Only special people from a special group have Sonatini blooms to share :)

Jody,

No one offered a co-op order from the forum, as there was no minimum order, but everyone could have purchased these bulbs directly from the grower. The offering was announced several times on this forum.

I won't post any photos if it's going to cause hurt feelings.

Kristi

Kristi, fell free to post pictures, no hurt feelings here :)

Interesting markings and likely to improve!

"Cute". It's got a way to go to resemble the pictures on the internet but her shape is great and some of the markings are there so there's plenty of reason to believe that the next time around it will be more well marked and more colorful!

I've got 2 poking up now...

Nice!!! Lollipop and sweet sixteen are about to open

Here are Lollypop and Sweet Sixteen. Both of these are blooming only 2 weeks after planting. Bulbs arrived either with just the tip of scape visible or with it just in the neck of the bulb. I can't believe how they have grown. The temperatures have been in the high 70s - low 80s each day with cool nights in the 50s.

A little bloom damage, but cute...Lollypop. Doesn't quite match the photo, but I like it.

I LOVE this color!! Sweet Sixteen

All very lovely!! Sweet sixteen is a beautiful shade of pink. I'm starting to like the pinks a lot more. Do you have any plans to cross these? I was wondering if they cross well with the larger flowering bulbs.

I'm not sure what to do with these...they are small and very newly planted. Maybe one or two attempts per pot, but I'm not going to overdo it this year.

Very disappointed with Ratatouille. Not even close to the picture...

Nancy,

My 2nd Ratatouille shows much more promise. Markings are much better on this first bloom from 2nd bulb.

And Lollypop is a much improved as it opens fully.

Kristi,

One can only hope the Ratatouille improves but I am concerned. Out of the six bulbs I got, four of them have a scape blooming currently. They are all exactly like my picture above. Your picotee edging looks more reddish like the sample picture than mine too. I will be keeping my fingers crossed.

Nancy

Hi,

Well, here is one of my Lollypops and I'm really pleased with the color. A cute little coral pink flower and some of the bulbs have 5 flowers or more!!

And, I picked it out of the pot to take the photo in natural light outside and to my surprise this bulb has already started to root!! Way to go!!

Donna

Last Ratatouille blooms have a bit more color

Orange Rascal (very tiny bloom)

Sweet Sixteen

And Lollypop

Somehow a Balentino snuck in the bunch...

Well, I guess I can honestly say this is the smallest fully formed flower I've ever had!! Let's see what the next one brings...;-)

After seeing this last picture of your Ratatouille Donna (which I love), I am really wondering if I got the same thing. Here are 4 of my bulbs and they are pink on greenish/white.

Interesting and I like them and yours appears to match Kristi's in color; the shape is correct and so I think it may just be stress, although I don't know why the color should be better on my first one, let's see what the rest look like but I can see that brilliant orange red color on another bloom (same bulb) that is about to open, not pink.

Here is something I just noticed; the stems are quite dark on mine sitting on the messy (sorry about that) table getting at least 4 hours of good morning sun. I notice that yours might be a bit shaded but Kristi's are decidedly more green.

Another job for the super-sleuths I guess...;-)

Here are the flowers from the scape produced by the first of my 'Ratatouille' bulbs. By the way, Donna, the scape is green.

Geez Blanca...yours doesn't look like any of ours except yours looks like pink edges too. My scapes are also green, outside in mostly sun.

My scapes are green, with a little color at the base. The grower's photo shows green. Wonder if it's growing conditions? The 9 bulbs were dumped from the bag, felt for any mush, and randomly grabbed 3 at a time and bagged. Chances of you getting the 3 special dark-scaped bulbs would be remote. Go buy a lottery ticket...QUICK!!

Blooms look good, consistent with others.

Blanca, yours is so pale. I think these are struggling a bit. I won't declare this unsuccessful until the next blooms! I was given a couple Ratatouille 2 years ago and they have yet to bloom, so I think these Sonatinis are going to be finicky!!

K

I'm very pleased and grateful to have these Sonatinis! :-) I'm confident that the flower quality will improve once the bulbs get established. Two more 'Ratatouille' bulbs haven't started to produce scapes yet, so the odds are that one will look closer to your photos.

Yes, Kristi, Sonatinis can be quite finicky. Just recently, I was thrilled to find 'Belladonna' and 'Cupido' making a rare appearance. Some Sonatinis, which I purchased from RC (e.g., 'Marrakesh' and 'Viridi Rascal') have never bloomed, but they have finally been producing leaves. Thus, I am happy that these bulbs are blooming so soon after planting.

-B

Of the three 'Viridi Rascal' I got from RC last year, only one bloomed.

Donna (up North) grows her Hippies in cooler temps than most of you thus the reddish scapes and more pronounced petal markings. Same thing how our flowers have brighter deeper colors when they bloom in late winter/early spring with cooler temps. My Marrakech bulbs from RC also did not perform so I decided to pass in ordering these finicky little ones.

:-) I still think she should go buy a lottery ticket!!

Sorry for my mess with the pictures, been trying for a while to post them but I having trouble uploading them from a phone. The first picture just open last night, and the second one was the first one to flower, about two days ago both are Ratatouille.

You have the same darker color just at the neck of the bulb. I hope these are more beautiful when they bloom next year...we have sort of a mish-mash this year!

Here is the second flower on the 1st bulb; the same as the first only larger. I'm happy with mine and satisfied that I've got the correct

bulbs and I know if I can make them root and live that next time they will be much better!! The 3rd bulb hasn't shown the color of the scape yet...

Now that's more like it Donna! Lucky you!!!

I'm happy with my 6 little Sonatinis but my favorite currently is Lollypop with it's strawberry pink color and perfectly shaped round flowers with those green throats! They handled these bulbs perfectly as they all burst forth with scapes and leaves just a few days after receiving them!! It's about time!!

Nancy, your Viridi Rascal is just gorgeous, I love it!!! I had 3 sitting in a pot for about 1 year and they are finally send up leaves, hurray! I think this may be the best yet but I don't expect any flowers this year, maybe next.

"Viridi Rascal" resembles a "Grafitti" on this occasion.

I planted the three Viridi Rascals in the ground last year. I just checked today and was surprised to find the same one blooming...almost exactly a year from the last time. This year's flower seems a little larger to me. I was happy to see flowers since it was mentioned that the Sonatinis can be finicky. Still nothing from the other two though.

I have purchased seven Grafitti during the last couple years from various vendors and have yet to get one. I may have to settle for one that resembles Grafitti unless RC also sold them and mine are more mislabels.

a few new ones:

Fluffy Rascal

Marrakech

How are your sonatinis from Sonatini.com doing?

Mine are not doing well at all. My 3 Ratatouille have just about shriveled beyond hope. My Lollipops are doing a bit better, but not much... still hard, but no leaves. I guess I'd try again if there was a group order but I'm not having much luck with the two varieties that I ordered. Only one of my 3 Viridi Rascals from the previous year (RC) has sent up 3 leaves. That's about it folks!!! ☻☻Donna

I'm tied up with family until late in the day. Will post an update this evening.

Mine are doing fine. Still have 3 in each of 6 pots.

Below are the facts of my experience (without any opinion) for
comparison.

Barnhoorn

April 2015 – All bulbs flowered, and are presently firm & look fine.

(3) 'Ratatouille' (Two are dormant; 1 is in leaf)

(3) 'Sweet Sixteen' (All three are dormant)

(3) 'Orange Rascal' (All three are dormant)

(3) 'Yellow Rascal' (All three are dormant)

(2) 'Fluffy Ruffles' (Both are in leaf)

Royal Colors

(3) 'Marrakech' purchased January 2014. The cost was $27.72 including shipping (i.e.,
$9.72 per bulb). Arrived February 16,
2014 with severe neck rot. Bulbs were
replaced, and planted March 2014. They
are alive, but have never flowered.

(6) 'Viridi Rascal' purchased January 2013 – All are alive
with one or two leaves, but have never flowered.

(3) 'Swan Lake' purchased January 2013 – All are alive and dormant, but have never flowered.

(3) 'Bordeaux Rascal' purchased January 2012 – All flowered
once, but were actually 'Balentino.' All
are alive, and dormant.

(3) 'Lollypop' purchased January 2011. Flowered once. Only one is alive, and dormant.

(3) 'Alasca' purchased January 2011 – None ever flowered. Two are alive, and dormant.

(3) 'Helios' purchased January 2011 – Flowered once. Two are alive, and dormant.

Thanks for the updates! Any difference in bulb size from the 2 sources?

Hi Maria,

Not wanting to rely on memory, or the present size of bulbs
purchased over several years, I checked my records for the pot size used to
plant each variety. The pots needed to accommodate ‘Marrakech,’ ‘Viridi Rascal,’ and ‘Alasca’ were
significantly smaller than all the other varieties. It would be good to hear from other purchasers because it is
possible that certain varieties naturally produce smaller bulbs than others.

Hugs,

Blanca