eeks! I think I'm in trouble

I like the scent when they first open, but after a day or two they start reminding me of cat pee.

ROFL Patti! Now you've stirred up my curiosity, I'm going to try to smell the flower up close. lol.
Kim

Not me, I love them, but there are some that are reportable to be less stinky. I hate the smell of cat pee, and privet, but love the smell of paper whites. Patti

Lily, I thought somebody had said paperwhites forced indoors were no good after blooming. If you planted outdoors afterwards, then so will I. Just not where I can smell them.

No doubt they are beautiful, though stinky, just like my heartthrob in 7th grade. a story for another day.

I don't need paperwhites in order to smell cat pee..I get teh real thing!! I don't even own a cat & it really frustrates me when others cats use my garden as their kitty litter box!!!!

Some type of spring bulbs like Tulips, hyacinch require a 'chilled' period to adequate form flowers. I'm not certain, but think paperwhite doesn't require the prescribed chilling period for they bloom in Nov. in my garden before any type of cold front comes through our region.

I planted hyacinth bulbs in a planter to give to friends so I hope they grow..it's the new one..a red one..one I've never seen before. I planted the rest (2) in my garden. Now you folks are getting me all excited for the spring to come! hahahahahaha

Voss, are your bulbs coming up?

I just found this thread--sounds like you'll have quite a display this spring!

Don't forget more pics! Will want to see.

Howdy T. Yes they're coming up but not nearly as fast as I'd want, lol. Bulbs planted in past years are 8" tall and I was told in another thread "older" bulbs grow faster than new. I didn't know that. No blooms yet. C'mon bulbs, get to growing!

Yo Vossner, speaking of older bulbs. My hiacynches planted in past years are sending out flower stalks, though buds are still tightly closed. Older Daffs. are in full blooms here. Yikes!!!

Yo, Lil, good on ya! lol. Blooms in 7b huh? I'm not even close yet.

oh poo! I've got snow on the frozen ground.

I hear ya, Tammy, oldman winter doesn't reside in our Southern climate, but rather he just passes through here now and then, back up North and routed back here now and again on occassions -- so to speak. LOL These are new bulbs that were planted in the fall. They too are poking their noses through the ground. Vossner, crocus are in full bloom here too. I'm very concern for my Saucer magnolia's buds this spring, if it's going the way it's (hot then cold, cold then hot alternately). Most of the flowers buds will be distroyed before they get a chance to show off their beauty.

i hope for your sake that doesn't happen. they're beautiful.

Yes, newly planted bulbs usually are a few weeks behind the same type that have been in the ground for more than a year. After the first year, they get in sync with the rest of the plantings. Please post pics, vosser, when they are in bloom. I envy your early spring, but not your summers!

I'm straight y'all. Had a momentary brain lapse, but I'm all together now. thanks.

I went to the Coleous coop and OMG, the selection is so great, guaranteed to get a headache from trying to decide. I never thought great decision-making was involved in getting a coleous, but you guys go peek over there. The Rosie Dawn website is absolutely incredible!

Thanks for the reminder to help sooth my zone-envy Hoosier.

Love the pansies Lily!

OK... I'm ready. You guys just go ahead and post the pictures of your blooms.
It'll be another month before there's any action here.

Nery I've already been drooling over those Coleus. While we were without power last week my Coleus in the plant room got nipped by the cold. The stems still feel firm so I think most will recover, but it sure has me considering replacements.

We are supposed to get some sort of cold the beginging of the week but for now everything thinks it is spring.

Oh they are lovely Marie!

My friend has some daffodils blooming also & mine are only just sprouting..we live close together too! hahaha

there isn't much to see. We've had to water w/ hose because our fall/winter have been virtually rainless.

I mentioned earlier that we created a bed were we put chicken wire to protect against squirrels and another bed w/o chicken wire. Interestingly, neither one has been disturbed, not yet anyway. And it isn't that the rodents have mended their ways. Case in point, my hanging basket shown. I bought this fancy liner which lasts more that your typical coco liners and this is what the little @#$% have done, grrr.

They chewed the material, decided it wasn't yummy enough and spit it out in the yard, for me to pick up.

Dratted tree rat :( I had a first on the weekend. I was dismayed to see that Mickey chewed up some peat pots in the garden shed this winter. He has never done that before. Usually he's a very well behaved mouse (other than jumping out at my DH and scaring the crap out of him tee hee).

Beautiful pictures, all. I just came home from Atlanta after a 5-day business trip to find a whole bunch of daffodils and crocuses in bloom - and hyacinths and many others on the way. Two days of rain here and mild temps. Too early for this yet here, but the weather has been wonderful.

Vossner, that is too funny - only because the stuffing from one of our outdoor hairs has been slowly disappearing and I think we found it all - way up in a tree when a "tree-rat" made a nest. The winds have now blown the stuffing all over the yard so now I have the white stuff everywhere!

Steve

Voss we have not had much rain either. Thta is until this past weekend Monday. Now we had freezing temps last night so I will go home and see what is mush and what survived.

not much longer!

All my Daffs. are done, so were the first wave of Tulips. now I'm waiting for late season Tulips to come along, at the meantime crocus try to keep the bed looks busy.

Vossner, Looking good. You have done a great spring clean up. I need to do that this week. I have one very early narcissus that is about to pop, but I will enjoy all you southern folks blooms for a good while yet. Patti

I love the spacious planting area Vos. has. Ooooh, I dream of having more land....

Very nice planting and setting. Nery - looking forward to seeing the blooms!

Kim, love the combo of pansies and croci - those look really good together.

Lily_love, great color combo. I will have narcissus in bloom until the second week in June. But nothing yet. Patti

Don't forget those cute little pansies keeping the crocus company there
Lily_love.

Voss... can't wait to see the big show! It'll be wonderful with such a nice
backdrop.

Voss... waiting in anticipation!! hahahahhaa

I AM THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED, BUT I WILL GET OVER IT

Over the summer I had a series of fruitless discussions w/ VE, specifically the owner's daughter. My position: VE sold me immature bulbs, need to replace or refund. VE's position: you don't know what you're doing that why bulbs did not bloom. I have put a link to what developed after my bulbs did not bloom. If you want to see a copy of my letter, I will forward it to you. There were no personal attacks but I made sure the owner knew just how thoroughly pixxed I was. I was ready to concede I might have done something wrong. But what thoroughly infuriated me was this woman's unwillingness to acknowledge even the slightest chance something was wrong with the bulbs.

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/comments.php?compid=44&offset=20

This is the first and only negative feedback I have posted in the GWD. They have to have been pretty arrogant to have antagonized me in such manner. I will get over this, as for every assinine seller out there, there are 20 wanting to do what's right. So I see this as a happy ending b/c the door is now open to people who do want my business and closed to one that doesn't deserve it.

This message was edited Sep 10, 2009 11:13 AM

You go girl! =^..^=

Voss, good for you. Sending you a dmail.

Donna

I had a similar experience with Van Engelen some years ago. Unlike Voss I was, in retrospect, overly concerned about saying some thing negative about a company with such a high rating. I received bulbs that did not work for me and asked for replacement. A very nice staff member (horticulturalist) discussed the matter with me via e-mail and provided replacements. Then some woman from the company (same one?) sent me a couple of condescending and fairly nasty emails to the effect that I must not have known what I was doing. I responded to her that it was unfortunate that she undermined the fine impression I had of the original response with comments I felt were uncalled for.

I didn't give negative feedback to GW because I didn't want to damage their rating. Perhaps I should have. I can certainly now provide some backup for Voss.

There is another top rated company I had problems with and said nothing. I found another DG member who has had repeated problems. As we treading too carefully around the sacred cows? I like to give good companies the benefit of the doubt but now I wonder whether this has resulted in others being put in the same position I found myself in - having bad experiences but not feeling comfortable speaking up.

Donna

Good for you vossner, for speaking up on VE. Garden Watchdog only works if you report the good and the bad. Like Donna, I had formerly been inclined to report the good and leave out the bad. Until.....one really, really bad experience put me over the edge. It was only then that I realized that I wasn't doing it out of spite, I was doing it so that others could be made aware and thus make their choice on what I saw as the facts regarding the company. We all benefit from reporting with dignity (like you did) to the Garden Watchdog, both the good and the bad.

As for daffodils, if you are looking to buy in major bulk, I'd stick to some place like Costco. They have some interesting varieties for a very inexpensive price and are blooming quality. Or see what Buggy Crazy can do for you. She is a daff queen ;)