Contacted Sarah Raven as my Snakeshead fritillaries had not arrived. They were having problems as the stock they received was poor and not suitable to send out. They were trying to source more. I decided to cancel and was refunded the same day.Will try to buy some locally instead, pleased they didn't just send them whatever. I assume they are imported, I wonder if conditions are too dry for growing on?
I did see some at a local Garden Centre in National Trust Packaging but not sure where these came from will take a look next time I visit. Perhaps they are better treated like Galanthus 'in the green', although an expensive way to do it if you want a meadow!
I was given fifty over ten years ago and they still flowered happily this spring.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Shop around bought miniture daffs from garden centre £5.99 than same ones same amount Yorkshire trading £1.70 ,and actually the YT ones looked better quality bulbs,we will see when they flower.
I miss Yorkshire Trading Co. I used to shop there regularly when I worked in Newark but we don't have one here.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I finished my planting of bulbs today - in beautiful sunshine. Of the 12 bags or so, the quality of Sarah Raven bulbs was outstanding (as I usually find). They do state they select only the top size and highest quality, and I think it shows in the bulbs, the blooms and the price. https://www.sarahraven.com/bulbs
Two bags of narcissus from Farmer Gracy were mostly rotten.
This is only ancedote not evidence of much, but assessing the range, the two ends of the spectrum were quite striking today. Gee Tee screwed up the order, which hasn't happened with them in previous years.
Mistakes happen.
Into December there will be big discounts on spring bulbs.
Just dug up the last of my dahlias and can say that I found gall on nearly half of the ones I bought from Farmer Gracy early this year (previous years' ones still fine).
I found gall on one of my Matilda dahlias this autumn when lifting. I've not seen it before. I'm not sure that's due to the supplier. The infection seems to come from injury to the tuber. I had moved that plant mid-season and I assumed I accidentally jagged the tuber while digging.
I've had Dahlia Gall on waltzing Matilda two years on the trot . I throw last years away and removed all compost ( in a barrel ) bought new tubers this year same problem , I had two other dahlias planted with them Fascination which were perfectly fine ( no gall ) but they had to go as well seen as they were in the same pot . I'll be avoiding WM for the foreseeable future its probably a problem with the field where they grow them on.
Interesting. I have about ten Matilda overwintering. I will keep an eye out next year to see if the gall has spread. I used the ex-soil for spring bulbs pots. The bacteria last in the soil for up to two years apparently.
Agree about the impressive size and quality of bulbs from Sarah Raven. No gall on the two dahlias I got from them either.
One bulb in a bag of Caviar bulbs that they sent me was mouldy though (this was a couple of years ago), but they quickly replaced it with 5 new and healthy bulbs.
This year I bought 80 bulbs from Farmer Gracy for the first time, all good quality and large as well. Fifty have gone into a large pot — trying for a layered high impact look as you showed from Dixter @Fire, but still not touching, I couldn’t bring myself to do that — and 30 Black Hero bulbs are in the ground dotted around my few roses.
I ordered Fritillaria melegris from Sarah Raven this autumn. I was waiting for them to arrive so messaged them to be told.' The stock we have is not up to our standard so we are looking to source more'. Good to know and I didn't go ahead and buy them. I wondered if they had suffered due to dry conditions.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Posts
I assume they are imported, I wonder if conditions are too dry for growing on?
I did see some at a local Garden Centre in National Trust Packaging but not sure where these came from will take a look next time I visit.
Perhaps they are better treated like Galanthus 'in the green', although an expensive way to do it if you want a meadow!
I was given fifty over ten years ago and they still flowered happily this spring.
https://www.yorkshiretrading.com/
One bulb in a bag of Caviar bulbs that they sent me was mouldy though (this was a couple of years ago), but they quickly replaced it with 5 new and healthy bulbs.
This year I bought 80 bulbs from Farmer Gracy for the first time, all good quality and large as well. Fifty have gone into a large pot — trying for a layered high impact look as you showed from Dixter @Fire, but still not touching, I couldn’t bring myself to do that — and 30 Black Hero bulbs are in the ground dotted around my few roses.