Here is a picture of the bulbs. One already has a scape peaking out :) I'm thinking I'll plant them in one pot

Have a couple of Chico x Desire seedlings that are growing well. We will see in the next couple of years. Jody

Ooh, Chico x Desire sounds intriguing!!

As I look at those 3 bulbs pictured above, I can't help but notice the difference in the shapes, the first one look like a cybister, do the other two look the same to you? Maybe it's just the angle....;-))

On order from Royal Colors I have two Rembrandt van Rijns plus another Mystica. I lost my Rembrandt and as they surprisingly had them again this season, I thought this time I'd better get 2 of them; the Mystica is just for insurance purposes. also!

I had a $50 gift certificate to White Flower Farms so I ordered an Emerald which I haven't had for years and another Bogota which just about ate up the $50! Last year I bought a Bogota from ETGB and got a Ferrari so I tried one at WFF and it was a gorgeous large healthy bulb that bloomed true. I thought that Bogota is one that you can't have too many of!

I have some Long Tom pots on order at Russell's nursery so hopefully they'll have most of their bulbs in by the time the pots come in and I'll probably buy a couple. I don't expect they'll have anything that I don't already have but you never know, they might even have Jewel!

The last two times I tried to replace my Exotica, I ended up with Terra Cotta Star!! I think ETGB even has Terra Cotta Star's picture under their offering of Exotica but I haven't checked their website recently. Is Terra Cotta Star the new Exotica??

If any of you remember last year's Jungle Stars from RC.. well, I got two and one was punky and partially rotting and I tried my best to save it but it totally rotted this summer and I finally had to give up and throw it away. Another reason why I'm glad I got two!! I'm not always smart enough to get two of rare offerings though....

Donna

Hi Jody, don't forget to post pictures of your blooming group of Chicos!

I did not order anything yet but I'm planning to get Tres Chic and maybe Maybelle. And maybe Chico...?

Anja

Donna, I cut the necks back on two of the bulbs when I cleaned them up, maybe that makes them look even more different, but I do see the difference in shape now that you pointed it out. We'll at least we'll know if one is Chico as the longer necked one has two scapes peaking out. I love Bogota, and you're right, you can never have enough as they never cease to impress when they bloom. I had to look up Long Tom pots and now I want one! Terra Cotta Star is not Exotica, but it is pretty - and big! I ordered Doublet, Naomi, Terra Mystica and Daphne from RC. Naomi just looked different to me, hopefully she will bloom true (please no mislabel) then we will see how different she is. I was tempted by some others, but that's another story- a seedling story LOL

Anja, I will absolutely post pictures of Chico, no matter what they turn out to be LOL Tres Chic is another favorite - so elegant and striking. A comment that Beatrice made has me wondering if the gorgeous colors are from Nelsonii .. hmmm. Anyway I had to look up Maybelle and she is also gorgeous! This is how we get ourselves in trouble :)

Jody

Hi Donna,

What kind of long toms do they have a Russell's? I have been looking for the plastic ones but it looks like the only place to get them is the U.K. and they don't ship to the U.S. :-(((

Fred, I use clay pots and they put in a special order for me. They haven't called yet which is good, I'm hoping that their bulbs will be in when we have to make the arduous trek north!!

Dear friends, I just finished my order at Fluwel and I went totally crazy! I also ordered tulips and narcissus and ended up with 300 bulbs! Luckily only 5 of them are Hippeastrum of which I will keep only two for myself. Still too much...

Oh Anja, what a beautiful spring garden you will have !!!!! I can't wait to see pictures when they bloom. I can't grow tulips and narcissus here because it doesn't get cold enough, but I drool over the pictures in the catalogs. I am amazed at all the different kinds of flowers they have developed. I would't even have known what they were without the catalogs. Which tulips, narcissus and hippeastrum did you get?

I also finished my order at Fluwel at the 1st of November. Fluwel never disappoints me! The quality of the bulbs is just perfect.

I ordered another Papilio this year (my first Papilio didn't flower for 2 years now). I also ordered an Elvas and Quito.

Just one day later, I already have them at home!

And the best news: as a free gift, they gave me La Paz! So happy.

Just need to find some more space to put them... but I guess you all know the struggle... :)

Have a great day!

Thomas

I ordered Tres Chic and Maybelle for myself and Doublet, Red Garden and seedling 31-1 as gifts for family members. With tulips and narcissus I prefer the smaller, more wild looking varieties and ordered mainly those. I just hope that mice won't eat all of them! Especially with tulips I have to plant many to see some bloom... I'll post pictures next spring for you, Jody.

Thomas, I got my parcel today and have to find room for an unplanned La Paz too :-)

Anja

Well, you guys, getting a La Paz as a bonus bulb is a great gift for sure!!

Fluwel's bulbs look great! I like their picture of Doublet better than RC's and now I wish I'd tried one. I looked and looked and asked myself over and over should I or shouldn't I and I think I made the wrong choice. Anja, I can't wait to see you post pictures of yours!!

Has your furry friend arrived yet?

Donna

Donna, I did not buy Doublet for myself, it will be a Christmas gift. But I will ask my boyfriends mother to take a picture for you :-) I prefer single flowers but I quite liked the look of Doublet and thought it looked special. Maybe you can get one next year. It doesn't look like a bulb they offer only once.

I'm still struggling with myself whether I should keep that La Paz or give it away too. I don't have one yet but I also know someone who would be happy to get it.

We will go and get the little furry guy next saturday...

Anja

Anna, what little furry guy ?

Donna, RC still has Doublet. :)

Jody, the picture is still there but it says Out of Stock!! I wouldn't place an order for just one bulb anyway and they've already "processed" my order for mailing. I'll get one next year if I like the pictures from our forum friends! ;-)) But I probably missed the boat on this one.....

Donna

Just received "Sweet Nymph" from ETGB both with scapes emerging, the big one has 3 pups! Ordered one from them last year that was mislabeled so hopefully at least one of these will be correct. Also ordered "Exotic Star" from Hirt's Gardens which should arrive by the end of the week.

Donna, once in awhile they get more in and you could order two :) Seriously, though I know what you mean, I `ve done the same thing some years. This year I sort of held back on ordering because of the number of seedlings. My plan was to share the seeds, but because of a really busy schedule, the seeds sat out on a counter for 6 months and I was afraid to send seeds that might have a really low germination rate. But rather than just throw them away I figured I'd give them a chance, so I floated all of them not expecting anything and although all the seeds did't germinate, I have a fair share of seedlings growing. Next year I am going to get the seeds out!!

Brian, your bulbs look so healthy and a three pup bonus--Wow!! Two beautiful choices also. Can't wait to see them in bloom. Jody

Jody, I'll get a new cat next weekend! My old cat died one and a half year ago and now it's time for a new furry friend :-)

I'm really looking forward to seeing all your seedlings flower one day!

Brian, your bulbs look great!

Oh Anja, I can't wait to see pics of your new family member!! This is Lady, the most talkative cat ever!! And who I named Ladies Choice after as she kept rubbing against the pot.

Anja,

Me too :-))) Kitties always seem to make you smile a bit more, especially in the winter when it's cold and they snuggle and purr next to you. My kitty Fluffernutter would do that a lot, I miss her ;-(

Oh Jody,

What a sweet looking little meow and I absolutely love talkative kitties :-))) Please give her a whole bunch of kisses!!!

Lady is beautiful Jody, can we see her face?

I ordered from Van Engelen and decided to purchase bulbs that I had in the past and loved. I'm planning to pot up bulbs and give them away at Christmas. I ordered Flamenco Queen, Gervase, La Paz, Splash and a jumbo pink bulb (the jumbo bulb is for me). Nothing particularly exciting, but I think people will enjoy their winter blooms. I thought I had ordered Emerald too, but I must have taken it out of my cart (I think at one point I had about 30 bulbs in my cart... I had put a lot back!).

Jody, thank you for posting your picture of Lady, she looks very cute! Of course I will post a picture of this little guy when he allows me to take one :-)

Tina, your choice sound great! I have the tradition of giving away bulbs as Christmas presents too. Since most people don't manage to keep them alive they are happy to get a new bulb every year. Only my mother has a growing collection...

Fred, didn't you get a new cat?

Anja

The one and only time I gave a bulb for a Christmas present was about 5 or 6 years ago I gave a Ferrari to a family member with the same last name. It bloomed beautifully and after it bloomed, she proudly cut off all the leaves!! When I asked in not a pleasing tone of voice (I( guess) , why in the world did she do that, she was dumbfounded and slightly offended (she did get over it)!

Despite all the bad care and having never been repotted that poor Ferrari has bloomed nearly every year since. Last year it had 4 gorgeous flowers that she was actually proud of and her teenage grandson came over and tipped it over and broke the flowers off but that bulbs is a real trooper, it's still managing to stay alive!!

No moral to this story just that Ferrari has a real strong will to live.. at least this bulb does. Last year I got my first one as a mislabel from EBTG and it was really beautiful, although I was not able to capture the gorgeous red and shape of the flowers, I will just say that don't despair if you ever end up with one, one way or another!!

I might add instructions if I gave another bulb as a gift, Don't cut the leaves after it blooms and don't throw it in a dark corner!! ;-)))

Donna

Hi Anja,

We do have another kitty that was born in the wild and we were able to bring her into the house to 'domesticate' her. Unfortunately, Piccolina (the fierce Dachshund) and she don't get along but not from any lack of trying because she likes kitties. It seems that the kitty (Cinnamon) has too much 'wild' in her and thinks Piccolina is a predator, so lots of hissing and chasing around the house.

Oh Donna, he certainly melts my heart but unfortunately I'm too far away! And of course I don't know whether Timi (that's the name of our new cat) would like company or not.

I had the same problem like you and Fred when I got Vincent many years ago. I had a 9 year old female that was very unhappy after the death of her sister, so I decided to get a new companion for her. Vincent was a baby then but he was very wild and quite aggressive and was chasing and biting her. They learned to live together but this chasing and biting happened from time to time until she was very old and got sick. Vincent was such a jealous guy, thats why I did not get another cat after my poor old Ferdinand died.

I hope your furry friends somehow learn at least to tolerate each other!

Anja

Donna and Anja,

Thank you for the wonderful stories. I'm at work reading them right now and my heart is just welling up with thanks and gratitude that you two are such wonderful critter caretakers . I go through life "measuring" people on how well they treat each other but especially how they treat critters and I have a difficult time trusting anyone that doesn't like them.

I think if I was retired I would definitely become that crazy cat and dog guy everyone talks about and I would be up to my eyeballs with them :-)))) I can just imagine my bed at night, it would look like the Noah's Ark of the slumber world.

Right next to the office where I work lives a three legged kitty named Sully. He's really a sweet but rather skittish cat and doesn't really trust other people but I managed to win him over with treats. Every morning when I get to work, I'm in the parking lot calling out his name for some munchies and I can only imagine what other people are thinking. Sure enough, he comes running over for some treats and head scritches and believe me when I tell you that it absolutely makes my day when I see that little guy.

Lots of hugs to you both :-)))))

Dear Fred, this is another beautiful story! I think you (and of course your treats!!!) are making Sully's day:-)

Be careful with your Noah's Ark project, your furry friends might not like it :-)! There is a saying that you should not have more cats than you have hands to pet them. And I know that some cats even need two hands...

Have a wonderful day!

Anja

Hi Fred, yes that a heart warming little story! I hope little Sully has a warm place to hide for the winter!! Beware of people who don't like animals, I always say!

I think that Anja is correct, cats can be jealous! The other night His Majesty was sitting on the footstool with my feet and little Silkie came up for some lovin' and head butting and I could see Simba's eyes going from me to Silkie, back and forth and I could see the gears turning in his head. Silkie finally jumped down and he was on top of her before I could stop him!! He pounced on her, pinned her down and started to bite her and of course, she starts squealing and screaming!! This behavior seems to be escalating the past few weeks. He used to bother her a little but she would try to play back but he's so big and so rough that now she's afraid of him! They came to me together and seemed well suited as friends in their little room at the shelter but now that he's sure he's found his forever kingdom, he definitely wants to rule!! I'm just afraid he'll bite her and actually hurt her!! I hadn't expected this.

One more reason why I couldn't even think about keeping Tiny Tim; I haven't heard anything so no news is good news. Hopefully, his male apparatus has been removed and since he never really got to use it, he won't know what he's missing!!

Donna

I have the crazy idea that when Laka goes to the bridge, and I “need” a puppy, I’m going to get a kitten too so that they can grow up together and be pals!

Kristi,

That's a beautiful idea :-)))))

There he is!

Any news from Tiny Tim, Donna?

OMG!!!! What a cutie pie :-)))) He looks very happy and content :-))) Bless you for being such a wonderful caretaker and please give him lots of love and kisses from across the Atlantic :-)))

Timi is very regal!! Even though he's all balled up and comphy he looks like a good size cat! Congratulations! I'm sure he'll get used to his new home and Mama immediately and all will be well with a cat under the roof!!

It was one week today that we took Tiny Tim in and John doesn't want me to call yet and I think he's right, I don't want to upset anything especially if they are having a problem acclimating him with other people and other cats. I don't want them to think that I'm waiting in the wings to take him back if things don't exactly work the way they'd planned. They might have to work a little harder if they don't hear from me. I will eventually call of course and I keep looking on their website for Tiny Tim to be a new offering for a forever home but I do think it's several weeks too soon to expect anything. They sometimes foster out problem cats to live in homes for several months to make them used to other people for several months at a time before they offer them up for adoption. They have wonderful people who do this!! It is just so nice to wake up on these now cold mornings and know that he isn't outside waiting for me in the nearly freezing cold but is snuggly warm and comfy somewhere with his breakfast waiting for him!!

In the meantime, His Majesty is watching a live chipmunk movie at the glass door where I put seeds on the steps for his enjoyment as well as for the chipmunk!!

Thank you, Donna and Fred, you are totally right. He is cute and I think he already feels a little at home with us. And he certainly IS a good size cat! He's quite big but he also is a little fat and I think that I have to put him on a diet. What he doesn't like in his new home is that I don't give him new food every time he doesn't eat the old food anymore...

Donna, your Simba reminds me so much of my Vincent! We used to call him the Captain...

Ajna,

I've get the same thing with "old" food! When we had Maggie, once she had one serving from a can, she wouldn't eat any more even if she liked it!! We had to trick her from time to time by going to the closet where her food was kept, picking up a can, letting her "inspect the label" and then go through the motions of opening the can and then giving her the "old" food and most of the time, it worked, down the hatch!! Of course, once the food is pushed to the sides of the dish, it's unacceptable. Cats like to be served vertically like in the high end restaurants!!

Donna, thank you for telling me that "trick", I laughed so much! Timi eats it if he is REALLY hungry and nobody's watching him. I told myself that this time I will be strong and not give in to his begging for new food! I already feel some weekness though.

Anja, he is gorgeous and looks like he knows it!!! I'm thinking he's already claimed the house as his and is just letting you live there as a favor lol

I purchased Fan Fare, Bright Spark and Baby Doll from bloomingbulb. Flower scapes were already peeking out of the bulbs so I planted them immediately in one pot on Nov 2. Here they are now with one Fan Fare bud fully open.

I bought Hercules earlier this year (May, I think) but kept it in storage. When I opened the box this month, poor thing, it tried to bloom during storage. It was all white and dried out. I potted it to bring it back to healthy and happy.

Beautiful!

Agreed, beautiful!!

Fan Fare has 6 buds per flower scape. It has two flower scapes, a third one seems to be peeking out. I feel like I won the lottery. he he he.

My majestic Red Lion produced just one flower scape (with 3 buds) per bulb. I gave away my Red Lion and its 3 daughter bulbs at a plant swap this year because it was way too tall (36 to over 43") for my tiny condo windows. I'm sticking to miniatures!!! I'm thankful for the years of growing that Red Lion spent with me and glad that I found fellow gardeners to care for them.

Maru,

Good thinking on the miniatures...they're my favorites :-)))

Maru,

That is a gorgeous photo!

Fred,

But 6 to 12" miniatures are not that many. Many "miniatures" are listed as up to 24". I suppose those heights refer to the flower scapes/stems so the leaves (after blooming has stopped) could be a lot longer. Even if the leaves of my minis grow to 18", that's still a lot more manageable than 43" leaves. :)

Thank you all for the photo compliments. It's hard to take a quiet shot on my windows (lake, cars, trees, etc.). A nice black background always brings out the beauty of red, red orange flowers.

Believe me...I know :-))) I'm always on the hunt for the true miniatures and I know how hard they are to find. Good luck with your search.

..with lots of scapes to come for your enjoyment!!