Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Ant-k on February 19, 2015, 04:55:36 AM
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As a collector on his second tentative steps into the world of galanthus the prices on some of the newer varieties on eBay is staggering!
Mother goose already £255 +
Treasure island £124 and counting
Bumblebee £181 +
Golden Fleece £62 at the moment ++++++
Phil Cornish being sold for £123 after earlier in the year being offered for £70!
Last 2 seasons I have tried to buy a green tear but still fetching £140+
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You will generally pay more on eBay than if you buy in person from that same vendor. It's not unheard of for somebody to go to a snowdrop sale, put what they bought on eBay soon afterwards and make a profit.
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Im sure many are happy buying on ebay but I wouldn't and always suggest anyone wanting to start a collection avoid it, as Alan says prices are usually inflated compared to going direct to specialist nurseries.
Prices fall quite quickly as new varieties supersede, some green tip/outer drops I was seeing for £30+ a few years ago are now at sales for £10. I always find there are plenty of very nice & very affordable plants available so never been tempted to part with £100's.
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Now then Anthony, see how sensible you were to succumb and buy 'Richard Blakeway-Phillips', you bought it in flower so you know what you got, you bought it from a reputable seller (although he does also sell on eBay so they are not all bad), and it did not have the shock of being uprooted, wrapped and sent through the post - perhaps with some delay and then having to be re-potted on arrival with possible damage to the delicate root system. Wasn't it worth it! Then of course we won't mention all those you bought at the Hardy Plant Study Day. ;) ;D
The trouble with ebay (for buyers) is that the uninitiated bid the price up and up instead of holding fire and putting their top bid in at the last minute (if it is not already surpassed). I wonder how many get the fever and pay more than they had to just because they must have it ::)
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Have you succumbed to that Brian?
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And not everyone seems to get the drop that they are bidding on............................................sadly
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Have you succumbed to that Brian?
Brian may well be on a big wooden ship, on his way to Colchis, with a bag of teeth ;D
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I can,t see what makes any bulb worth more than £1.
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I can,t see what makes any bulb worth more than £1.
Seems you've got more than just a Scottish name, Ian ;) ;D
I'll give you a couple of clues, though ( and this from a Scotswoman, mind!) - while some bulbs do increase well vegetatively, if we all relied on only those for our gardens those gardens would all be the same and rather dull - and even for those which do increase well, someone still has to take the time and trouble to grow 'em and distribute them.
As for all the other bulbs, the ones that are reluctant to increase vegetatively or the ones which only come from seed - then they take a lot more time and trouble - some bulbs will take seven years - or more- to get flowering size ( I'm not just speaking snowdrops here, of course) and I think the labourer is worthy of his hire - and less than £1 per bulb doesn't really hack it!
And yes, I realise you were probably just joking, but I'm having a "literal" day ...... :-X
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Nurserymen have to earn a living and I don't begrudge them their high snowdrop prices if that is what people are willing to pay. However, there is a mania for snowdrops at present which is pushing prices far beyond sensible levels. See this one for example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-plicatus-Golden-Fleece-snowdrop-/141578093841?pb=14&&autorefresh=true (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-plicatus-Golden-Fleece-snowdrop-/141578093841?pb=14&&autorefresh=true)
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Have you succumbed to that Brian?
Thankfully not, I would only buy from eBay now if they are bulbs from someone I know and a fixed price.
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I suppose you can question the value of a lots of things if you are not interested in them or don't view them as investments or a way of making a living. It doesn't seem such a bad idea to value the natural world a little more by learning more about it and plants are a pretty important part of this - I'm with Maggi on this, snowdrops are quite slow to increase and rather beautiful. There is always the famous lawyer's saying caveat emptor.
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£420 with 4 days to go, methinks this is going to break some kind of record and/or someone's bank account.
There are occasional not so much bargains but good value for money plants on e-bay. Best deal this year was Cedric's prolific directly from the Beth Chatto gardens working out at around £5.oo per bulb on buy it now and when they arrived there was double the stated quantity. Made me very happy and brought a bit of balance to the crazy prices some go for.
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£420 with 4 days to go, methinks this is going to break some kind of record and/or someone's bank account.
Are they all mad?
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Yes
I expect it will get chipped by who ever buys it come dormant season
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... which would be very sad, in a way. They've paid a king's ransom for it then they don't even get to see the flowers for 3 years or more.
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Are they all mad?
Not necessarily, Emma is right!
My non-galanthophile other-half (economist) observed, in addition to the usual barmy galanthophiles of the Gollum type 'Its my precious and I wants it' there will be the 'producers'.
They will take the likely final price e.g. £800 add some allowance for failed bulbs, and divide the total by the likely number of bulbs resulting from twin scaling e.g. 10-15. That number will be compared to recent additions such as 'Castle Green Dragon' and 'Simply Glowing' at £100 each.
If the numbers pan out, its a good deal. They would need 4-5 to ensure barriers to others entering the market and that will drive a very similar end price on Ebay, as they set maximum bids for each one at the same level, based on their calculations.
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... which would be very sad, in a way. They've paid a king's ransom for it then they don't even get to see the flowers for 3 years or more.
But then they would have a nice little clump and have hopefully insured against the loss possible with one bulb. Wish I had the room ... and the money ;D
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Some of these bulbs are being offered by those with good reputations, which is grand - but my worries are over the people who might obtain one rare bulb and then, as if by magic, be offering that plant for sale - more than once! We know how long it takes to gets chips up to a good size so such things are rather "dodgy" to say the least.
Buyer beware indeed - and even a completely respectable seller risks their reputation being damaged if caught up in such a scenario. 'Tis a potential minefield isn't it? ???
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I've always been wary of setting up on ebay which has been discussed numerous times over the years, not sure for how long I will be able to keep arguing against it particularly when the press get hold of another story of snowdrop auction madness!
I do think it is sad in a way because ultimately it has little if anything to do with getting any enjoyment out of the plant.
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I know of a number of people now who regardless of what they have paid chip the bulb the first year . I just can't bring myself to do it ....I like to see them flower !
But when the chips do all flower I guess it's more of an instant good sized clump than if you let them just do their own thing .
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I would like sometime to have a go at chipping Emma, just to see if I succede or make a right ***** up of it.
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I know of a number of people now who regardless of what they have paid chip the bulb the first year . I just can't bring myself to do it ....I like to see them flower !
But when the chips do all flower I guess it's more of an instant good sized clump than if you let them just do their own thing .
Ditto, I only ever chip something once it has made a small clump and I feel it's safe to risk chopping up a bulb, some don't seem to respond well to the process. I can understand why it's done with expensive things but can't help thinking they would be safer in a pot!
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wirralwave on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/wirralwave/m.html?item=111601154414&hash=item19fbf2796e&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/wirralwave/m.html?item=111601154414&hash=item19fbf2796e&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562), just like Beth Chatto, is very generous. I ordered 2 Galanthus gracilis from him and received 5 flowering sized bulbs and 5 smaller non flowering bulbs
I ordered from Beth Chattos web site and got 5 bulbs instead of the three I ordered
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I would like sometime to have a go at chipping Emma, just to see if I succede or make a right ***** up of it.
If you've got a pot of "cheap" garden centre daffs around the place, John, you can give chipping a go with one of those in a wee while - when the leaves are starting to go back. Using a daff bulb to start with is a good idea because they are bigger than snowdrop bulbs and so you can see better what you are doing. You'll find in the forum about chipping, or in the Bulb Log, of course.
Maggi's "take" on chipping for beginners (experts will have more detailed more complicated instructions!) ......
Chop bulb longways into approx. six or eight "chips" all with a piece of basal plate; put in plastic bag or box with some just/ barely moist vermiculite; stick in the airing cupboard and wait ..... check every now and then to make sure the vermiculite is not too wet and causing the chips to rot , or too dry and dessicating the chips. In about six to eight weeks you should see little bulbils growing on the chip. Then you have the choice to keep waiting to see if the baby bulbils get bigger or you can pot them up. Best to keep them in somewhat protected environment at first but basically that's it ;) :D Worth a try for sure and fun when it works.
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I will be giving lessons in Shaftesbury at some point over the summer
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I am also happy to give a demo in the summer if anyone wants to call in.
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I'm sure I saw something on tv about this not long since, they make it so easy. Cheers Maggi.
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I certainly agree about value for money with Beth Chatto. I sent for 50 James Backhouse for £45 and received around 80 healthy flowering bulbs.
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Golden Fleece £561 and 2 days to go!!! :o
Is this the highest price paid for a galanthus?
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Hello Maggi, no I wasn,t joking. Things are worth what some people are willing to pay for them. Another case are roses. Roses have been bred for hundreds of years and yet some people believe that "new" varieties are still being produced? What is wrong with the long established varieties which are still beautiful. The same also applies to clothes. We are told that this style is "in" this year and everyone should buy it. Six months later (or less) we are told it is out of date. Fashion is for the gullible.
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Golden Fleece £561 and 2 days to go!!! :o
Is this the highest price paid for a galanthus?
Not yet! Thompson and Morgan paid £725 for an 'Elizabeth Harrison in 2012. And according to an article by Graham Rice, T & M still have only one bulb - but I don't think they mind - it was just a (good) publicity stunt.
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Ian M.- Ladies ' fashion may be for the gullible but it's also mostly for the thin! :'(
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Thompson and Morgan must be doing something wrong if they only have one after all this time !
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Galanthus are better than shares, market is bullish.
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I can understand why people pay very high prices for drops - I am only a beginner - 4 years and still very much awestruck by the oddeties that appear on places like Ebay because it is often the only place to get such amazing drops and to see what is out there - having been to a couple of sales this year I have to admit even though I have spent an absolute fortune and increased by collection by about 50 varieties I am still to find the 'In' drops and probably could not afford them anyway - why do sellers put them on Ebay but they never appear for sale either in their online sales or at their stands at shows.
It makes it very difficult to get the special ones if no one knows who has them or even how to go about getting them.
I was at Myddleton and was told about a green bumble, believe you and me I was one of the first at the stand and yet a dealer gabbed the 2 remaining plants, another was given by the owner of the stall to a favoured customer (which I have no problem with at all) but for us mere mortals can anyone advise on how we even stand a chance?
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Maggi, you are right about ladies fashion being for the thin. Trouble is the shops buy for the average person. The average person is one in a hundred!
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Every thing worth growing filters down and becomes much easier to get hold of if your prepared to wait
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The answer Colin is to come along behind the fashion and pick up those distinctive snowdrops that will remain classics in the future (viz: what Yann says). So you know, who would be without 'Diggory', 'Wasp' and 'Lapwing', but these are all passé now, and relatively sensibly priced. Or ignore fashion, always a good thing, and buy what what you like! (Emma puts it more simply :))
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Interestingly I have acquired `Diggory`, `Wasp` and ` Lapwing` in the past 12 months!
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£660 now!!
I think we might break the record!
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The answer Colin is to come along behind the fashion and pick up those distinctive snowdrops that will remain classics in the future (viz: what Yann says). So you know, who would be without 'Diggory', 'Wasp' and 'Lapwing', but these are all passé now, and relatively sensibly priced. Or ignore fashion, always a good thing, and buy what what you like! (Emma puts it more simply :))
I have also tried to look for the ones which seem to increase well, so that if the conditions here are not as ideal as in countries with less snow and cold, at least those might do well.
But I understand the charm of the new and different ones, lucky that I don't have so much money to spend. ::)
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Now £740! :o
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Now £740! :o
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I Was talking to a visitor yesterday about prices who didn't believe me when I said there was one bulb currently at £420 ish, when I showed them on my phone about 20 minutes after checking it was £500+
Said it would probably be double and they really didn't believe me....
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I was at Myddleton and was told about a green bumble, believe you and me I was one of the first at the stand and yet a dealer gabbed the 2 remaining plants, another was given by the owner of the stall to a favoured customer (which I have no problem with at all) but for us mere mortals can anyone advise on how we even stand a chance?
Ask Glen Chantry for their dormant bulb list and apply early for the ones you want. Wol & Sue deal with orders as they are received.
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... according to an article by Graham Rice, T & M still have only one bulb.
Thompson and Morgan must be doing something wrong if they only have one after all this time !
They did something very wrong, they've lost it completely. ::)
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Ask Glen Chantry for their dormant bulb list and apply early for the ones you want. Wol & Sue deal with orders as they are received.
Thank you much I will email them
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Well a record as deffo been broken and still 2 days to go - £800.00 - oh how I can dream - its a pegoda and yellow
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Blimey, Joe will be pleased ;)
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A record smashed - £930
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Now £740! :o
I told Patrick over breakfast that this was my bid. I think he thought I was serious ;D ;D
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What is the snowdrop for sale matt?
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Don't do anything rash, John: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-plicatus-Golden-Fleece-snowdrop-/141578093841?pb=14&&autorefresh=true (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-plicatus-Golden-Fleece-snowdrop-/141578093841?pb=14&&autorefresh=true)
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I won't don't worry matt, I bought a Kildare snowdrop a few weeks back & Andrea my wife gave me both barrels, I'd hate to think what she'd to me if I bought that. ;D
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A record smashed - £930
Not yet. Don't get too excited. Wasn't one sold last Feb for £1600? Tom's reginae-olgae 'You Buy It You Name It'
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A record smashed - £930
Dare I say it?
But it's only a bulb
Obviously someone will chip it!
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I wonder if Joe will waive the £4 postage :)
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Not yet. Don't get too excited. Wasn't one sold last Feb for £1600? Tom's reginae-olgae 'You Buy It You Name It'
Forgot about that ::) Well, a few days to go yet...
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Dare I say it?
But it's only a bulb
Obviously someone will chip it!
Unless A NBF gets it first. Expensive nom nom!
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I have just taken a look at the snowdrop, it's a loverly little drop, but what a price and still three days to go. There's some determined people wanting that flower.
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Either wanting that flower... or... wanting the column inches the story will generate.
Tim DH
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I told Patrick over breakfast that this was my bid. I think he thought I was serious ;D ;D
You can't just toss out a comment like that and leave it hanging, Matt :o You have to tell us , has Patrick come round yet or is he still out for the count? :-X You might have killed him! :P
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Either wanting that flower... or... wanting the column inches the story will generate.
Tim DH
Perhaps the latter is a more likely scenario, Tim
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You can't just toss out a comment like that and leave it hanging, Matt :o You have to tell us , has Patrick come round yet or is he still out for the count? :-X You might have killed him! :P
I was going to say "Being an Irish-man he's robust enough to deal with news like that and it probably didn't even sink in anyway".
But, he has just asked me, "So did you not bid for it then?" ::)
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I suppose that shows that Joe named it correctly ;D He deserves it for all those years of breeding that went into it. I wonder when it will be available to the likes of us at a sensible price :-\
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Never, if T&M are bidding for it? :-X
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I was going to say "Being an Irish-man he's robust enough to deal with news like that and it probably didn't even sink in anyway".
But, he has just asked me, "So did you not bid for it then?" ::)
Aww, Bless 'im! :-*
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Interestingly I have acquired `Diggory`, `Wasp` and ` Lapwing` in the past 12 months!
And while we are on the subject of expensive snowdrops, I paid £10 for `Diggory`. That's a more sensible price.
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You are proberbly right Maggi, do you remember that Elizabeth Harrison snowdrop a few years back? It was in all the papers. People will do anything for a few moments of publicity.
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I wonder when it will be available to the likes of us at a sensible price :-\
When it no longer sells for silly prices on eBay, presumably.
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But you do get 990 Nectar points with it! ;D
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But you do get 990 Nectar points with it! ;D
Is that the modern equivalent of Green Shield Stamps? :-\
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target to 1000 is almost achieved ::)
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Not yet. Don't get too excited. Wasn't one sold last Feb for £1600? Tom's reginae-olgae 'You Buy It You Name It'
I don't count this as the record because what was being auctioned was the right to name the snowdrop, although the winner did get the snowdrop too. I doubt anyone would have paid £1600 for that snowdrop offered by itself on eBay.
Money Magazine (the financial equivalent of Time Magazine and owned by Time) just interviewed me today to see where snowdrops stand in the US in relation to the tulipmania-like fever hitting the UK. I told the reporter about 'Golden Fleece' and how timely the article would be if published after it sells.
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Tulip mania or snowdrop mania, perhaps I'll try to swap my car for golden fleece. Mind you there is so much compost and mud on the floor you could probably grow a few snowdrops there.
Didn't tulip mania turn into a glorified futures / pyramid selling scenario with people buying on the promise of the amount of bulbs a tulip would produce? It was also seriously undermined by the fact that the desirable traits in the broken colours were caused by virus which was not stable. At least the glorious golden fleece is stable and has taken a lot of work to get it to this stage.
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10 years or more in the making , so he deserves the reward for the effort
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Brian... I'm late to this, apologies... yes, it's a much better way to buy them, and it's nice to be able to see what you're getting and pick a nice plant when you see them on a sales table! I think you'll find I only bought really cheap ones at the HPS day (ahem... just in case anyone is checking up!!!)
I agree Emma & Brian... he deserves the reward from all the years of breeding and it gives us something to get excited about... like others... I just fear it's going to keep attracting more dubious online sales/characters...
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I know what you mean Anthony - greed and photoshop are a dangerous combination.
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Not a problem Anthony, good way to buy as there are no cheque stubs ;D. Although I have to say the prices were very reasonable.
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Yes Maggie... and although there are well known and reputable people on there... it must be hard for any one new to sell a few... and frustrating for those of us who occasionally see things we'd like to buy, but don't in case it's a dud...
Oh Brian... don't we all have two cheque books?! ;) Just me then... They were, and many of the pots were generously stocked... it was all very civil as well.
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Only another £346 to go for Golden Fleece to break the record of Tom's reginae-olgae 'You Buy It, You Name It' sold this time last year
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Oh Brian... don't we all have two cheque books?! ;) Just me then... They were, and many of the pots were generously stocked... it was all very civil as well.
...and of course excellent company ;D
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Golden Fleece at £1290 just now
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In the 90's i knew a mexican who was able to spent 5000£ for 1 orchid's root, when he died his wife let burned all the orchids in 2 greenhouses ;D
If you've the money and the passion, there's no limit. This Galanthus is just the GDP/capita of Tanzania or North Korea.
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Crikey mark how much longer has it to go?
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Over 1.3k now and still a day plus to go - this could or will make someone very happy - I have added it to my wish list - maybe in 10 years or so ;D
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Over 1.3k now and still a day plus to go - this could or will make someone very happy - I have added it to my wish list - maybe in 10 years or so ;D
And 3 other cultivars at over 200 each
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Golden Fleece, Treasure Island and what Chris?
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Golden Fleece, Treasure Island and what Chris?
Golden Fleece £1330
Treasure Island £285
Mother Goose £265
Bumblebee £215
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At least the glorious golden fleece is stable and has taken a lot of work to get it to this stage.
Joe Sharman sometimes comments that the yellow snowdrops turn green when planted in his garden soil. So all yellows seem to be a bit unstable with regard to how yellow they actually turn out to be.
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Joe Sharman sometimes comments that the yellow snowdrops turn green when planted in his garden soil.
Good point Alan, my 'Mother Goose' sourced last year as a resting bulb, has produced a flower with a strong yellow flush on the inner with a green horseshoe mark. Eric from North Green was very helpful and confirmed that this is very common when 'Mother Goose' is disturbed but reverts to full yellow when settled.
I will hopefully be able to post a photo when it is opened fully.
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Golden Fleece £1330
Treasure Island £285
Mother Goose £265
Bumblebee £215
Interesting isn't it? I'd be more interested in the GRYM Mother Goose than the yellow Treasure Island...not that I can afford any of them at those prices :-\
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Interesting isn't it? I'd be more interested in the GRYM Mother Goose than the yellow Treasure Island...not that I can afford any of them at those prices :-\
I agree, which just goes to show the value of the excellent AGS Mid-Anglia bulb sale, along with the great company! ;D
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I agree, which just goes to show the value of the excellent Mid-Anglia bulb sale, along with the great company! ;D
Indeed it does Ingrid ;D ;D
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I find the £4 postage for 'Golden Fleece' astounding.............. :-X
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I find the £4 postage for 'Golden Fleece' astounding.............. :-X
Quite so - no way that'll pay for a secure courier....... ;D ;D
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I think I'd want it delivered by hand at that price ;)
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Joe Sharman sometimes comments that the yellow snowdrops turn green when planted in his garden soil. So all yellows seem to be a bit unstable with regard to how yellow they actually turn out to be.
Alan - They don't seem entirely stable here. With heavy snow cover last year even some of the green markings were disappointing. Is Joe on acid soil? Everywhere is acid here aside from a very few areas laced with gypsum.
A shot of Tubby Merlin last spring and its usual self in 2008.
johnw - +6c & rain before the next descent to the freezer.
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I think I'd want it delivered by hand at that price ;)
Only on orders over £2000!
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Only on orders over £2000!
The way things are going it's going to be over £2000. Just showed my hubby the listing on eBay and he said he is checking my bank statement :). Told him not to worry I am not totally mad ::)
Angie :)
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The way things are going it's going to be over £2000. Just showed my hubby the listing on eBay and he said he is checking my bank statement :). Told him not to worry I am not totally mad ::)
Angie :)
Thats strange - mine said don't you dare - now that's throwing the gauntlet down isn't it! But like you I don't have a bottomless bank account
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Did anyone on here buy the cheap one? Bumblebee seems quite reasonable priced (relatively) for just £410 + P&P... :P
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Did anyone on here buy the cheap one? Bumblebee seems quite reasonable priced (relatively) for just £410 + P&P... :P
Ironically, it does not closely resemble a Bumble Bee, unlike 'Bumble Green ' which strongly resembles a Bumble Bee and costs a mere £40 ::) Go figure!
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One man's bee is anther man's narcissus fly......... ::)
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The world has gone mad, mad mad. Keep going back to e-bay and pinching myself again, It is the 3 "cheap ones" all going or gone for well over 300 pounds. I hope the lucky winners think its money well spent. ??? ??? ???
Chris
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There was some loverly Galanthus elwesii Rosemary burnham on ebay a nice shade of green.
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I see 'Treasure Island' eventually sold for £559.
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I see 'Treasure Island' eventually sold for £559.
A bargain then ;D
Angie :)
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I see 'Treasure Island' eventually sold for £559.
What are the qualities of Treasure Island that made it sell for so much? The only photo that I can find was posted Earlier this year with all the photos of Joe Sharman's snowdrops, and it does not look like it would elicit a £559 response.
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Treasure Island has two main 'qualities':
- Joe Sharman states: "A remarkable new yellow with the stature and substance of the 'Mighty Atom' group.
- AFAIK it has never been offered for sale before and current eBay bidding demonstrates that there is fierce competition for such a snowdrop from a reputable seller.
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Well, it sold for £1,390 (& £4 P&P of course!). The winning bid was from a bidder "t***m" who entered the fray at the last minute.
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Some very strange bidding going on there.....
Can anyone offer an explanation as to why a***u bid against themselves twice? ( 1,050 1,090 1,150 )
They had already bid against themselves earlier in the process ( 800 840 )
Quite a few other bidders bid against themselves too!!!
i***s did it four times!!!! ( 25.45 29.00 35.00 41.00 47.00 )
I can't think of any good reason why anyone would do that.
Tim DH
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Some very strange bidding going on there.....
Can anyone offer an explanation as to why a***u bid against themselves twice? ( 1,050 1,090 1,150 )
They had already bid against themselves earlier in the process ( 800 840 )
Quite a few other bidders bid against themselves too!!!
i***s did it four times!!!! ( 25.45 29.00 35.00 41.00 47.00 )
I can't think of any good reason why anyone would do that.
Tim DH
You need to switch on the automatic bids which are hidden from the base screen and you can see the auto bids they are responding to.
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http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/automatic-bidding.html (http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/automatic-bidding.html)
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Could t***m be Thompson and Morgan again? Coincidence?
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And T***m has been bidding on the others as well
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Dont see why it cant be another publicity stunt but I think the bidder code is supposed to be random and this would be coincidence
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Well perhaps Jo will let you know
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If it was Thompson & Morgan, I'm sure they will want to get maximum publicity!!
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That dodgy green tipped snowdrop 'Green Spirit' and description of nivalis 'Viridapice' is back on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-nivalis-Green-Spirit-TearDrop-5-Pieces-Old-And-Rar-/361219007344?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item541a54a370 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-nivalis-Green-Spirit-TearDrop-5-Pieces-Old-And-Rar-/361219007344?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item541a54a370)
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I've upset someone
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ooops.
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I've upset someone
We should be too big to take offence and too noble to give it.
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I've upset someone
Lucky you - he/she has saved you a fortune :) ;D :)
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I've upset someone
O Mark I didn't know they could do that, you didn't try and buy that dodgy lot of Green Spirit did you? There are some 'interesting' lots on e-bay . Just noted Mother Goose on a buy it now at best part of £300 for a non flowering daughter bulb ! and the same seller having Beany for £139 twice what Matt was asking for it I believe.
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Here is the article in Money magazine about the "snowdrop bubble": http://time.com/money/3716753/snowdrop-bubble-galanthus-galanthomania/. (http://time.com/money/3716753/snowdrop-bubble-galanthus-galanthomania/.) Have there been articles over there about 'Golden Fleece'? Does anyone know who bought it?
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Good article and timely. It's nice to consider gardening in the same light as other artistic and cultural expressions and snowdrops are like the icing on the cake - they might attract attention but there is so much more more about gardening and growing plants which is often hardly appreciated. But so far 'Elizabeth Harrison' has not appeared more in general cultivation in the same way that 'Wendy's Gold' has and there is an exclusivity about snowdrops that comes from these prices which is a bit more debateable :-\ (good for those of us who grow them though 8))
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I must say I was impressed with the factual accuracy of the Money Magazine article. But the one aspect not touched-upon was the attrition rate for snowdrops. Almost all snowdrop growers have failed to establish some particular snowdrop or have lost an established one for no apparent reason (or for a variety of apparent reasons). Imagine buying 'Golden Fleece' and then having it die on you! Even chipping is by no means a guaranteed route to success.
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Some people would not think twice about paying £2000 for a designer dress/handbag and wearing it only once. Not me. But you have to see things in perspective, a dress doesn't have the possibility of being 2 dresses next year. These are Designer snowdrops I guess.
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An amusing article in the Spectator on 'Golden Fleece' here http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/culturehousedaily/2015/02/single-snowdrop-sells-for-1390-welcome-to-galanthomania/ (http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/culturehousedaily/2015/02/single-snowdrop-sells-for-1390-welcome-to-galanthomania/) , particularly so because the author does not realise that it is supposed to be yellow and describes the marks on the outer petals a "lime green". And rather than being a galanthophile it turns out I might be a galanthomaniac.
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I must say I was impressed with the factual accuracy of the Money Magazine article. .
Except for one crucial thing, Alan. The article says "What accounts for the tiny flower’s big price tag? For one thing, the dainty bloom is tough as nails..".
Wrong wrong wrong. The two native English varieties certainly are as "tough as old boots" but many of the expensive new varieties of recent years have tender delicate constitutions and keel over at the slightest hint of fungus or other in-the-soil nasty. Robust they ain't. I have had to cosset and coax many varieties into reluctant growth - in fact had I the room and the dosh I would put up a large alpine house and grow many of my varieties under glass.
I think the struggle to keep snowdrops healthy and the cost of replacing of losses will have the effect of creating a ceiling on the number of people who seriously collect snowdrops. The stampede to buy an exotica such as Golden Fleece, accompanied by ever more imaginative ways of describing the latest fashionable snowdrop (inverse poc; pterugiform?), will surely not last. How many more greentips from Belgian or Slovenian forests can civilisation accommodate?
Not so much a bubble bursting as gently deflating as people turn to more reliable plants. Anyone for crocus?
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Someone is optimistically trying to sell 100 nivalis for the bargain sum of £300.00 ::)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Snowdrop-Bulbs-activley-growing-in-the-Green-Galanthus-Nivalis-Free-UK-/291365455771?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43d6bc079b (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Snowdrop-Bulbs-activley-growing-in-the-Green-Galanthus-Nivalis-Free-UK-/291365455771?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43d6bc079b)
They are very generously including postage though ;D
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Just check out the feedback......................and note the feed back score of 1
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-Woronowii-039-elizabeth-Harrison-039-Select-Yellow-Snowdrop-last-One-/331490291532?_trksid=p2054897.l4275 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Galanthus-Woronowii-039-elizabeth-Harrison-039-Select-Yellow-Snowdrop-last-One-/331490291532?_trksid=p2054897.l4275)
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And that feedback says...''wish you had left flower on'' !!!!!!!
Tim DH
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Someone is optimistically trying to sell 100 nivalis for the bargain sum of £300.00 ::)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Snowdrop-Bulbs-activley-growing-in-the-Green-Galanthus-Nivalis-Free-UK-/291365455771?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43d6bc079b (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Snowdrop-Bulbs-activley-growing-in-the-Green-Galanthus-Nivalis-Free-UK-/291365455771?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43d6bc079b)
They are very generously including postage though ;D
Don't be fooled by other sellers! I better get digging.
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Chas this is her reply:
New message from: anitasrarecollections (1)
Hello yes I remove faded flowers before posting for the sake of bulb recovery and also for posting purposes as often the scape is to high for the box and will break of anyway
Anita
and so far she has not put my question to her and her explanation on the ebay advert.
John(M)
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Mmmm I don't by that answer .....
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Me neither,and unfortunately the buyer will not be able to do anything about it next year when it flowers
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is this the yellow woronowii?
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Funny how plenty of other people manage to post a snowdrop in the green without breaking the scape .....how small a box are these plants being crammed into ?
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very true
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Ridiculous, no reason to remove the flower, unless you are trying to hide something....
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Does not look like Elizabeth Harrison to my eyes.
I see the second snowdrop she sold, Elizabeth Harrison, got a poor feedback report too.
She claims by exchange of emails with me that she has sold many snowdrops on Ebay though she only joined I notice a few weeks back.
Photo of my Elizabeth Harrison.
John(M)
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Hi John,
I wouldn’t doubt it!
It’s entirely possible that he/she has sold loads of (((high value))) snowdrops on eBay!
Just not using that particular name!!!!!!!!
Tim DH
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Hi John,
I wouldn’t doubt it!
It’s entirely possible that he/she has sold loads of (((high value))) snowdrops on eBay!
Just not using that particular name!!!!!!!!
Tim DH
From the usual source, it is worth noting that 'anitasrarecollections' is the second ID this user has registered on Ebay, her history shows that another ID 'fiat.anit' was created and ended on the same day 15th January, also the same day that 'anitasrarecollections' came into existence!
No web history for either ID!
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Trouble is, we're just preaching to the converted here. We regular contributors know that selling a bulb out of flower is the usual means by which those hoping to commit fraud by selling fake snowdrops on eBay operate. Removing the flower on a pretext is even worse than that. But unless the buyer chances upon this thread they will be none the wiser until it is too late to take action.