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Bulbs arrived today

jvanjoyce81129jvanjoyce81129 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
These bulbs came today from Parkers, when I queried there obvious growth, Parkers replied some top growth suggest plant now, they look awful and surely a refund would have been more appropriate, or not selling these bulbs so late in season. 

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Were they cheap, sale price?   It’s late in the season now,  especially for crocus,  they are early flowering, but just plant them out,  try not to break the tops.  If they don’t flower this coming Spring, ,  and they probably will,  but they’ll be fine for next year.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited November 2023
    @jvanjoyce81129 I agree with @Lyn they will probably flower in 2025! If they were on offer fine but full price they should have been shown as unavailable. I wonder if they have been growing underglass which has forced them into flower. They could have done this without any soil! Not a very good Ad for Parkers. Always a mixed response to the quality of their plants and bulbs on here.
    All unavailable on Sarah Raven except C tommasinianus which can be a beautiful thug under certain growing conditions these I have just realised are not available until Feb. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I think these are saffron crocus,  they’ve already bloomed for this year,  plant them up ready for next autumn. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd agree - those are autumn crocus, as opposed to the more usual late winter, early spring type that most people would have bought and planted recently. Those wouldn't really be growing at this stage - at most they might have a tiny sprout showing as it's now quite late in the year. 
    Was that what you ordered @jvanjoyce81129 , or did you think they were the winter/spring ones? If the description wasn't clear, you should contact the supplier to query it. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    I think the receipt says they are crocus sativus, the saffron crocus, so I think they would be flowering now. And probably should have been ordered and sent out in late summer.

    I quite fancy growing some one year ... might be an interesting project.

    Bee x


    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Autumn flowering that explains why. If they were full price I would hope for flowers this year.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • EmptyheadtimeEmptyheadtime Posts: 366
    I got some sativus recently that were reduced as fancied experimenting with saffron. They had lots of shoots on the bulbs (no flowers)as they are ‘out of season’ but as they were cheap I took a punt. I would be unhappy if I paid full price. When you bought them were you aware they flower oct/nov?
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    They are selling them now,  in the green.  They will flower next year. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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