Hi Annette, If you think $1 per bulb is reasonable, I could give you the info you need for a couple mail order companies that offer many Asiatic & Oriental bulbs for a great price. Even Lowes/HD have some varieties that avg $1 ea. I have several on the way from a mail order mag. myself. Can't beat the price. LMK & I'll forward you the info. Happy diggin' =)

So far, I don't have a major vole problem, so my bulbs do fine in the ground. However, I would be a little concerned about moisture using plastic pots - either too much or too little, since the sides of the pot wouldn't let moisture in or out, so the only avenues for moisture to move would be the top or the holes in the bottom. I have also seen roots get slightly strangled in pot-bound plants I have purchased, as they grew out the holes. As well, the voles can dig down into the pots from the top, unless you cover the tops with wire. I would think wire cages would be better. While the price has gone up from what it used to be - and what hasn't!!?? - a roll of quarter-inch-mesh hardware cloth isn't exorbitant, and it will make a lot of cages that will allow for free water and root penetration. You could make a cardboard template, to get the size/shape to make 4 sides with top and bottom, and either use wire, or the j-hooks people use to make rabbit cages. Sorry, but I don't know a source for those, maybe your local farm supply store? Come to think of it, you might want to make the tops out of wide-mesh chicken wire, so the stems have room to grow up. And, it may be that tops aren't needed after all, since, as I said, I have no vole experience.

A great supplier of lilies is Van Der Salm Bulb Farm in Woodland, Washington. They have all sorts of Oriental and Asiatic lilies in bulk only. The larger the bulb, the less you have to buy. Prices are very competitive as well. If you've ever driven into Washington in the summer and looked down into the East Lewis River valley off of I-5, you can see the fields of lilies they have. It's quite an operation. BTW, I think they are sold out of alot of stuff for the season. But now is the time to buy large bulbs from them for really cheap. It's all surplus stuff they haven't sold out of. I received their availability list recently and there were still quite a few Asiatic 18+ bulbs for 20 cents a piece by the box. Josh

I have the following for SASBE: canna Richard Wallace rhizomes Florence Vaughn rhixomes White Butterfly Ginger ehizomes Purple Mexican Petunia cuttings White nerium oleander rooted Please email jen@gulfcoastrentals.com