Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => NARCISSUS => Topic started by: David Nicholson on April 01, 2008, 07:06:26 PM
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Couple of pictures of my Narcissus W P Milner
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With a slug inside!? Are they in pots?
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There was chat the other day about what direction Narcissus face. Mine face southsoutheast
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With a slug inside!? Are they in pots?
OK Hawkeye, I hadn't see that. yes they are in pots. By the way, my Silva compass which has been in a drawer for many years appears to have become disorientated. It now points South rather than magnetic North why should this be?
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By the way, my Silva compass which has been in a drawer for many years appears to have become disorientated. It now points South rather than magnetic North why should this be?
David, I think the magnetic polarity of the compass needle must have been reversed (possibly by a magnetic field?). I think (pretty sure) you can turn the polarity back the right way by running a magnet across the glass or plastic above the needle and along the length of the needle. Try this in different directions along the length of the needle until the needle goes back to facing North.
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Thanks Martin, if I can get hold of a magnet I'll give that a try.
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Thanks Martin, if I can get hold of a magnet I'll give that a try.
A fridge magnet might do it if you have one.
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Never thought of a fridge magnet!
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It's really nothing to do with that at all. That poor little compass is showing a quite understandable yearning to go south; telling David that the English summer is to be avoided in favour of the NZ winter which will assuredly be pleasanter than what he'd otherwise have. Clear, crisp sparkling days rather than the dull, grey and damp mugginess of UK conditions. When are you booking your plane ticket David? I'll be at the airport to meet you.
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English summer is to be avoided in favour of the NZ winter which will assuredly be pleasanter than what he'd otherwise have. Clear, crisp sparkling days rather than the dull, grey and damp mugginess of UK conditions.
Good grief, you almost had me convinced there, Lesley :o Though what family Ann and Bill would think to that when they are coming over HERE this summer, I don't know! :-X
I'd best stay put....but don't let me stop you, David 8)
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A few in bloom this week.
Narcissus nevadensis. can someone confirm ID please?
Narcissus nevadensis.02
Narcissus bantram.
Narcissus curleylocks
Narcissus Ice wings. With a little weather damage.
Narcissus Lilac charm.
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I particularly like N. Lilac Charm, but where do they get the name from
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I think your N. nevadensis looks about right, Michael.
Arthur... today in Edinburgh there was a primula hybrid called Lilac Fairy! So these names are widespread :P
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Lovely pix from everybody!
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Some pics from this afternoon
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Narcissus rupicola and Bony, my Bloodhound.
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one more
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the last one ok? :-[
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Great to see these growing inthe wild
Thanks Rafa
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Arthur... today in Edinburgh there was a primula hybrid called Lilac Fairy! So these names are widespread :P
Maggi
My point was that there appeared to be no trace of lilac in the flower. I liked the hybrid very much, but unless the colour in Michael's photo was not representative of the actual flower - why lilac?
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Rafa,
Again at last some extraordinary daffodil pics! I really enjoy them!
Now I see how you discover Narcissus species? Your dog is perfectly suited to
smell daffs! ;D ;D ;D
Gerd
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HAHAHA yes it is, but her problem is that she eat all! Believe or not, but she loves flowers, fruits (specially citric ones, blackberry (not necessary black) corn etc... this morning I have discovered a sac with natural pig fertilize partially ate!!
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Here are two daffodils growing inside the greenhouse
Narcissus triandrus ssp. triandrus and Narcissus (bulbocodium) graellsii
Gerd
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Great pictures, thank you Rafa and Gerd.
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Great photos!!
I really love those rupicola :P :P
Chloë
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Your dog is perfectly suited to smell daffs!
Gerd, you may be saying this in jest, but in our area there are biologists who have trained dogs to search by smell for Kincaid's lupine, a threatened plant species which is also the larval host plant for the endangered Fender's blue butterfly. See:
http://www.oregonwildlife.org/documents/briefing_lupine2007.pdf
Perhaps this task is made easier because the flowers of Kincaid's lupine smell like dirty socks!
I am told that dogs can easily be trained to detect any type of wild plant.
Ed
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A most interesting link, Ed, thank you. There are also quite a few projects working with dogs and the very early detection of cancers in humans. So many reasons for our canine chums to be our BEST friends, aren't there?
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Ed, Maggi,
Very interesting - dogs are also able to smell 'weed'.
What's about you, Maggi? - I believe you are able to smell Cosmos atrosanguineus -chocolade scented - over a vast distance ;D
Gerd
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It is true, Gerd, I can detect this scent over unimaginable distances.... sadly this is only of any use to ME, not to the world :-[ The clever dogs are much more useful to us ALL 8)
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Again and again - thanks for those charming pictures!
All large flowering Narcissi tilt over their heads due to many rainfall.
Here two who remain still upright.
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Wonderful pics everyone. I particularly like the triandrus and rupicola pics posted by a couple of you. Lovely to see all these in our autumn, even if it is only on a computer!! ;D
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Aren't your Narcissus viridiflorus starting to emerge, Paul?
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
I have one or two bulbs that have struggled for me. Lyn, here in Canberra, has a large pot of them in full flower that are just wonderful. I have taken my last struggling survivors and moved them into the shadiest corner of my Crocus garden where I hope they will do well with the Crocus banaticus and Anemone blanda etc that I have there and will keep watered during summer. I'm just hoping that they aren't weak enough that they won't do OK. I already have the seedling 'Autumn Colour' jonquil hybrids starting to flower a few weeks earlier than usual. A second variety has opened in the last couple of days. So I do have SOME Narcissus. Wish I had N. viridiflorus flowering though..... maybe they'll recover enough for next year. Fingers crossed!!
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Fermi, Paul,
I am surprised that N. viridiflorus seems to be difficult under your conditions - although I have to confess that I am not very familiar with these (the conditions).
As far as I know N. viridiflorus likes a warm and dry summer rest - I am not sure that this species need regular watering during this periode.
Paul: can you tell me a little bit more of the ' Autumn Colour ' jonquil hybrids?
Gerd
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Gerd,
As far as I knew, N. viridiflorus prefers summer moisture and some shade, at least that is what I had always been told. Lyn's definitely grow and flower brilliantly in her pot in some shade, which is why I am trying to mirror her area in my planting them into the shadier area of the crocus garden. There it will get morning sun but be shaded from the hottest part of the day by the weeping Prunus. There will be watering, but the garden is a sand and soil mix so the drainage should be excellent. Unless they are very sensitive to summer watering there shouldn't be a problem hopefully with excess water. The area will just be kept a bit moist, while the rest of the garden will not be hand watered at all over summer except by rain (and I can cover it if that gets excessive). This just gives the viridiflorus no chance of dessicating, as I thought that they needed those conditions. Have I done the wrong thing then?
I wrote a little on these a while back and then Fermi corrected me regarding the use of "jonquil" here in Australia. Here in Aus we use the term jonquil to pretty much refer to any multi-flowered tazettas/jonquilla types ('Soliel D'or', 'Straw', 'Erlicheer', etc) which as Fermi pointed out isn't how others elsewhere refer to them. The 'Autumn Color' (I should use his spelling as he was American) seed was from a guy in the States who was crossing all his earliest flowering multi-flowered varieties to try to extend the colour range. I sowed seed in around 2000 or so, and have had some of them flowering now for 2 or 3 years. The earliest of these is consistently starting in early May the last few years, but this summer has been very strange and a lot of things are flowering out of normal season, weeks early (or even months in the case of some of the spring Prunus already flowering now in autumn). I posted a pic of this first of the 'Autumn Color' a couple of weeks ago. I now have a second one that has just opened.
I can find my pics from last year of the various colours (I think last year we were up to around 7 different variants, but not sure I photographed all of them) if you're interested in seeing them. They are significantly earlier than all the normal named multi-flowered varieties that I have come across. Usually here they are starting up from around July, whilst these early flowered seedlings are starting from early May onwards. So far the range from these seedlings is flowers starting in early May through to flowers starting in mid July for the latest. I intend to isolate the various ones over time and have a separate clump of each around the garden to enjoy them as they flower at their various times.
As to colours.... I have the one I've posted a pic of already which opens a creamy colour with yellow cup, then fades to white with yellow cup (head looks nice with both coloured flowers on it), paler versions of 'Soliel D'Or', flowers similar to 'Straw' (i.e spidery white with yellow cup), nice rounded white flowers with orange cup (similar to Grande Monarch' but early instead of late), a lovely round dark yellow, almost apricot toning with orange cup. I'd have to check the pics to remember the others if I photographed them. Many of these are growing together in pots, so I do not have them separated out as yet. I don't think that all the seedlings have yet flowered either, so there could be more interesting ones in there. Hopefully with better health I will have time to isolate them when they're flowering, even if it means cutting the flowers off and dividing the bulb out of the pot while still at flowering time.
Sorry if I have now told you entirely TOO much about the 'Autumn Color' jonquils. Do I need to give you some sort of jolt to wake you up now as you've fallen asleep half way through this long and boring description? ;D
Let me know whether you want to see pics, and if so maybe the moderators of this forum can tell me where they are best posted? They are in most cases not currently in flower, so not really for here in the flowering now threads? I'm open to suggestions Maggi!!? ;D
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Paul, just make a thread, 'Narcissus varieties' in Bulbs General :)
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Maggi,
There, I knew you'd be watching!! ;D 8)
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It's what I signed up for, Paul!!
By the way, great news about your job at the Botanics 8)
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I wish you success in it and hope that your health continues to improve by leaps and bounds :-*
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Paul,
Thank you for your detailed reply - no danger to fall asleep when talking about daffodils. Also my brain had to work flat out - translating and minding the reversed seasons down under.
So I hope, I am right when I ' translate ' early May in late autumn?
If this doesn't bore you, please give me a lesson concerning your seasons.
Are ' Autumn color ' and the other seedlings real autumn flowering daffodils?
It puzzled me a little bit because you wrote ' he was crossing all his earliest flowering multi-flowered varieties ' - do you mean early autumn oder early spring?
Too I would be glad if you'll show the different colours of the seedlings.
To N. viridiflorus:
Erich Pasche, who cultivated this species perfectly at the Botanic Garden of Wuppertal grew them plunged in black ash (acting as a heat reservoir) and with
no drop of water during the resting periode. He has mesured temperatures around 60 ° C in this medium.
So it seems that N. viridiflorus at least is able to withstand very dry conditions.
I tried to cultivate my autumn flowering daffs the same way but it doesn't work as
well. Maybe some additional artificial heat is needed under my conditions, because my greenhouse doesn't collect much sun.
Of course I am not sure whether some water in summer is of importance or not.
Gerd
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My N. nevadensis is the same shape as Michael's but the corolla is a softer, paler yellow, not his bright strong shade. Mine are from seed sent years ago by Peter Erskine of AGS. So it varies?
Our dog adores ripe blackberries to the extent he gobbles them right off the arching stems and comes in the house with a bleeding nose and drooling pink saliva. I have to be careful when picking for the house that I don't get fruit with dried saliva on.
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I now have 3 clones in flower of various bulbocodium x triandrus, so I took a photo to compare them. Left to right: 'Solveig's Song', bulbocodium tenuifolius x triandrus (from Kath Dryden), and obesus x triandrus. The latter is more lemon in colour than the other 2. Solveig's Song seems to be the smallest, but it was the first year of flowering from twin scales, so maybe wasn't to its full stature. The obesus crosses have quite a range of sizes in the pan, the one in the photo is an average one.
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These are very nice Anne and will tempt even the least likely of plant breeders (me) to twiddle my paint brushes and fingertips in the spring time.
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Speaking of which, ARE there any others out there doing their own daffodil hybrids? Please tell me I'm not the only one. I know Ian the Young does and has produced some lovely things.
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Speaking of which, ARE there any others out there doing their own daffodil hybrids? Please tell me I'm not the only one. I know Ian the Young does and has produced some lovely things.
I've done a few crosses, mostly with N. cyclamineus and other small species, but I seem to have problems growing on the seedlings - they don't seem to want to get to flowering size and gradually dwindle from what starts as a good potfull down to a few survivors which never get anything like big enough to flower. They seem much less easy than the snowdrop seedlings, being quite prone to rotting off as tiny seedlings (even cyclamineus crosses which you'd expect to be fairly moisture tolerant).
I for one would love to hear what your routine is for seed sowing and growing on, to see if I'm doing things wrong.
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Talking of hybrids, here's Narcissus 'Pixies sister' 8)
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Speaking of which, ARE there any others out there doing their own daffodil hybrids? Please tell me I'm not the only one. I know Ian the Young does and has produced some lovely things.
I too made a few crosses - but more or less fiddling around, nothing important.
One cross was N. cantabricus x white N. hedraeanthus, shown in this Forum. Unfortunately I realized that some forms of pure hedraeanthus were superior. Nevertheless the fertility of this plant is interesting because hybrids between bulbocodium and cantabricus are considered as to be sterile. So this indicates the close affinity between hedraeanthus and cantabricus.
As I said before - more or less only for my own pleasure.
Gerd
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Narcissus curleylocks.
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I too made a few crosses - but more or less fiddling around, nothing important.
Gerd
It's important if it gives you pleasure! I only fiddle around also - just out of curiosity to see what comes of the crosses. It is a bonus if something beautiful happens. I also use saved pollen, which I keep in little folded pieces of aluminium foil in a jar in the fridge.
I took Ian's advice and sow my seeds half way down the pot. I sow them as soon as they are ripe, in a layer of sand half way down the pot, and all clustered together, rather than evenly spaced - they seem to like being close together. I then top up with the compost (an ordinary gritty alpine mix) and top off with a layer of grit. The pots are left in a frame open to the elements throughout the winter, and usually germinate about the time their parents come into growth.
At this point I bring them into the alpine house and plunge the pots in sand to keep the temperature even. They get the odd feed until they start to die down, and then are not watered but the plunge is moistened occasionally, until they have the September and October 'monsoons' as recommended by Ian. I repot them into fresh compost after their second season of growth.
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A few in bloom this week.
Narcissus nevadensis. can someone confirm ID please?
Narcissus nevadensis.02
Narcissus bantram.
Narcissus curleylocks
Narcissus Ice wings. With a little weather damage.
Narcissus Lilac charm.
It certainly looks like N. nevadensis - though it is one of the few trumpet species to often have more than one flower to a stem.
Brian
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Tks Brian.
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ID required.
Can anyone identify this Narcissus,sorry it is a bit battered from the storm. I got it as Eystettensis (Queen Anne's Double Daffodil)
but Daffseek does not agree. Any ideas?
Michael, I made last week a picture of the real N. eystettensis.
Because I was away here is the picture today.
I copied your pict. from Narcissus March to compare.
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Thanks Luit.
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You just never know who will drop in for a look. Hello Brian!
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Just had to include this one on account of its name.
Narcissus Clare
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Welcome Brian! Perhaps you could give us a description of your methods for hybridising and growing on seedlings? I know you do things on a much grander scale!
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Here is Narcissus obesus - later than the other bulbocodiums
Gerd
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a couple of species in flower now.The scent from the polyanthos is amazing and fills the grenhouse
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Well, that's three more on my wants list.
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I have this narcissus growing in a lovely clump beside the garage. Its been here as long as we have, 13 years now, and goes from strength to strength every year. I have no idea of its name, but it is the colour of butter and sugar to me, slightly lemony. The photo colour is close but not spot on. If anyone knows what it might be I'd be so grateful. Also, a narcissus growing at Brantwood, home of John Ruskin, last week. Is it the old wild one by any chance, it was certainly in a wild area, not cultivated at all....
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Narcissus abscissus is very noble-looking.
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Narcissus abscissus is very noble-looking.
Do you think so Anne? I like it a lot because it's so unlike the modern formal hybrids, but it looks to me a little like a donkey, with it's slightly floppy ears. Quite endearing really.
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I'm rather taken by N. polyanthos ...... looks delightful, and late to boot!! 8)
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I'm with you Paul. White, late and scented - and not a hybrid.
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Another one ,the last for this season I think
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And lovely it is, too.
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I thought the narcissus had finished but here are two late flowers on the alpestris and an odd one on the wateri which I find difficult to reliably flower.
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All lovely!! 8)
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Alpestris is such a shy, demure-looking flower isn't it?
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Time for my favourite Narcissus, N moschatus.
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Kenneth,
it is also one of my favourits but my ones are not flowering :'(
Here two shots from last week.
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It's the start of the daffodil season here with the autumn flowering Narcissus viridiflorus.
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cheers
fermi
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That's A LOT of flowers and buds for a little clump Fermi. Why does it do so well with you? Mine hasn't flowered yet though it should be big enough. I've had it from a mature bulb for 3 years.
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Hi Lesley,
we have two other clumps which virtually never flower, but this one is in a hot dry spot and gets no shade or water over the summer. There are probably 5 or more flowering size bulbs in this clump.
cheers
fermi
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And yet my friend Lyn here in Canberra has hers in a shady spot in a pot and they flower prolifically every year while mine have nearly died out. Go figure!!?? ::)
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And i'm still waiting for current 'fresh' seed to germinate after many many previous years of failure.???
Cheers dave.
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Hi Lovely narcissus in the many threads.
I have now read them all and also been able to take some pics of our common newly planted narcissus. Planted in January/february after being bought at 1€ per 30 of mixes at Lidl. I like that they try to bring plants to the big public that does not have a nursery around and that they take the bulbs away when they are totally dead and does not just leave them there and hope that someone will by them in june when they are stone dead. I think that is a reason why there is less bulbs in Portuguese gardens than could (should) be. People by dead ones and are disappointed that they do not show. They pay FULL price for the dead bulbs.
Anyway I am happier with the bulbs this year and think that they are better grown in the ground rather than in pots unless taken very well care of and here they are left to there own.
-First an bad overview to see how it was planted and also show a little of the size differences. The only different one is also facing the other direction so it is not as easily spotted as otherwise.
-Then cream white 30-40 cm
-Size comparison between the yellow and the cream yellow
-Yellow
-Cream Yellow
-White with yellow trumpet mini.
Kind regards
Joakim
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It looks like you got some good ones in your mixture, Joakim.