked up a Cobra (Lily) the other day in one...!
Figured I hadn't seen one around in a while, so why not.
Not dirt cheap perhaps, and not in the best of conditions (like when I used to occasionally order these years back for cheap), but it did save me a ton on shipping, and I figured it would do better than seed. (Although I did want to try them from seed, but decided it best to just give it a try.)
It filled the large size cube of torture so it was a decent size, and I figured I was possibly lengthening its life a bit, and giving it a small chance to survive at least. In the past, there have been times that the death-cubes have had rather large and nice VFT's and Cobra's, so I always look even though I don't expect to see much of any value. It is a nice surprise when you actually see a plant worth getting!
Indeed, when buying any CP or other plant or animal (for a pet), one must use their better judgement to decide if it is worth getting or not. Not every cube of death contains the skeletons of a once beautiful CP! But that is why the news was spread by mcantrell I think, in order to give the alert that possibly a new shipment was sent out. (They do get them in a few times a year usually, and getting there when the shipment first arrives can mean the difference between a decent plant and a dried out wad of organic matter.)
While much of what I saw available resembled a sad experience waiting to happen... (I saw the ones with the "dormant" VFT's and S.Purps, and they looked like a waste of money, but then in all fairness... I didn't bust open the package to examine the bulb/rhizome to see if they were indeed alive and viable.)
Thanks mcantrell, for at least trying to share some good news. It is appreciated.
(Sometimes what is labeled as dormant, is a VFT "bulb" trimmed of its roots and leaves, and a Sarr. trimmed of its leaves and some roots... sometimes even put into refrigeration to extend storage with the hopes of inducing an artificial dormancy that can be "broken" when the items are planted and watered and put in the sun. Nurseries and growers/distributors have used these sorts of methods with all kinds of plants for years and years.)