I bought way too many bulbs

I emailed them and asked, so hopefully we'll find out what they did with their bulbs when they respond. I figure it's likely that they've already gotten rid of them one way or another, but I figured there was no harm in asking! :-)

C'mon, sun.... I want to play in the dirt!

That occurred to me, too, if they'd offer a grab bag of "mystery bulbs."

I got a response today from Paul at Tulip World... I don't think he took my inquiry amiss, but there is no sudden co-op opportunity on mixed tulip bulbs. Here's what he wrote:

"Thank you for your mail.

It indeed was a big mess in the warehouse. What a completely useless action of these guys. Probably angry because there were no valuable office machines to take with them.

With regards to the bulbs: we decided to claim with our insurance company. This means that the goods from that moment are owned by the insurance company, so we are not stuck with piles of useless bulbs. The big problem was that we had to buy all these varieties again. You may have heard of the very disappointing harvest this year in Holland. We had the warmest spring and fall in 300 years, ever since the weathermen started measuring temperatures. I assume this is caused by the global warming. This means that there was a shortage of bulbs in Holland and this made it very hard job to re-purchase all varieties in the quality we are famous for.

Sorry to have to disappoint you but we won't be able to offer you a large quantity of pre-mixed of bulbs. If you have more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again."

It is amazing that I got my complete order after they had their hooligan incident. They kept me informed about the delay. I thought all the bulbs were in great shape with the only possible except being a couple of the fritillaria pallidiflora which may have been a tad soft. But as it is a strange bulb that I have no experience with, it may be just fine. I was happy to get them all in the ground the day after they came, so I didn't feel guilty about a couple more orders of sale bulbs I placed this week. I have seed orders already arriving. I will wrap those up and have Santa give them to me for Xmas presents. Some of the T&M packs don't have pictures or drawings which annoyed me. I will make note of that in my watchdog report. We hit a nice fall sale at a big Agway in NH a few weeks ago and I did point out of some new shears and garden clogs I was coveting for next spring. Hopefully Santa took notes. Patti

Stop the presses! I have an announcement. I planted the last of my bulbs on Sunday!!! I have to admit I didn't have nearly as many as some of you. But they are all in the ground where they belong. (whew, feels good).

ker thump! OUCH bumped my head when I fell over. LOL
congratulations!

Tam

Cngratulations, Grampapa! I guess this means you'll be free to come & help me finish up the 40 or 50 that I discovered hiding in the garage. It's been in the 60's here today, & we're supposed to have snow by Friday. I bet the bulbs will be as confused as I am. Should I be putting up CHristmas decorations or getting the tools sharpened for spring?

I still have 20-30 daff bulbs to plant, but my vegetable gardening ended tonight. I finally gave up and went and harvested my broccoli tonight. Poor little things were frozen solid! That's convenient, though. I grow vegetables already frozen.

LOL! White. Saw the forecast, bbbrrrrrrrrr!

Suzy

Talk about funny......I was busily getting all the plants into the house, my house now looks like a green house and it's not supposed to.....anyway, I FOUND another 9 Green Wave Tulips that had gotten overlooked when I was doing the bulb planting marathon. So they are also now planted. Supposed to rain tomorrow 100% now, remember that when I come back and say we didn't get anything. and 100% chance of snow on Thursday. again that would mean moisture and we just don't do moisture. LOL

I have been crazily ordering gladiolas and lilies on the latest co-op. I am up to 213 bulbs. Would you say that I bought too many of those?????

Susan
=^..^=

213! I'd say excellent job! Those prices were dirt cheap!

The good news is you don't *have* to plant the lilies this fall....commercial growers store them after fall digging for spring sales. They have places that get just below freezing and keep them in darkness. I have gotten away with just above freezing (also in darkness to prevent sprouting.) I have also wintered them over in a leaf pile, and also on right on top of the ground, covered with a foot of leaves -- all with no ill effect, in fact, no visible effects at all - they looked exactly the same as when I got them. I took them out of their plastic packages, and I also wrapped some plastic fencing around them in case the rodents got hungry for a snack, but i couldn't see where they even came close and don't know if I needed it or not.

I have also excavated them (accidentally) in the garden in spring after a late fall planting (mid Nov-Dec) and there were NO new roots, just the old ones. They just sat in the cold soil all winter waiting for the soil temps to warm so they could root.

And obviously, you don't plant the gladioli, now either, so I'd say "ya done good!" and you really got a lot for your money! If I had had a chance to ask some gladiolus questions, I would have been right in there with you! (How do you keep them upright? Do you have to stake them? I always see them leaning precariously when I see them blooming in the ground.)

Suzy

Suzy -- better news! -- the glads and lilies from the BB co-op won't ship until spring. That means Susan & I have all winter to figure out where we'll plant them, LOL.

I sent a handful of leftover daff bulbs home with my mom this morning... I'm done! Well, at least I am done until the shipment from B&B arrives!

well, goshsmom, I have a niece in cinncinnati I can rent you LOL

w_h, growing your broccoli already frozen is a great idea! talk about efficient. you're way ahead of your time.

I have about 1,000 Christmas ornaments I need to hang now. no more time for bulbs unless they're blinking in time to Jingle Bells....fa la la la la. by the time I get them put away again it'll be spring ;0)

White_Hydrangea just stick those daffodils in the broccoli holes and Bob's your uncle. Then follow the good advice of Illoquin about lifting daffodils after they bloom (before you plant your veggies) and store until you replant them in the fall. At least it would be quick and it would give you some spring color in the veggie patch. I still am chuckling over your instant frozen broccoli. White_Hydrangea vs the Jolly Green Giant! You are a hoot! Patti

Here, a haiku to make y'all feel like the spawn of Martha Stewart & Christopher Lloyd:

Nineteen hundred bulbs
Started planting yesterday
Joy! Ten in the ground

I have so enjoyed reading about everyone else's race to get the bulbs in. I am in Alabama, so we have LOTS of bulb planting time left, and I am continuing (obsessively) to pursue sales for daffs and others despite the fact that I have already put around 800 bulbs in the ground, have about 200 in the garage and am expecting a B&B order tomorrow... My DH is not only wondering if I have finally gone 'round the bend, but I'm sure is wondering where on earth I am going to put all the seedlings from my planned winter sowing jugs (as am I).

My B&B order just arrived on my doorstep! 320 more bulbs to get in.... glad I got caught up this week, LOL. Rain expected to continue here today and tomorrow, but hopefully I'll be planting (and mulching!) next week!

Yippeeee!

go get 'em critter! the rain will just keep the ground nice and soft for you :0) I know you Southern folks still have time.

summerkid - you have that many to plant yet? wowzers!!!

I really, really, really hate digging holes around tree roots. But I'm the queen of lasagna gardening! So most of these will end up cooling their heels under a couple of feet of straw, leaves & mulch in what will be next year's new vegetable beds, about 2,000 s.f. worth.

Hey, Grampapa, Small world isn't it? Your neice can come over any time.
I just looked up Wheatfield on the map. I went to school in Rochester abt a million years ago. Do you get that famous "lake effect" snow? I have a school friend that's a Methodist minister. She's from Gouvernor (sp?), had churches in Spencerport & Dublin (great Greek diner right on the lake there), Edwards, & now Pennellville. I keep telling her she should have joined a conference someplace a little warmer, like San Diego maybe :-))
Don't slip on any ice when you're hanging up those Christmas "bulbs"
Cheers,
Goshsmom

small world indeed, goshsmom :0) my brother went to RIT about a million years ago. you must have been in Rochester at the same time LOL funny you should mention the 'lake effect' snow. there's a band of lake snow hanging over us at this minute dropping 2" of snow an hour. don't know what it's going to look like here by morning. depends on how fast it decides to move south. my niece that lives in Cincy grew up in the Carolina's. the first Christmas she spent here it snowed every day until the plows had piled it so high we couldn't see the street at all from our house. I think she was 16 or 17. she and my brother played in the snow every day.

everythings pretty well frozen here. now I need to get out and mulch.

gram

LOL Grampapa,
Every time it snows here people freak out, it's so rare they forget how to drive. Even tho' I grew up in southern Ohio, I went to school in Maine and in Rochester, so I feel like a leading authority on driving in the snow here. With the exception of the snow & ice storm at Xmas here 2 years ago when my car got literally frozen to the driveway, I've always been able to get out & enjoy the snow.
Have fun!
Pat

Fortunately, I think the snow will hold off at least another week or so here, according to the local forecast...

B&B was out of stock on a couple of things I'd tried to order... so when the last day of their sale (yesterday) rolled around, what did I do? LOL, I ordered "just a few" more bulbs... less than 100! I was good! (sort of) (Well, I did take a couple hundred bulbs out of my online shopping cart.)

I planted 50 more 'Woodstock' hyacinths (side bed, colors will look great near the brick walkway) , 10 red greggii tulips, and 20 Allium christophii (lily bed) this afternoon, plus got a couple more potted perennials into the ground... 50 daffs and 50 Muscari 'Plumosum' to go, plus the 50 purple 'Miss Saigon' hyacinths and 25 'Montana' little yellow tulips that should be arriving around Thursday...

And I still need mulch! But I'm having fun imagining what it will look like next spring.... :-)

White_Hydrangea. I hope you found a place for all your bulbs. But mostly that you spend today in a most special way for your B-Day and that you never have a spider on your doorstep again....ever,ever, ever. Best, Patti