Caladium Bulb Buy

I hope I can keep the deer and rabbits off long enough to pull out my camera!

Yehudith

hi, everyone. Finally found a moment between full time work, full time single parenting, and my daughter's new-found craving to use my laptop! LOL.

I think our caladium bulb buy has pretty well wound down. Distribution will be at the seed swap on Feb 15. I will plan to get up there ahead of time to oversee bulb sorting. I need a few people to help. SSG, can you still help? Anyone else?

As a reminder regarding payment:
Critter will be placing the order with her CC, so payments go to her, please. At the swap is fine for orders under $50. Otherwise, please add 30 cents and then add 3% to pay via Paypal to critterologist@comcast.net. I have sent subtotals to each of you but there will be final adjustments from Critter based on shipping charges and discounts applied.

Thanks so much to all for your help, especially Critter for her generosity in handling the payment and shipment, and offering her garage for storing and sorting.

Catmint, I already packed my trunk with empty boxes, small and large, from Christmas!

I think I still have plenty of those little paper bags (the "brown bag lunch" size ones) from the fall bulb buy... the boxes will work great for pulling orders. if it's super cold, I'll put sorting tables in the kitchen & morning room.

Cat, I probably won't be much help with the sorting, because I always seem to be insanely busy the morning of the seed party. I'll try to get other things taken care of ahead of time, but I'm just such a good procrastinator... LOL

thanks so much, SSG! Between your boxes and Critter's bags, we should be all set! I'll bring the labels.

Not to worry, Critter! We're all 'old pros' now after your spring bulb swap in October! :-D

We did have a pretty good system worked out for splitting the bags of bulbs between our various orders. I think this sorting out this caladium buy should be pretty similar, but with fewer bulbs!

I can probably be there a bit early to help. The Baltimore crew of Catbird, Gita and Sally, is usually raring to go!

Thanks, Sally! :-)

We're arriving back from our Florida trip at 9:45 that morning at BWI, so depending on how the traffic is we should be at Critter's by 11 or so to help sort. I'll put some bags in my car before we go, and I can bring package sealing tape. Do you want me to generate the labels or is someone else doing that?

thanks, Happy. Please no worries on rushing to get there early from the airport. I have plenty of package tape and was planning to do the labels.

Thanks, Catmint. We were originally coming back Wednesday but decided only just yesterday to stay 'till the weekend -- coming back just in time for the swap. (Step son and his pit bull will be watching the house and the dogs and cat!) Valentine's Day in Florida! We won't rush, but I think we'll arrive in Frederick in ample time. I still may swing by the caladium place in Florida just for fun -- I wonder what it looks like? Though even in Florida, it is probably too cold this time of year for caladiums.

I can imagine it would be a luscious place to visit when things are blooming! :-)

Me too. We've been going to Florida fairly often the last few years because my FIL lived there -- he died in 2012. And now we've been clearing out his house to put it on the market (a manufactured house worth very little so we are not coming into a nest egg, sadly). (It is amazing, given housing prices here, how little it costs to buy a place at one of the retirement home manufactured housing communities in Florida. The monthly fees are high, but even taking it all into account, some of these can be a really nice deal compared to the housing prices we are used to here.) But once we sell it we won't have an excuse to travel back to that neck of the woods.

Sorry -- OT!

Have a great trip Happy and if you do go to"The Caladium Capital of the World" I'd love to hear a report and see pics of where our babies are raised! As a kid I lived near "The Onion Set Capital of the World" Hard to imagine until you see it first hand. At harvest times, the smell was intense and my brothers and I would hold our noses and wipe oue eyes as we drove by. Haven't thot of this in years! Looks like the current mayor may be a fer distant relative. Just like onions and caladiums!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Holland,_Illinois

Catmint, I cannot be there early for bulb sorting and depending on my newspaper route and weather may also miss the Seed Swap. Will you be my bulb fairy for my Tuberose? You could drop them off the next time you take DD across the Bay Bridge and pick up the 'Hartledge Wine' from last fall. Thanks

Absolutely Coleup! Yes still planning a trip across that bridge presidents' day weekend-- looks like that Monday to pick her up from her friend's. That would be perfect! :-)

Thanks Catmint, Maybe by then the dead stick of a bush will be showing some signs of life and not be frozen to the ground!

One more question, my name appears after yours behind 5 tuberose and my name is in parenthesis. Does that indicate that I will pay you? Or will I be invoiced separately and pay Critter?

Gosh, I hope I'm catching you in time, but I pray you a safe and prosperous trip Happy!! XOXOXOXOX

LOL Judy, at first I was wondering "where the heck is the 'Onion Set Capital Of The World'??" heeheeheeee. I remember my Grandma and Grandpap's back yard used to have tons of wild onions growing all through the summer... used to LOVE that scent! Was nothing near enough to bring tears to one's eyes though. ;)

Hey Coleup no need to worry about that now! I'll pay Jill for the 5 and then we can work it out when I stop by!

That works for me Catmint thanks.

We can close our eyes if there is too much to see, and stop our ears if too much sound and hold our noses if too much smell. Even a good smell can be too much in a confined space (perfume in an elevator...) Our family driving by Dutch Valley Farms (They had a windmill!) in South Holland Illinois in our 1950 Nash was intense and all of us , our clothes, hair, car, reeked of onion for about a full week before it dropped to a level like your back yard wild onions Speedie! To tie this in with this thread, I believe that Yehudith and I are willing to risK being overwhelmed and filled with the scent of tuberose! Did you know that 'essence of tuberose' is in almost every perfume out there?

I am definitely looking forward to the tuberose! :)

Late to the party as usual...why y'all put up with me I do not know. If I'm too late...I completely understand but would happily take some tuberose clusters...let me know please and thank you...

Oh Chantell, I am so happy to hear from you! How are you doing, dear girl?

Chantell, we don't "put up with you", we love to you pieces, there's a BIG difference!!

If it's too late for Chantell to place an order, I'll happily give her half of my order. If that works out conveniently for all involved parties, just go ahead and do it please.

Lol Speedie have you succombed and ordered tuberose , too?

Chantell, you vagarant fragarant afficionado, if it is tuberose you want you must have at least my three fat clumps! yes, I insist.

PSST... and I wouldn't be surprised if you get an offer from a personal bulb shopper who amazingly will be in tha area of The Caladium Capital of the World and is just itching for a reason to show up at Bill's and transport bulbs.....

Oh phooey, I mis-read Chantell's post!! No, I'm sorry to say I didn't give in to the tuberose temptation -- I was offering her my Caladiums. Well, the offer still stands: Chantell, you may have half of my Caladium bulbs if you'd like them! =)

(I have no idea how I have been able to resist the enabling you guys are so good at!) < =P

Y'all are too cute!! Jill's got me on dmail we're all set. SO HAPPY to 'see' everyone...will be at seed swap!!

I think I'll add 25 more tuberose to our group order. Chantell can have however many of those she'd like; I'll keep a few, and I'll sell off any extras to friends/neighbors. That will put the price of the tuberoses at $1.60 per clump. (3 for $5 or 5 for $8 if you get them from me later!)

It is possible I'll still go in person to Caladiums4Less before the seed swap -- I'm not promising, since I'm not responsible for picking up our caladium purchase and there's nothing else I really absolutely need. I don't even know if "drop ins" are welcome. But if you want to place a "conditional" order with me (conditional because I might not go), just dmail me. I'll deliver anything I pick up at the seed swap.

Jill, Bill had asked me yesterday for a final count of the bulbs and I had sent him what we had. I'll let him know to correspond with you directly from here on out as you take over at this point.

thanks,
Catmint

Jill, I would gladly buy three tubes. Maybe five.

Thanks, Catmint! You've run a great sale!!

thanks, Jill! :-) I enjoyed it. I know you guys will do a great job from here! FYI to all: SSG is going to take over being the primary bulb sorter at Critter's on the morning of the seed swap, as my daughter's schedule is just too crazy for me to make it up there personally that morning. I'll get the labels and tape and Celosia seed and whatnot to SSG prior to the swap, so no worries. SSG has also generously offered to be my bulb angel and bring my caladium bulbs and tuberose back to me. Thanks so much, SSG! :-)

OK, I added 10 extras to the cheapest varieties & bumped FMJoyner t0 25... I'll sell off the extras to friends & neighbors if nobody decides to pick them up. Keep posting if you want tuberoses so I can increase our order if needed.

THANKS EVERYBODY -- ESP CATMINT!!

OUR ORDER

110 Gingerland, Sun Tolerant
--10 Speedie
--15 SSG
--20 Critter
--35 Happy
--5 Donner
--10 Terp
--5 Sally
-- 10 extra (or Critter will pick up)

110 Florida Elise
--100 Yehudith
-- 10 Critter

25 Florida Red Ruffle, Sun Tolerant
--10 SSG
--5 Donner
--5 Catmint
--5 Critter

10 Florida Sweetheart, Sun Tolerant
--5 Critter
--5 Terp

25 FM Joyner
--5 Catmint
-- 10 Critter
-- 10 extra (or Critter will pick up)

25 Lance Whorton, Sun Tolerant
--5 SSG
--10 Critter
--5 Sally
--5 Terp

10 Mixed Fancy Leaf (I like the idea of variety)
--5 Catmint
--5 Terp

10 White Christmas
--5 Donner
--5 Catmint

10 White Queen
--5 Terp
--5 Critter

Mixed Bag
--3# Bag Terp

bag of 50 tuberose
--20 Yehudith
--5 Catmint
-- 3 for Coleup
-- 5 fo Terp
-- 7 for Critter
-- 10 for Happy
-- 15 for Chantell
-- 10 extra (or Critter will pick up)

I'll call Bill when I get back from PT...

On the Gingerland, Critter, can you just take 10 off of my order rather than adding 10? I bought way more than I really wanted to get us to the 100 threshold. Thanks.

Thanks Critter. I'll update the excel sheet before I send it to you this evening!

Jill, just a note, the tuberose order doesn't add up to 50. It looks like we have 75 right now.

If it helps, you can reduce my order. I can't take more because I don't have enough sun even to support the ones I ordered. I just want that fragrance...

you're right, thanks, we are up to 75... I added the extra 10 to get us there but forgot to change the # to 75

I'm glad y'all have my back -- and Catmint's!

hmm... ok, we'll drop to 50 for now, as follows, for the tuberose

--20 Yehudith
--5 Catmint
-- 3 for Coleup
-- 3 fo Terp
-- 4 for Critter
-- 5 for Happy
-- 10 for Chantell

and we'll just get 100 of the Gingerland, with 10 extras that can go to Happy (or me) if nobody else wants them. I think my dentist wants 5... :-)

I talked to Bill just now. He's going to figure out our discounts vs. shipping and let me know our final number on Friday. He said he had plenty of tuberoses on hand (just got 500 in) so would be able to come up with a few more if we "needed" them. LOL As he assured me, he always takes good care of us!

thanks, Critter. I sent the excel file to you last night. Hope you got it okay! Hope it makes sense--I have *no* accounting background whatsoever so I just sort of made up a system for keeping track of what people owe. By the way, just a heads-up that totals have changed for many people in the past week, and so the totals I dmailed to you all last week might have changed. Jill will have final totals for everyone based on final shipping/discounts etc! Thanks, all, for a great buy!

Catmint