On 2013-12-01 22:25:41 +0000, Spider said:

On 01/12/2013 20:02, Frank Booth wrote:
"Spider" wrote in message
...
Oh dear, Frank, how disappointing! I'm very sorry to be proven right in
this case, but I've had similar experience so I'm not that surprised.
If I were you, I'd cut my losses and ask for my money back rather than
replacements. Hope you can make a go of the better ones.

As I said before, Parkers bulbs are not bad, especially if you order
early. I still use them for bulbs because their prices are reasonable,
but I would understand if you wanted no more to do with them.

Actually I don't think Parker's prices for bulbs (Tulips and Narcissi) are
that good at all. I looked at their bulb prices 3 months ago before the
roses and thought...nah. The roses seemed good value but we all know the
story about those now.

The nursery where I get most of my bulbs from were half the price of
Parkers, like £2.00 for 10 Tulips or Narcissi and in certain cases with the
more popular varieties, £2.99 for 50 Tete A Tete or £1.69 for 10 Emperor
Tulips. I find Lidl are also very good value for bulbs if you get in early
(early Sept) before their bulbs are snapped up, eg £1.69 for 12 Red Riding
Hood Tulips. (I'm looking at some of my dockets here).




You may be right about bulb prices. I get a few relatively cheaply
from some supermarkets and large gcs. However, I can't get to either
Aldi or Lidl (or indeed some gcs) without a lift, so I have to look at
the catalogues. Parkers are certainly cheaper than some I've seen,
hence my remark. I have also noticed that the cheap supermarket types
are limited in variety so, again, I find it worthwhile looking at
catalogues for particular bulbs.
Another problem I've had when buying bulbs from nurseries is that, if
they're sold loose, they end to get mixed up so I wait weeks to see
something in bloom, only to find it's not what I wanted.

It's worth hunting around for British bulb growers. If their quantities
are too large, you can always share the cost with friends. There are
lots of bulb growers in Cornwall, for example and Istr David Hill
saying he had bought early daffs from a grower there.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon