do you some stashed for me, or do i need to run & get em at the fairgrounds? we may be on the weekend to get the lemongrass, anyhoo, but was sort of thinking it'd be better to wait til the rain stopped on to run out on sun. lmk... thx, t

gotcha covered

I am interested in the casablanca and starfighter lillies but live in Charlotte and will not be able to get to Raleigh tomorrow. Could you set a few aside and I will send postage to you tomorrow? Let me know.

Thanks John, sent u an email, it may get there before next month (puter probs)....

To put things more clearly - I have 15 bulb crates full of bulbs. Each crate holds between 100 and 300 bulbs. Thats a lot of bulbs. I can only plant about a 100 of them myself, the rest will be given away and the left overs will go to the compost bin.

I wish I could have them bulbs but I won't be able to get any of them. Maybe you have more free things latter. I hope.

John I would be happy to take whatever you want to get rid of. If you are thinking bout taking a trip south after all this lovely rain I'd be happy to trade you for a few choice plants. Adele

I'd love to have some but I don't know when I'll be able to get there. If you have any left over I am supposed to be at the Arboretum Tuesday. Sorry I didn't make it to the fair clean up. Life seems to be unraveling at the moment. Shannon

I doubt if you have any left, but if so I'll take whatever you don't want to keep. I'm in Garner too so let me know and I'll stop by.
Thanks,
Jeane

Hi Jeane! Though I do live in Garner, all the bulbs have been moved to the fairgrounds which is where I spend all my spare time putting the flower show to bed (which takes most of the winter to do). There are still plenty of them left over from this weekend. You'll have to email me on which day you plan on coming out to get some because my lunch hour kinda slides around each day. After I get my yard plants safe from frost I will be at the fair grounds after work in the evenings a couple of times each week.

Hi John,
I'd be interested in a few. I'm in NY right now, worried about the frost killing everything I didn't put in the greenhouse before I left. I'll try to meet you at the fairgrounds when I get back later this week.
Thanks,
Mike

I'll take some if you haven't been cleaned out. -Ais.

Glad we're getting this cooler weather, it is slowing down the bulb sprouting. I have plenty of oriental lily bulbs left, not many of the curcumas or starfire lilies but a few.

When lilies sprout early (like these guys are doing) it ruins their chances for good flowers the following summer, they most often drop their flowers before they even open. But the plants will grow and bloom normally the following year.

Have any Sumatras, Starfighters and Casa Blancas left for me??

Everything is out at the fairgrounds. No Starfighter orientals left but plenty of Sumatra and Casa Blanca. The Starfire (Haemanthus) are looking pretty sad, not sure if they will make it.

During the day the wooden fence is often left open while workers work in the area. I am there most evenings around 6pm. If you can get in, all the bulbs are on the shelf in the stage area where the guy carves the pumpkins during the fair.

I went to the fairgrounds yesterday and picked up some lily bulbs. Thanks John, I was surprised there were still so many left. My question is on the oriental lilies that have already sprouted, is it OK to put them right out in the ground, or would it be better to pot them up and put them hoop house to keep from freezing?
Mike

Welcome home Mike! You've seen my truck. Now picture two truckloads of bulb crates - thats how many bulbs I got.

My understanding is that no matter what you do the lily flowers are doomed for the first year if the sprouts are longer than 2 inches. If you plant them out, the frost will bite back that soft growth. If you pot them up and protect them they will most likely abort their flowers just before they open. So do whichever you want but expect to lose the flowers the first year. The way the guy stores them while he is selling them gets them too warm so they sprout and grow too much. I picked through them and saved some that had tiny sprouts but most of them were way longer than 2 inches.

If the lily bulbs are not all gone I would like to get some. I am going to Durham on Tues and could pick them up or could go Wed a.m.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Gayle

Hi John,
We would be happy to come down and pick up whatever is left over if there are a bunch. Please let us know, our schedule is pretty open.
Thanks,
Dawn and Bob

Well, yesterday (sat) I had every intension of swinging by the fairgrounds to unlock the gate so that folks who wanted bulbs could get some. But there was a football game with all its traffic tie-ups so that didn't happen.

So today I am trying again to swing by and leave the gate unlocked while I attend a garden writing workshop at the Arboretum down the street.

Since I live in Garner and it takes me a while to get there, I won't know if this plan will work until I arrive at the fairgrounds.

The weather is supposed to be nicer this week so hopefully none of the bulbs have frozen (they appeared fine on Friday, the last time I saw them).

I am glad that those of you that have picked some up are enjoying the bulbs. I wish I had a way to protect the bulbs better and a smoother way to distribute them but I just don't. My schedule is only gonna get busier from now til the holidays. It is dark when I leave for work and dark when I come home so handing out bulbs from my house is out of the question. I won't have time to box up and mail any to anybody. I'll be lucky if I get all of the ones I kept for myself into the ground. I don't control the fairgrounds. If the fair security guards decide to come around behind me and lock gates or otherwise restrict people from getting to the bulbs there is nothing I can do about it. I don't follow NCState football so I have no way of knowing when game traffic will be a problem.

There seems to be about 3 dozen bulbs left over. The Starfire lilies are going downhill fast, whereas the orientals are holding up just fine (I think they enjoy the colder temps).

After next weekend if there are any bulbs left I will try to tuck them into the ground for the winter and pot them up next spring and bring them to the spring swap.

I don't suppose there are any left... I am going to be at the NC Farmer's Market early next week (visiting Holmes' Plants) and would go to wherever they are if there are any left worth planting!

john's in oklahoma at the moment- not sure when he'll check this. he'll be back next friday. i don't know if they're still somewhere you can get them or not.

wait a min- i mean he'll be back tomorrow, this friday, so never mind. oy! the week went fast.

I'm actually on the road and a third of the way back. I won't return to civilization until Sunday afternoon. I plan on checking the stuff out at the fairgrounds on Monday. I doubt any of the more delicate bulbs are any good (has there been a freeze?). The biggest problem is the fairground gates. Most of the time the entrance gate on Youth Center Road is open (gate #6) but not always. Most of the time the wooden stockade fence around the flower show area is left open during the day - but not always. I have no control over these things. So you have to risk it. Your trip to the fair grounds might be futile. The bulbs are on the long shelf in the back of the pumpkin carving stage. If you wander around you should be able to find them. I doubt anyone you might run into out there will know what you are talking about so I wouldn't bother anyone with questions. They won't know who I am or who you are or what bulbs are. Just snoop til you find the bulbs.