I've never bought the spring bulbs at regular price before. Usually I wait until they are half or more off. Of course by then you expect some of them to be beyond salvage so if you pay half price and half the bulbs are bad you kind of expect that. Well, yesterday I bought some canna bulbs. The box said 12 so I expected 12 good bulbs since they arrived within the last 2 weeks. Alas, my expectations were too high. I ended up with 2 good bulbs, 3 very questionable bulbs, and 7 brown moldy mushy bulbs. The 3 questionable ones did have some growth and obviously alive parts, but large portions of the bulbs are dead and rotted. I am not pleased and have written to Van Zyverden about their product. If I get no response from them I will be returning the mushy mass to Sam's Club the next time I am in that area.
The same company provides spring and fall bulbs to several other stores and there is no problem with the quality of bulbs purchased at those stores. I don't know if I'll buy bulbs from Sam's Club again. At least I won't be paying full price for their bulbs.
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ButterflyLady29
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- Location: central Ohio
Where live plants are concerned I try to buy them as soon as they hit the stores. I have had luck with cannas and glads since the bulbs are usually good if they are firm, but the things with roots like strawberries and lillies have to have visible live roots or their chances of survial are very poor. I did get some strawberries and a couple of them survived for a little while. It is hard to acclimate them to a tropical climate. Most of them have to make it past the first year. I have the same problem with fuschias. If they survive the first year they are keepers. I do get roses from Walmart and Lowe's if I can get them early before they break dormancy. Most of those will survive. Most stores like Sam's, Walmart, Lowe's often have the managers decide where the product is to be displayed. They don't really know what is the best conditions for them to be in. Air conditioning not so good, neither is a hot, humid nursery or worse yet putting them out in the full tropic sun. I don't even buy seeds from Walmarts that keep their seeds outside in the garden instead of inside the temperature controlled store.
Sometimes, I have little choice but to take a chance because most companies will not ship live plants to Hawaii.
Sometimes, I have little choice but to take a chance because most companies will not ship live plants to Hawaii.
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ButterflyLady29
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- Posts: 1030
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 9:12 pm
- Location: central Ohio
It's still pretty cold here. We had frost last weekend. So tender spring bulbs would be setting on a shelf in my house too.
Storage and display of plant products can be crapshoot here too. The stupid department manger at Lowes sets the water lily bulbs that are packed in plastic cups with clear tops outside in the sun because "the package says full sun". Last year I showed the person operating the register that the contents of the cup were very warm. They had never heard of the term "greenhouse effect"! And yes, they set the seed display outside as soon as the weather gets warm. Meijer sets bulbs in clear plastic packages outside in the sun too. At those stores you have to buy early or take a gamble.
Sam's keeps their packages inside and they sell out fast. They usually clearance them out by mid-May when it's still too cold to plant them outside.
It was strange, half the package was soaking wet inside, the other half dry. They had to be put in the package that way. I sent an email and pictures to Van Zyverden and they will be sending me a refund. At least they have good customer service.
Storage and display of plant products can be crapshoot here too. The stupid department manger at Lowes sets the water lily bulbs that are packed in plastic cups with clear tops outside in the sun because "the package says full sun". Last year I showed the person operating the register that the contents of the cup were very warm. They had never heard of the term "greenhouse effect"! And yes, they set the seed display outside as soon as the weather gets warm. Meijer sets bulbs in clear plastic packages outside in the sun too. At those stores you have to buy early or take a gamble.
Sam's keeps their packages inside and they sell out fast. They usually clearance them out by mid-May when it's still too cold to plant them outside.
It was strange, half the package was soaking wet inside, the other half dry. They had to be put in the package that way. I sent an email and pictures to Van Zyverden and they will be sending me a refund. At least they have good customer service.
Even inside the store, there can be problems to live plants. Seeds are good cold and dry, but air conditioning is not so good on live plants. They can dry them out too fast especially if the air conditioners are also dehumidifying the air. It depends on the packaging. The store lights may cause some plants to sprout prematurely.