tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post7922984674170701365..comments2024-03-28T16:38:10.153-07:00Comments on Late to the Garden Party: The best laid plans...Kris Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-37365565179927906742018-03-12T20:55:50.577-07:002018-03-12T20:55:50.577-07:00It's a chain store. My guess is that the cler...It's a chain store. My guess is that the clerks would roll their eyes.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-37698840388242827262018-03-12T15:23:41.421-07:002018-03-12T15:23:41.421-07:00Glad you finally got some rain at last. All your p...Glad you finally got some rain at last. All your plants must be happy. <br />Maybe the garden center would like to know that their supplier is not reliable, but that would depend on whether they care! 'Caveat emptor' seems to be the way things are these days, more than ever.Eliza Watershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879335295393594236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-20852002803548568872018-03-12T12:32:55.216-07:002018-03-12T12:32:55.216-07:00For areas in which I'd like to control bloom c...For areas in which I'd like to control bloom color, I think I'll mail-order directly from growers in the future, Christina. The only downside of that is that the growers don't always ship as early as we'd like for planting in coastal Southern California. I do like the dark pink Freesias but I'll also be moving them to a new spot once they finish this cycle of bloom.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-60614582879350730192018-03-12T10:11:47.250-07:002018-03-12T10:11:47.250-07:00You've had the same problems as I've had w...You've had the same problems as I've had with my tulips this year. At least I know not to buy from my local shops again! My Freesias were hit by the very low temperatures for the second year running, I doubt I'll have any flowers this year. I rather like all your pink ones but I know that isn't the point when you think you have blue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-52396266554367406342018-03-12T09:07:53.414-07:002018-03-12T09:07:53.414-07:00That's the best suggestion yet, Linda. Yes, t...That's the best suggestion yet, Linda. Yes, the orange Freesia should go up front with the daffodils.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-14491527646028200502018-03-12T09:06:56.991-07:002018-03-12T09:06:56.991-07:00The Rannunculus are in my cutting garden - they ne...The Rannunculus are in my cutting garden - they need too much water to grown in the borders.<br /><br />According to our roof-top weather station, we got 2/3rds of an inch! The neighbor's station across the street registered 0.95/inch! That neighbor's count is always higher but my husband (Mr. Scientist) conducted a validation and showed that, for some reason, his garden gets more rain.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-77090662780539456502018-03-12T07:19:53.795-07:002018-03-12T07:19:53.795-07:00That Ferraria crispa is gorgeous. Something I'...That Ferraria crispa is gorgeous. Something I've never seen or heard of before. I have had some bulb problems now and then, so I now get them from specialty nurseries which rarely make those kind of mistakes. My favorites are Brent and Becky Heath and Old House Gardens or John Scheepers. Have you thought about putting some orange Freesias by the daff with the orange cup?LINDA from Each Little Worldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02380944603357066650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-2868851957864303772018-03-12T06:45:58.338-07:002018-03-12T06:45:58.338-07:00I got a package of Sparaxis also and they are also...I got a package of Sparaxis also and they are also all orange! Ha, ha! Not thrilled with them--it was intended that we get winter rain, enough to keep them moist. You know what happened there. <br /><br />"Dutch" iris seem to be the most successful here--they come back every year without fail. Ranunculus I've given up on--love the flowers but they don't come back. You always plan so carefully with color and what did you get? Red instead of purple. <br /><br />Freesias are floppy--tempted to try them at the edge of a wall so they hang over. I have the double pink ones also still reappearing after a decade, so they are good. :) <br /><br />Did you get a good rain over the weekend? We got a half an inch! Wheee! Hopefully more during the week. Hoover Boohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03083294821646284424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-10908597878151040202018-03-11T21:00:18.640-07:002018-03-11T21:00:18.640-07:00None of the incorrectly labeled bulbs came directl...None of the incorrectly labeled bulbs came directly from a grower. My problem bulbs were in sealed packages purchased from my local garden center and I've no record any longer as to who the grower was that distributed them to the garden center. Not all the Freesias have bloomed but, of the batch of 25 I planted in the back border, all have thus far bloomed in shades other than blue - most dark pink, one orange and one white so far. In addition, most of these are double-flowered varieties rather than single. The Freesias I planted in the front garden (2 bags of 20 bulbs each) seems to be blooming in a mix of colors, including pink and yellow, in addition to the blue and white varieties I thought I was planting. All the "purple" Ranunculus that have bloomed thus far out of the package of 10 I planted appear to be red. It's annoying but I'll make use of the blooms anyway and will relocate the bulbs once the blooms are finished.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-84258103291434886282018-03-11T20:48:52.511-07:002018-03-11T20:48:52.511-07:00We got rain over the weekend, Eliza! It's bee...We got rain over the weekend, Eliza! It's been wonderful.<br /><br />As I remarked in response to Deb (above), the bulbs in question were purchased directly from my local garden center in sealed bags. Unfortunately, I don't have record of the bulb grower's name. If I did, I probably would send a letter of complaint, especially if both the Freesias and the Ranunculus were supplied to the garden center by the same grower.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-32188478486558032352018-03-11T20:44:17.485-07:002018-03-11T20:44:17.485-07:00The bulbs that are blooming in the wrong color all...The bulbs that are blooming in the wrong color all were sold in sealed bags by my local garden center and, unfortunately, I didn't make note of the vendor. I could complain to the garden center but it's not worth the effort without proof of exactly what I purchased. My receipts don't note the species, much less the color.<br /><br />Ferraria crispa is a South African native, which prefers to be dry during the summer months so you'd probably have to grow it in a pot to ensure it doesn't get too much water, Deb. Both Annie's Annuals & Perennials (a California-based mail order and retail nursery) and Michigan Bulbs sell the Ferraria bulbs.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-4658742094744120592018-03-11T19:21:21.265-07:002018-03-11T19:21:21.265-07:00The flowers are beautiful, even if they're not...The flowers are beautiful, even if they're not what you ordered. How much of the order did they get right?sweetbayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248743114944736346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-48275162813937034492018-03-10T14:39:14.578-08:002018-03-10T14:39:14.578-08:00Well, you could always complain to the bulb grower...Well, you could always complain to the bulb grower and get a credit for future purchases. (Buy one, get one free!) I've been disappointed many times with not getting what I ordered, I've grown particular with whom I do business. Want the list of no-goes? hehe<br />I'm under the impression that striping like that is caused by virus, but maybe it is lack of rain stress. Speaking of which, it looks like your area is getting rain?Eliza Watershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879335295393594236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-51021645350625155392018-03-10T13:40:09.294-08:002018-03-10T13:40:09.294-08:00Did you order all those bulbs from the same compan...Did you order all those bulbs from the same company? If so, you might send them a note to alert them to their need for better color control. At any rate, I absolutely adore your orange Sparaxis bulbs and also your Ferraria crispa. I have never seen those before! They are so unusual. I wonder if they would grow in the Alabama?debsgardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15656883577922890561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-46570723026055273602018-03-10T11:04:45.943-08:002018-03-10T11:04:45.943-08:00That Ferraria is a winner this year. Given the lac...That Ferraria is a winner this year. Given the lack of rain, most of my bulbs are doing surprisingly well this year, even if they're not appearing in the expected colors.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-66656899595250190892018-03-09T22:50:52.327-08:002018-03-09T22:50:52.327-08:00Well that’s no fun! How frustrating. None of the b...Well that’s no fun! How frustrating. None of the bulbs I planted last fall (with the exception of the orange Crocus) are blooming yet so I’m holding on to hope they’ll be the color they were promised to be. Your Ferraria crispa is a knock out!danger gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09227500551609537140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-561005659114478692018-03-09T20:50:09.719-08:002018-03-09T20:50:09.719-08:00It's too bad you lost those ill-timed blooms! ...It's too bad you lost those ill-timed blooms! I mail-ordered my Alliums and Narcissus but, with Freesias so readily available here, it never occurred to me to mail-order those too. This is the first time I can remember a color mix-up on this order. (The Ranunculus were also sold as bagged bulbs.) Maybe the vendor supplying my local garden center has a quality control problem, or staff in need of checks for color blindness.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-62096294929191762822018-03-09T20:38:53.590-08:002018-03-09T20:38:53.590-08:00Meteorologists have periodically characterized thi...Meteorologists have periodically characterized this year's weather here as related to a "weak" La Niña too, MDN. Whatever it's called, it's annoying. We're supposed to get some rain tomorrow. I hope we do as I've turned the irrigation system off in anticipation of it.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-53733888426427441152018-03-09T20:32:37.999-08:002018-03-09T20:32:37.999-08:00The Freesias are popping up all over, Peter! It o...The Freesias are popping up all over, Peter! It only takes a couple of stems to perfume a room.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-70086046991483190402018-03-09T17:34:12.506-08:002018-03-09T17:34:12.506-08:00I now buy most of my bulbs mail order -I've fo...I now buy most of my bulbs mail order -I've found it far more reliable -though more expensive-especially since I get an employee discount on the bagged stuff.I still buy the Freesias in bags though . It was so warm in Feb that my Freesias budded up and then a night in the 20's killed off the buds of those in the more exposed locations. kshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10847026541797857854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-75316886896232612612018-03-09T15:33:37.192-08:002018-03-09T15:33:37.192-08:00Kris, Spring seems to be around the corner in you...Kris, Spring seems to be around the corner in your garden! Freesias are gorgeous flowers I used to have lots of them but then I gave them away to make room for more roses. I hope the weather is nice in California now, heat is still terrible here and this summer has been unusually dry. Meteorologists say this might be anticipating a "niña" phenomenom (high temperatures and less rain) for the rest of the year. Last time la niña struck this part of the continent was in 2006.MDNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10472409345156364028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574540292918761182.post-15943539379875503762018-03-09T11:23:01.402-08:002018-03-09T11:23:01.402-08:00It's unfortunate that the sealed packages of b...It's unfortunate that the sealed packages of bulbs still had a lot of surprise colors in them. Spring is definitely underway in your garden! I can almost smell the fresia from here.outlawgardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273973572989510382noreply@blogger.com