Salpal, I'm so pleased to hear that you're getting scapes on your bulbs! How exciting! While it's always exciting to see the blooms of bulbs you've just purchased, seeing blooms form the following years is even more exciting!

I'm sorry to say that I didn't get to summer any of my bulbs outdoors... I'm very paranoid about that due to all the horrible Narcissus Bulb Fly problems others have experienced! I shudder at the thought of losing any bulbs to these pests!

In any case, I did get more lights put up, which I know helped my bulbs immensely! In fact, Lady Jane is even now beginning to open a scape! This is very exciting for me! It's the first second year bloom from any of my newer bulbs! It looks like she will have three flowers on the scape, which makes me very happy!

I don't know if any others will follow... I'm carefully watching for bud growth, and so far, Lady Jane is the only one. But it's only January, so there's still plenty of time.

Please post photos when your beauties open!

I am starting to get my reblooms from summered out bulbs. My Aphrodites are blooming one after another, and so far they seem to correspond with the labels I put on them! That is exciting too, LOL. I have probably half a dozen more with buds formed and am on my 4th Aprodite now. Next will be some red flowers but time will tell who they are, if I knew in the first place! Last year I had Red Velvet, a mislable we decided was probably Ferarri,Bolero, Red Pearl, and some doubles. One bud is so slim I am guessing it is a Cybister, and we will probably know within the week. I am amazed at the buds coming from some pretty small sized bulbs. Maybe they were big enough before I trimmed them both when I dug them up, and when I replanted them after resting. Last yr I was pretty limited in the care I gave them do to recovering from my new knees, and we had the coldest summer in many years. I hope this year I can get them more plumped up...more feedings and a few more waterings. Even so, I am very encouraged!

So have you noticed a difference in growth rate from inside and out? Just curious I might have to try them out side this year, Maybe?

Thanks for asking Salpal! Well, I had 2 "test" groups: some summering outdoors, and the rest indoors in a sunny window (but certainly not as sunny as outdoors). And so, only one of about 25 have shown a scape (Orange Souvereign). But, keep in mind that the outdoor bulbs were largely comprised of 2-3 year old bulbs that have shriveled considerably as they did not receive proper treatment since their purchase. I have been going to the basement desperate for more signs of life (scapes), but no luck, and only 2 or 3 seem large enough to expect a scape from.

Upstairs is primarily floriferous with this years' bulbs (I *must* have blooms for the holidays/winter!) All this new purchasing every year has resulted in over 70 bulbs (Gasp, eh?) - most of which have never rebloomed since purchase. Obviously, if you do the math, this cannot go on for too much longer, hence the foray into the outdoors experiment last summer. This year, ALL new bulbs from this season will go outside and we will see what happens next season. Almost anyone can buy a bulb and get it to bloom - but as Jodi points out, the real joy and sense of achievement comes from reblooming.

Jodi, I will end up putting up some lights to deal with the long spring indoors. I wish I could just put them outside now after bloom. I haven't had any issues with the nasty bulb fly and hopefully never will. It seems they are in certain areas but not all areas. (I haven't heard that Maria or many others have had probs with them.)I will try post pics but gave up last year after posting a couple of embarrassing ones. Maybe I can ask your advice on that?

Liza, Wow! You have so many bulbs how can you keep up!

Primeribs, I move ALL of mine out so I can't compare, however they do much better once I move them out. I wouldn't/couldn't consider keeping them in. The only ones that haven't rebloomed for me in past years are those that were very small to begin with. (eg. those bulbs you get from people asking you to take them once they mistreat them)You should try at least a few, I think you'll be impressed with the results and it's so easy!

Anna, Congrats on the OS! Good Lord, that's alot of bulbs! I still have a hard time not overdoing the CHAD, having new ones to pot while old ones are wanting to come upstairs! I doesn't help when other addicts post info on the latest sales! This year I am bringing hippis to people, trying to find people who will take care of them at least 'till summer. I may have to sacrifice a few. It is fun bringing blooms to others. (PS: I never count how many I have, when my boyfriend asks how many I have I can legitimately plead ignorance- "Oh I don't think I have THAT many"- Then he tries to count them, but my seedlings are many to a pot, so he counts that as 1. Then he doesn't realize I have 12 more around the corner and I don't point them out to him. I really have no idea how many I have. Do you think I need to join a 12-step program?)

Well, I know exactly how many I have as I enter them all in a database, which includes all the vital information. I was boggled when the database was updated - a few here and a few there, some in the basement, and it doesn't seem that bad. But, I'd be in big trouble if the basement gang all decided to send up scapes - upstairs is pretty crowded with the new bulbs, other plants, cats, knick-knacks, and a human or two. But, so as not to discourage any blooming plans on the part of the cellar-dwellers - I am sure I would figure out something! Also, there are some bulbs from my first year with this madness (2004), which may have to be tossed if they don't plump up this summer. (Yeah - sure I will - after all, I'm the type that brings in even half-dead geraniums before frost kills them.)

Sal - There are no programs with enough steps for folks like us - we are doomed! And happily so, it seems :)

I know I have over 50 bulbs, but how many over I'm not entirely sure! Perhaps a total of 60 or 70, including all the other Amaryllid types I have. That's counting each pot as one, regardless of how many are in it.

I think what we need is a 12 bulb program... whereby, we each get to limit ourselves to 12 bulbs per season, but no less! :-) I am doomed... and very happily so! Our families should feel lucky that we're addicted to bulbs, and not to something dangerous! The next time someone comments on how many bulbs you have, tell them it's a safe hobby, unlike base jumping or skydiving!

I can see that I may have to risk taking most of my hybrids outdoors for summer. I do have lights, but they're nothing expensive or professional. They're simple shop light fixtures with T12 and T8 tubes. I run both warm and cool tubes to get a better spectrum. I can see a definite difference in growth since I've had them, but I would most likely have even better growth with large professional metal halide or LED lights. I don't know that much about lights, but what I have is adequate.

Within the next couple of days, I'll be hanging more shop lights in the basement for seed starting, and this will give me a little more room to spread out the collection. I think I'll move the youngsters down there, which will free up a bit of space up here!

My original plan was to record every bulb and every nuance of every bulb in a database, but I'm a slacker! I began writing things down when I first began collecting, but I've become lax in my recording. I've been so busy this winter, I haven't had much time to catch up. I'll get there... eventually! I'm still learning about culture and which bulbs prefer what.

This is a good thread... I'm enjoying learning about everyone's re-blooming successes, how long we've been collecting, and how we all keep our bulbs over the summers and winters! Reading about how others do things helps me decide what I should do! I'm reminded that several more bulbs need to be re-potted very soon!

Salpal, I'd be happy to try to help you figure out photo posting... do you have your photos uploaded to a place online yet?

Primeribs, I only had two pots of bulbs outdoors last summer, but I saw a huge difference in growth! I had a pot of Lycoris radiata, and a pot of Sprekelia... they both grew like gangbusters! There's no replacement for real sunshine and fresh air! The only mistake I made was setting the pots directly on the ground in the garden... slugs and other bugs crawled up into the pots and had a feast! I lost one of the Sprekelias! I should have known better... this season, any pots to go out will be set up on a bench or other raised platform so bugs and things are not an issue!

Anna, I have a few bulbs that refuse to fatten up, too... I hesitate to get rid of them, though. I may give them another year to see what they will do. Those will be the first to go outside for the summer. There are 2 Apple Blossoms, a Pamela, a Rapido, and a Charisma, I think it is. The rest are doing well, and are either the same size they were originally, or larger.

Lizalily, I would be interested to know if you think planting them in a raised bed helped more than leaving them in their pots? My raised beds are a bit too shallow, I think, to plant them directly in it... and I hesitate to use really large pots. The largest pot I want to deal with for one bulb would be about a 12-16 inch pot. Any larger and I won't have room to bring them all back indoors!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's repeat bloomers, as well as any others getting ready to flower!

Jodi I love the 12 bulb program- but would I cheat? I appreciate your offer. I have a photobucket account and remember the password so I will upload my last summers and latest pics, will attempt to post relevant ones and will request your help with problems. Thank you!

You guys it's not really fair if you just put old puny suffering bulbs out. Try some healthy ones before they deteriorate! Jodi I had a sprekelia bulb rapidly deteriorate/disintegrate, their care is not the same as hippis I think. Also mine was a spring bulb bought at a garden center and I gave it nill special treatment, actually rather neglected it. I considered it my own fault.

I tried planting my hippies directly out in my community garden 3 summers ago. They bloomed the following spring but looked awful during the summer- too much light too quick, and I was unable to keep a close eye on them. (I'm a transplanted farm girl in the city, I literally must drive to my community garden) Jodi, I use window screen in the bottom of my pots, which keeps out most crawlers. I only have had slugs in late summer if it's wet and cold.(and I pick them off and realize that it's not good for my soon to be resting bulbs anyway,changes must be made.) Part of my weird back garden is cement so I place many pots on that next to raised beds. I've had very little bug damage. I think to keep your valuable hippi species indoors until confident is wise. Put the hybrids out! I have too many and will replace any you lose (that I have), consider it an experiment!

Another thing about planting direct is you need to uproot each fall as opposed to leaving in pot. I have preferred to let my hippi roots be, but maybe I will experiment with this again this year. I didn't used to live here and have these raised beds my sweetheart made for me. Jodi you are right! Talking and thinking about future plans really stimulates the brain! Thanks!

Yahoo! I spied another scape last night!! But it had not been outside last summer...hmmm...

[Anna whispers to Jodi] pssst...have you tried winter sowing? You seem like the kind of person that could really get into it. I went from picture 1 to pic 2 - gorgeous healthy seedlings - there is a forum on here all about it - it has changed my gardening life!

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That's it. All this talk about "programs" and limiting ourselves is forcing me to order a bulb. See what you did, Jodi?! lol Anna.....what is winter sowing? Can you give a link? I've never heard of it and I am very interested :-) Love the pics, girl.

My smaller bulbs that aren't gaining in size will be the first to go outdoors, but certainly not the last! Most of my hybrids will join them. I'll keep the more valuable bulbs under lights. I do have quite a few hybrids, so if I were to lose one or two to some unforeseen catastrophe, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

I'm hoping I can find some sort of mosquito netting... I think that if I draped them all with netting, the chances of getting attacked by Narcissus Bulb Fly will lessen considerably. I'm not really certain that's even a problem here, but why invite trouble? I've got a pile of cinder blocks, another pile of available plywood and boards of various lengths and widths... I should be able to put together nicely serviceable benches for the pots to sit on.

Now, if I can only find the energy necessary to lug about 40 pots down a flight of stairs, through two sets of doors, and out to the benches! I keep going back and forth about taking my bulbs outside... I'm rather paranoid about bulb fly damage... especially after seeing those photos that were posted! Those are ugly bug pupae!

Today is a lovely day! The sun is shining, the snow is rapidly melting, and the breeze is mild... chilly still, but much milder than a few days ago! Hurry spring, hurry!

Some of my own bulbs have offsets, so I can help replace lost bulbs, too... it's so generous to offer your extras as replacements, thank you! Let's see how the seasons unfold... maybe there won't be any problems, at all!

It is awesome, Lara! It takes a leap of faith. These seedlings don't need hardening off, as they sprout outside, and survive frost, etc. - it's like a miracle, but after all, nature uses the same method. Winter sowing simply reduces the odds of losing seeds to the elements, critters etc. We use all kinds of recyclables to create in effect, little greenhouses. I have created almost my entire garden from WS. Check it out!

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing Forum and FAQ

Anna: The article on winter sowing is really interesting reading. Thanks for the link.

Anna those photos of your winter sowing are inspiring! I have tried a few in the last 2 years with some success, but I really haven't figured it out completely. I need to go get some cheap dirt!
Those summer pics are also inspiring. (It's soooo white outside, I miss the green) My attempt at posting:

Hippie sunbathing
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Exotic Star yesterday
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Awesome, Salpal! You did it! Great photos, and just look at those Exotic Star buds! Very nice!

I'm beginning to read about winter sowing right now... thanks for the link!

Wow Anna, You had a lot of nice looking seedlings this past spring, very good growing!

Wait a minute, Larissa... my fault?! How is it my fault you can't keep your credit card in your wallet?!! LOL! Actually, I was just getting ready to blame you for my latest purchase! I guess we're even... boy, this CHAD thing is something else, huh?!! LOL!

Anna, I'm very interested in winter sowing, although I need to do a lot more reading! Great photos of your little "greenhouses"... very inspiring, as Salpal says! Nature has been winter sowing forever, so the concept is a good one... seed pods open and seeds fall to the ground... they are lightly covered over by debris, and they sprout in spring. Winter is sort of like stratifying seeds in your refrigerator, which some require, anyway.

I'm already a saver of all things plastic that have greenhouse potential, so I've got some of the supplies! I just need to read a little more on the subject.

Thanks, Anna! Great idea!

Jodi - just want to say, if you'd like to ask any question at all about WS, just ask - email me via GW, and I'll give you my private email. Of course, the forum is full of people more than willing to answer questions - it is a great group. This will be my 6th year winter sowing - the first year, when i saw the first sprout in April, I screamed with joy (YOU know the sound!)

Winter sown, "sow" easy":

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Wow! Gorgeous blooms! A Gloriosa Daisy Mix? Rudbeckia, I believe. Nice colors! I grow those, myself... a staple of the cottage garden!

I'll be sure to stop in over there when I get some time... and I'll be sure to ask if I need any help! Thanks, Anna! I feel welcome over there already! This is the greatest group, I tell ya! :-)