Our strategy is the reverse of what Jim describes. Initially, we had no way to produce marketable quantities of bulbs, so we started the only way possible – by reselling bulbs (many Dutch-brokered). Presently, we grow perhaps 10 percent of the bulbs on our list, with most of our other offerings coming directly from specialists who grow them as well as or better than we can. We would LOVE to be able to grow more material in quantity ourselves (that I haven't been able to avail myself of Jim's Lycoris has been only one of many frustrations), but this takes land and other resources, which we don't yet have enough of (our South African and Chilean bulbs, for example, pass the winter in cold frames heated with light bulbs). So for some mom-and-pop operations the lack is not in will, vision, or purpose. All the encouragement in the world is meaningless without enough customers. So when are you submitting your first order, Jim :>)? Russell At 09:25 AM 8/16/2004, Jim Waddick wrote: > I don't want to complain about American nursery habits, but it > seems to be a disheartening trend that more and more mom and pop growers > have disappeared, been bought by big conglomerates or gone to being > brokers of plants grown cheaply 'somewhere else' and not actually growing > their own plants. We should encourage specialty 'growers' to actually > grow specialty plants Russell Stafford Odyssey Bulbs 8984 Meadow Lane, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103 269-471-4642 http://www.odysseybulbs.com/