Today, I visited the local Plants-And-Seeds store, in order to purchase a new bottle of ROGOR (Dimethoate) - well I left the shop with 100 mL-ROGOR, "Appleblossom" (extra size), "White", and 2 x "Susan". During the last years before 2009, I had lost the majority of my TET Hippeastrums, due to serious space- and other problems...

Those are lovely, Anna! Nice bulbs at prices we can live with!

Speaking of prices... I've been horrified by some of the price tags on some bulb websites! I would pay more for a jumbo bulb, but not a jumbo price for an average to small bulb of common variety! It's really a predatory practice!

I bloom "Intokazi" derived from Keybol. The flower is completely flat, green throat, flavor and pink lines do not quite - snow white petals.
Yes, I saw a photo of Hadeco,but it looks like a yellow throat. I just want to ask for advice - it's "Intokazi"?
And if not - what is it? Antarctica?
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I just can't believe the size of most of the bulbs this year..some are obscenely large..all are much larger than usual and as firm as a rock!! And I wasn't going to buy any thing else this year..and I actually bought two that I already had..Nymph (recovering from a bout with NBF) and a Charisma that I just couldn't leave there! I also bought a White Christmas not pictured...bad..bad..bad....they also had a Gervase the size of a cantaloupe..but I have that too so I made the big sacrifice and left it there....

They are definitely doing something different this year in their culture of these bulbs. I'm more than satisfied with a small grapefruit size bulb..these overly large bulbs will never recover once they have bloomed their 3 or 4 scapes...(I think);-) we shall see...

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Oh man!! I am so tempted to dive into my grocery money and go bulb shopping! :-)

Will you look at the size of those babies?!! Geez!!

Happy Growing... is about all I can think to say! I can't wait to see the bloom photos!

Those look like the enormous bulbs I saw in Holland (but couldn't bring home because they weren't packaged correctly).
Sigh....
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This is what I was sold as Intokazi....turned out to be very virus-laden....heard others saw this too!!
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Whether or not any of this year's hippo hippies turn up virused is the next chapter...Since I don't know yet, I didn't dare to do anything but self them. I bought Merry Christmas as the sacrificial lamb (always hated that phrase) to put all my collected pollen on. I'm thinking white would be the best with many of these great dotted ones..I keep trying...but even selfing these Maguires doesn't take very often.

Fortunately, there is no one purchased the plant showed no signs of the virus.
But I do not buy much.
More from Moscow received from friends
Oh! Do you have winter?
We have not yet.

Nice pictures, Kristi!

Is there a specific process for bringing bulbs home through customs, like just a few personal purchases? Those are lovely... it's a shame you couldn't bring them back with you.

Bulbs are HUGE

Donna, where are those from!?!?!

I've not ordered many but the new releases..

Josh and all,

Those bulbs were purchased at a not so local nursery about one horrendous hour of 4 lane traffic away..For those of you in MA they came from Russel's Nursery in Wayland and there is a Mahoneys about 2 miles down the road from which came the monster repeat bulbs Charisma and Nymph I just couldn't leave there. Between the two nurseries they had at least 35 varieties of bulbs (maybe more) I couldn't believe my luck (I think). Last year I only purchased 3 bulbs from them..one a mislabeled Melusine (Misty),a Jewel and one I forget.. all very healthy..hope I'm as lucky this time. I couldn't believe the varieties..Flamenco Queen, Neon, Chico,Evergreen, San Remo (should have bought one) Gervase, Night Star, Emerald, Exotic Star, and on and on..Hercules, ( I got the last one)..President Johnson ( last one) as well as Picotee and many more. I coudn't buy all that I really wanted as my husband was checking out with the 7 bulb I did buy and although I was still looking..I took the hint. But he was good enough to stop at Mahoneys where I bought the other two monsters..I was literally like a kid in a Candy Store.. We usually only make that trip once a year as the traffic is more than this country bumpkin can tolerate..back seat driving is very tiring you know.....

They also had Jewel, several whites, several of the Nymphs, Red Peal, Royal Velvet..It was literally like looking at the varieties in Kristi's picture from Holland,,only these you could buy..!! But, no papilios this year in my travels. Last year we found papilio in a couple of local nurseries not so this year...

I didn't buy a Night Star as that is my least favorite of the Cybisters..but the bulbs were huge..

Donna

I get like that, too... a kid in a candy store! I get so excited when we stop in at our local good nursery, knowing they'll have a nice selection of good sized, healthy bulbs! I always wish I could buy more, but I'm usually limited in budget. But the excitement! Oh, my!! I just grin from ear to ear... even if I can't buy everything I want!

And when my husband takes me north to my favorite orchid grower... I just flit from greenhouse to greenhouse, exclaiming at all the beauty! And he follows me around, looking bored himself, but smiling at my excitement! I know he doesn't want to be there... but he's so sweet and patient!

I get excited just thinking about it! This is what bulb and plant addiction is like, folks! :-)

Very nice scores, everyone! You'll all just have to share photos!

Hi, Dondeldux I have a question for you are those red spots on your hippeastrum nymph a kind of disease, or is it ok?

Kristi, what did the average bulb cost in Holland (converted to US$, if you don't mind.)? Also, curious as to what is considered/mandated to be correct packaging? Those sure are delicious-looking bulbs in the market!

Phil, That bulb is fine. Many times when the first exposed layer of the bulb dries out it can turn a reddish color before it turns brown..and any kind of trauma even too much rough handling by hand or bumping against another bulb can cause that. I pealed the outer layer off and the bulb was pristine under. When the red is a larger, sort of mushy spot that goes in several layer, then you can try scooping it out with a spoon getting all the red out and dusting with captan..most always heals. I thoroughly inspected each bulb I bought and they are perfect..as long as none of them is virused!! I took this picture just for you... :-)

Donna

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Let's see if I can remember all the questions...

They were 1 for 8.5 Euro and 2 for 15....at about ~1.4? Euro/$ that is 1 for ~$12 and 2 for ~$21. I have an import license and could have brought back up to $800 worth without paying customs (there's more to the license than that...but I don't remember it all), but none of them had phyto certificates (except for the one that Paul of Royal Colors hand-delivered to my hotel in Lisse) and I would have had to ship all others back to arrive and be hand inspected by the USDA in Houston. None of the varieties being sold were anything that I didn't have already, and so...it wasn't worth it to me. I believe I could have hand carried 12 or 13 bulbs home, but again, they had to be packaged with phytocertificates.

I will tell you that the one from Paul has turned out to be a fantastic hybrid that should be available next year perhaps, very similar in some ways to Tosca in shape...but a fantastic red (and I am not most fond of red) called Bonfire!

If you order from Royal Colors and look at their individual bulb packaging with the seal and stamp...that is the correct packaging. IT WAS VERY SAD that some vendors were selling bulb (not amaryllis) that they said you could take back to the US (they were about $15 for some tulips, etc), but since I had had extensive conversations with the USDA prior to my trip, I KNEW that you couldn't take those back to the US and so the poor person that bought them was most likely going to have them confiscated in customs.

I got pulled aside in customs for my one bulb and I laid it on top of everything else with it's stamp and certificate clearly visible...I got waved through the second line and the officer said that he wished everyone was as aware of the agrilimits! If you are planning a trip, don't hesitate to call the USDA, they will answer any of your questions and tell you exactly what you can and can not do. I always get the officer's name. Once I even was in the line of the officer I spoke with (Officer Gardener!)...was it karma!?

Anyway, I would love to go back in a few years and get more unusual bulbs, but the floating flower market just didn't have much that I had to have. If anything I would have bought them for the size than for the variety!

Kristi

It still sounds like a wonderful trip, Kristi... and I'm glad you were able to go and experience it all firsthand! :-)

Thanks Kristi it is a beautiful bulb Phil

Oops...that should have been 1.4$/Euro...sorry!
K

Well I cajoled hubby into making one more trip to "bulb heaven" many of the previous varieties had sold out but I found some I had missed the first time.. imagine that..I did buy another Pasadena, and there appears to be 3 or 4 different distributors..two bulbs of Pink Nymph were totally different, one was the monster type and the other was a traditional good sized bulb, I couldn't decide which to buy and since I had never had a Pink Nymph..imagine that..I got the go ahead to get both. The one with the bud out is Lima, I had missed that the first time too. Last year's Melusine turned out to be Misty and I now have 2, hopefully this won't be another Misty..Rembrant would be OK... And, they had LaForest Morton, I've never seen that before or recall seeing anyone post any pictures other that on the Emarillys site. If these turn out to be virused I'll be devastated, but I bought 3 bulbs last year from this nursery and they are all fine..I guess I already mentioned that, I guess I'm starting to repeat myself in my joy over these bulbs...sorry...

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Donna

Oh a Melusine!!! My ones all have been Rembrandt van rijn! I cross my fingers for You!!!

Donna, don't worry about repeating yourself, because I don't have a great memory... so it works out good for me! ;-)

But seriously, I so understand your joy and excitement! A nice group of bulbs, that is... you'll be very happy! :-)

Pasadena is a beauty, and you can't go wrong with anything from the Nymph series! In fact, I never met a bulb I didn't like... so, I predict lots of fun at your house this winter!

Donna,

Your medium in your pots look just like mine, what do you use?!?

Josh,
I used about 50% bedding mix which is already laced with perlite, and add a heap more perlite to which we add several heaps of small pine bark nuggets and a small bag of pidgeon grit..All this comes from a grain store and I/we don't really measure this stuff, it just goes in by eye. It's a good fast draining mix and I've had good luck with it.

Donna

Donna,

That sounds almost exactly like my mix too and it works very well, I've tweaked it here and there.

I usually just add handfuls of each to what I think looks good.

Josh

Exactly...But for my sprouted seeds I just use the bedding mix and perlite about half & half.. nothing else until the tiny bulbs are about the size of large peas...These days I'm more careful not to crowd my seedlings like I used to when I plant them in plastic trays..the longer I can leave them undisturbed in the plastic trays the better I've found, they resent having their roots disturbed and so I will wait until next early summer and most are going directly in the ground. I did that this summer with about 5 trays that I had terribly overcrowded and they grew like thick mats. When I planted them in the ground I didn't even separate them, just planted the entire mats of each variety. You wouldn't believe how well they grew..I fed the daylight out of them and I'm sure that some of the weaker ones got crowded out and that's all well and good. This late fall, I had intended to do the dirty deed and seperate them but just as we were having a threat of frost, we had a wake and a funeral to occupy the next two days and we had to hurriedly dig up the entire clumps and literally throw them into absolutely huge clay pots. I have about 6 giant pots in the furnace room for the winter. Some have died back and some have continued to grow. I'm sure I'll loose more this winter, but it will probably save me the trouble of separating the large from the smaller ones. I have to break this habit of planting too many seeds from any particular cross. I'm going to try to limit myself to no more than 10 unless it's a papilio cross.Ha....

Sorry for the awfully long paragraph on something you didn't even ask about..!!

Here is a picture of the seedling that grew in the ground for the summer they are larger than they look most of the leaves were about 10 to 12 inches in length. Nothing seemed to bother them, that was just luck of course...I don't even know how large the bulbs got, we never got a chance to look, they just got plopped in the pots. I'd really like to say that those are all my seedlings, but unfortunately, they're just the tip of the iceberg!!

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Donna

WOW Donna, how old are these babies?

I think your idea is a wonderful one, just look at how well Mother Nature handled your babies and of course only the strong will survive which makes it easier for you!

Some of those look mature or like they'll bloom this spring!?

I can't wait to see your crosses and don't EVER apologize for writing too much, I LOVE reading your posts!!!!

Way to grow, Donna! They're beautiful!

Thanks Guys,

Some of these seedlings are Fairy Tale x Lemon Star (both ways) which were both in bloom Jan 2010 (I had to check the date on my pictures that's the way I keep records) ;-( So that would make them under 2 yrs old. Some are Apple Blossom x Lady Jane and my picture of that seedpod is dated Mar 2010..so those are even a bit younger. And, Pasadena x Lemon Star and Exotica x Lady Jane would be somewhere in between. All substantially under 2 years old. That particular season I made many crosses of which I have many more seedlings growing..some of them are really good sized..Naranja x Exotic Star only yielded 5 viable seeds and they are all big!! As well as 5 Naranja x Limona also big. Not to mention some of my pap x "cocktail" (mixture) some of those are huge, but that's a story for another thread...I could go on and on but maybe what we should all do is start another thread and list our seedlings and post pictures of the best and the biggest??I'm sure we can get Kristi to re-post the ones she has already listed and add the rest!
You too Josh, I know you've got many delicious crosses...!!

I don't expect much growth on many of the seedlings except the ones I have room for in a sunny window which includes 3 of 5 pots of my very first papilio cross. The rest(probably about 15 more pots each with about 5 plants) are under lights in the basement..some have gone dormant but most have kept their leaves and continue to grow on.

Right now there are about 5-6 per pot and God only knows what I'm going to do with these when they need their own pots. I have a bad habit of not spacing these out, they are all growing together like a cluster, not good husbandry I know, but I am a very lazy person plus I always hate to disturbe roots on young plants. I keep praying for that solarium/office to materialize, but it still remains a dream..I think I'll need a good sized winning lottery ticket for that one..I certainly wouldn't waste it on a new car...how our priorities change as we age..huh?!

Donna

It's often amazing how much our priorities do change as we age. With age, I think, comes a certain wisdom... and we begin to realize what's truly important in our lives, and what's not so important anymore, and we do a little rearranging. Plus, we physically change, and some of the things we used to be able to do with ease are no longer possible for some of us.

I would love to find that winning lottery ticket... but I'm pretty sure you have to actually play in order to be eligible for a win! ;-) I just can't afford to give that dollar over to the lottery.

It would be nice, though, to be able to heat this little greenhouse through the winter, so I could keep my bulbs and other plants happier. I know they'd enjoy the light, and they'd put on more growth and size. It would also be nice to outfit it with a mist system, automatic temperature and humidity controls, better fans, etc... all the things that make it easy to operate for one person.

My priority for next spring is going through all the bulbs I have and ensuring everyone is in fresh medium, taking stock of what I have left from the NBF attack... and treating them all a little better. I've been a bit depressed since I found that first maggot inside my Eucharis, and found out I lost so many other bulbs... that they were beyond saving. Some of my seedlings/young stock got hit, too.

I've actually still got quite a bit of green growth from the bulbs I do have. Some are resting... but a lot of them are still in leaf. It's been unseasonably warm, though.

I'd love to see what everyone is growing, what crosses they've had flower, etc... Hans has shown many lovely pictures over the years, and I recall seeing some from a few other growers. But a few of us just play around casually at breeding. That's what I would enjoy seeing... pictures like Donna's.

Hi Kristi,
as I understand by your photo, flower Intokazi has a pink tint.. My "Intokazi", the second scape - the flowers have a pink tint petals at the ends only.This tint appears only on the bright light.
But the shape of a flower is not so, the outer petals are almost 2 times larger than the inner ones. And the ends of the petals do not curl back as in the picture of Hadeco. Maybe this is "Denver"
?