This year's Crocus cvijicii...

[mark smyth]

No, they have never had fertilizer put on them

[Armin]

maybe too calciferous soil?

[mark smyth]

Armin I dont know what my soil type is. Maybe I should test it this weekend.

[mark smyth]

I should say I'm still waiting for a reply re my wrongly supplied korolkowii

[Alex]

Mark, it may be worth phoning, he is now aware that the Dytiscus is wrong.

By contrast, a single corm of cvijicii from Janis just last year is now putting up two flower buds, one from an offset - great stuff indeed as I have heard this sp. doesn't normally do that (it's definitely the right thing!)

Alex

[Lesley Cox]

C. cvijicii does make offsets, but not nearly so fast as some others. I've had about 12 or 13 flowering size corms in 15-16 years.

[mark smyth]

5 weeks later I get a reply from Paul Christian

[Lesley Cox]

5 weeks later I get a reply from Paul Christian

Well?

[mark smyth]

"We have taken this up with the person that originally sent us these.

The primary stock also came from him so I do not know quite what has
happened this time, but suspect that he has had a mix up for some
reason. What we and you had was indeed plain korolkowii.

I am waiting to hear but thought that I would update you - will be in
touch in due course.

Of course you will not lose out financially on this."

[Alex]

And the "cvijicii" which he persuaded me to be patient with looks less like this species with every passing day...mind you, I thought a full refund for the Dytiscus wasn't too bad.

Alex

[mark smyth]

No photos Alex?

[Alex]

I will when the flowers open.

[Alex]

OK, I can see the buds now, it's angustifolius I'm pretty sure. 100% not cvijicii. Time for another phone call.

How can someone get taken in by that dodgy angustifolius again, after we all know what happened last year? Also, everyone else was selling this "cvijicii" for about a pound a corm last year, presumably reflecting the low cost of buying this stock in - but I parted with a whopping 9.50 a corm for these!!!! OK, you-know-who may have been charged more this year, but it suggests that a mark-up of truly titanic proportions has taken place.

Alex

[Maggi Young]

It is all too easy for someone to mix up bulbs and corms, I am sure we have all done this at some point. A seller who purports to particular expertise, however, should really know better when buying in from a supplier, who, through no fault of his own, may be sending mis-named items.
Hard to blame the "Dutch" growers, as so often happens......after all theirs is a huge industry and they will be as vulnerable as any to the supply of misnamed items themselves. Where would our gardens be without the contribution made by the wholesale bulb and plant growers, whether in Holland or elsewhere?
They'd be much the poorer, of that I am quite sure.

That said, anyone buying stock in at a bulk price, especially of an item which is well known NOT to increase freely,  and then on-selling for a premium price, really ought to get their act in gear and check their stock.

[Lesley Cox]

I well know that holding stiock for long periods is expensive and that buyers-in do so with the intention of getting rid of such stock as soon as possible, in order to get their money back and the profit to be made...BUT...I feel strongly that retailers who buy in stock from elsewhere should grow it one until it has flowered and true naming can be guaranteed. In NZ we have The Consumer Guarantees Act which among other things requires a retailer to sell "the correct product, fit for the purpose for which it was intended" (or words to that effect). This means that if NOT correct, the product may be returned to the retailer for a full replacement or refund - whichever one wants - and it is the retailer's responsibility to contact the wholesaler for compensation from that point. In other words, even if a retailer has been supplied with the wrong product by the wholesaler, it is not enough for him to blame the wholesaler, he must do something about it and compensate the end buyer and himself seek compensation from HIS suppluier, the wholesaler. Even though one may not be able to tell if a plant is correctly named for months or even years, the Act still applies.

It is a pity that so many people think, "oh well, too late now" and do nothing. Thus, the problem doesn't get fixed, and go away. It was only because a number of us kept complaining that our Iris danfordiae were in fact, 'Harmony' that the NZ importers eventually got some joy from the Dutch suppliers who have, over many years, treated NZ gardeners as if we were rubbish, and stupid with it. (Van Tubergens once responded to a complaint that N. cyclamineus was actually N. lobularis, by saying - I saw the letter which was signed by Michael Hoog - "they must have changed when they crossed over the equator." Hello?)