Pro Lycoris versus nothing
Russell Stafford, Odyssey Bulbs (Mon, 16 Aug 2004 08:37:59 PDT)

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/