WHats a charge card? Is that the same as a credit card?

Sweet!!!!! I co-ordered several bulbs with Phoenix Ryan from those guys-- specifically Tosca and I think Gervase...meh...who can remember!

M'wife is gonna judge me again soon...more bulbs?!

YES!!! Quit asking! God!

Ryan

When did you order? I ordered July 28 - I MUST be the first they ship to!!!!! If not, I wonder in what priority they ship???

Hmmm, Charge card must be a colloqualism, or one of those out dated phrases that shows my age!

Anna, I think I ordered about that time too. They are probably just starting shipping to everybody is my guess.

I would guess they ship out packages in the order the initial orders were received. I haven't ordered anything yet... I'm broke, but what's new?! I'm always broke! :-)

And I'm waiting until our local garden center gets their display up, so I can see what they have. They've been getting some really nice bulbs for the past couple of years, and each year they change up a few.

I only have room for a few new bulbs, anyway... I've got up and coming seedlings, and I'll need room for those, too.

Well... it appears that Hippeastrum Season has officially begun! Royal Colors' orders are on the way! Yay! I expect to see lots of pictures this season... so, get those cameras ready!

Royal Colors will ship out bulbs from Holland by the end of October as stated in their website and as confirmed by Paul. So let us not get too excited and avoid worrying about our bulbs.

LIZA..."He said they would go out today".
Who is "He"???

Mariava - We worry because up here in the colder zones, frost is imminent, and hearing the shipping might start sooner than end of October would be great relief. I do hope they are starting now, since stores everywhere seem to be getting theirs.

Hi Anna! Oh I know about that frost. We were just hit by a big one recently and I had to bring in 300 plus clay pots. What I meant about "worrying" is like 'worrying on when the bulbs are coming, where they are or they are lost'. So don't count the days yet as the bulbs are still there. RC has to bring all the ordered bulbs to the inspection place in one big batch, and have them checked and pre-cleared before they can ship them out.

USA shipments will be sent to USA in one big batch. So everybody will get their bulbs at ALMOST the same time. Not like before that RC can ship out single orders from Netherlands.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your weather is unfavorable to receive the bulbs, inform RC about it so RC can either hold your shipment or take additional precaution in shipping out your bulbs. These can help avoid frozen bulbs a lot. RC cannot track their individual customer's weather on the shipping dates. You will need to tell them (if necessary)
so they would know.

I will ask Paul to inform me the EXACT date that the bulbs are shipped out from Holland and inform you. This way, you will get a rough idea of when they will be shipped out to your homes.

Thanks Maria - as I recall last year I did get an email telling me that my bulbs had been shipped. It took 2 weeks. Thanks for looking out for us!

Hi there pals,
Great to know, that means i'm getting my order soon too :-). Daphne Romijn wrote to me that their are expecting to ship my order next week (week 44) I ordered 5th october. What i ordered? "Mega Star", "Clown", "Luna" and "Trés Chic". They are also kindly sending a replacement for a Misty bulb that just didn't come out last season.
And yes, Jodi, you will be getting pictures very soon. My Gracilis Red are growing fast and have two scapes each!
I'll keep you updated :-)

You can't warn of unfavorable weather if it takes two weeks from RC to your door step. I never ordered from RC before but have faith they will package the bulbs properly to at least protect from short exposures of cold-- but you cannot predict the weather two weeks out. Last week at this time in Colorado we were told to expect cooler temps today. We had 85 degrees and sunny yesterday. Tonight. those "cooler" temps will be below freezing and we're to expect snow!

With that said, everyone should plan for bad weather... seems this Winter is already promising to be a hard one.

Ryan

I hope I don't get a comment about "defending RC" again. That's the last thing I need right now for helping out.

RC has a good plan for this. I really hope it works for the good of the customers and their bulbs.

Former RC customers KNOW that RC package their bulbs good. They should anyway, they have been shipping bulbs all over the world for years. Unfortunately, Nature will do what it wants to do. Bulbs sprouting in transit, unexpected changes in weather conditions and others. A "little weather watch" from us customers won't be so hard. Northern gardeners almost always look at the weather forcast for the day or week anyway. I know I do.

Don't forget that you are ordering from Holland and not a US bulb company. And just like the Australian order, there are more risks involved.

I will ask Paul if RC can email us once the bulbs reach USA. At least that gives us around 1 week to watch the weather while our bulbs are in transit and inform RC if it's going to be unfavorable.

A short email to RC would be so worth it to help get our bulbs safely to our homes.

If anybody has any other suggestions or idea, please chime in. If Paul has not read this post, I will inform him of what his USA customers think about this "cold weather" bulb shipments.

Now I am off to plant some bulbs. My bulbs (not from RC) arrived today. Yayyyyyyyy!!!

Anna...You are most welcome girlfriend!

Mariava, I did not catch the name for sure though I think it was "Eric". IT was not Paul. He spoke excellent English and was most gracious.

Ah Mariava-- RC never needs defending and I wasn't suggesting anything like that. I was just saying that any guess at the weather is futile, and yes, despite looking at the weather very often. I know the weather back east is a bit more predicable but here in Colorado, its like trying to catch smoke. So with that said, I have taken to having plants sent to my post office, which is across the street from me. So I know the plants will at least go to a warm-"er" place than my doorstep should we get a snow storm!

Ryan

One of the perks of small town living is that your Post Office will hold any packages you ask them to, and will happily call you when they arrive. I get many calls throughout the year notifying me that a package of plants is ready for pickup. Roses, bulbs, rootstock of many types... any time a box arrives at the Post Office, Roberta will call us, and one of us will hop into a vehicle and make the 3 mile trip to grab the box or boxes.

Any time I can get a tracking number when ordering online, I do so... it might cost a couple of dollars more, but it's worth it for the peace of mind. I can track my orders from their point of origin right to my door!

Royal Colors has a fabulous Customer Service department! I'm sure they have more than one person handling their incoming calls and emails... I spoke with a woman the last time I ordered from them... and I'd easily give them an A+ for effort and helpfulness.

Ordering hippeastrums will always have a bit of risk involved simply due to the time of year the bulbs are ready for shipment. But if you choose the fastest option possible, you lessen the risk, and you're almost guaranteed to receive your bulbs in top condition. Some things just can't be planned for... like changing weather, damaged packaging, or any other fluke... but no shipping method is without risk of some kind.

We're very lucky that companies like Royal Colors exist... and I'd say they work hard to be one of the best bulb companies out there!

I'm getting Pink Floyd from RC and I'm so excited! It's coming by way of Phoenix, but it's completely worth it. Alana