100 Free Bulbs from J Parkers with this Secret Code. No P&P.

[lainey lou]

Doubtful as I haven't heard anything from the company. We'll see I guess.

have you checked to see if they've taken your payment? They took mine on 19th.

[HeyWayne]

have you checked to see if they've taken your payment? They took mine on 19th.

Just chicken to see if I actually placed an order....

Edit: Yep, order confirmation received on the 14th. Now, to check with t'bank...

2nd Edit: Yep, money debited on the 15th. There's hope yet then!! Woohoo, more goodies!

[zazen999]

I Had some spraxis before, Nice and bright, but they all died in the border as i forgot to lift them, had a few in a pot. let it dry out after flowering in the back of the green house, to take again in spring - but it was accidentally composted!..no label

Ixias are corn lilys, my neighbour has a patch, pretty easy round here, he just leaves them in and mulches in winter.

Ranunculus! Blimey, I've just spent five years digging buttercup off the lottie is there any indication of variety?

Anenomes are a wide genus too but I love em all.

Sorry, that's all there is...borders/flowers are the OH's bag so I got these for him really...he really has been demoted to BORDERS ONLY after 'weeding' one of my raised beds on Sunday and pulling out about 10 baby onions

[zazen999]

Just chicken to see if I actually placed an order....

Edit: Yep, order confirmation received on the 14th. Now, to check with t'bank...

2nd Edit: Yep, money debited on the 15th. There's hope yet then!! Woohoo, more goodies!

They should definitely be on their way then - my money was debited on 19th...

[HeyWayne]

Picked mine up from the post office at the weekend and planted the ones I'd ordered out (Echinacea and Astilbe) along the back "trough" by our decked area. I also planted out a good number of the free bulbs (a mixture of some rather weird looking bulbs - the names of which escape me now) on the area at the front of our house in the hope that it would inject a bit of colour during the summer months.

The rest of the bulbs I put into vending cups with some compost until I plant them out in the new bed/border I'm hoping to create weekend after next (or Easter weekend if that fails).

[shirlthegirl43]

My free bulb collection arrived this morning. I am stingy and didn't order anything else. Thanks for telling us about them - now I realise I don't have any containers to plant them in

Any tips on how close together I can plant - Sparaxis, Anemone, ranunculus and ixias?

[smallblueplanet]

Hey shirley you got FREE bulbs - lucky you!

Your free bulbs are gonna cost you if you've got to buy containers! lol!

[HeyWayne]

Sparaxis, Anemone, ranunculus and ixias?

Yes, that's what I got!! Thanks shirl. Some funky looking bulbs - speshally the ones that looked like little mop heads.

[shirlthegirl43]

Hey shirley you got FREE bulbs - lucky you!

Your free bulbs are gonna cost you if you've got to buy containers! lol!

I know - might just bung them in the front border instead. Actually found 3 tubs that I forgot I had so that will help.

[Paulottie]

Mine arrived here today complete with my cannas and some potentillia

[ratglass]

Hi all

Took up this offer too and got mine thursday, got tempted by a passion fruit plant from them too which was half price. Been looking for some info about the bulbs on the net and found the following which might help anyone who wants to know more about them:

Anemone blanda blue
A. blanda is native to the Balkans and Turkey, where it grows in shady places. It is a knobby tuber from which grow dissected leaves finely divided into 3 leaflets, which grow to about (10cm) 4in high. Over this foliage, A. blanda blue carries the flowers, about ¾ to1 ¼ “ (3-5 cm) across each with 10-15 petals in many shades of blue, purple, and mauve. The flowers form drifts which move in the breezes, and shimmer with the low angled light of spring. This is a plant for dappled shade, where the sunshine of the spring can be used to flower and grow the tuber, and the heat of the summer is kept at bay by the canopy of trees. Blue flowers in March 4” tall. Plant the tubers after soaking them overnight in cool water. Place them shallowly (3-4 cm deep) in soil which is free draining and humus rich, where they can be left undisturbed for thick clumps to develop, and seedlings to grow on. An annual dressing of leaf mould will help retain moisture.

IXIAS
Ixias, native to Southern Africa, grow from small summer dormant corms. They emerge too early in the year to be really described as hardy, but they will take a small degree of frost. These African Corn Lilies are restricted to warmer gardens or warmer positions within gardens, but they can make very colourful pot plants. Ixia Castor has many starry flowers in spike, violet-pink with a dark blotch in the centre. The long narrow leaves are quite tough.

Plant them in a 5" (12cm) deep hole 3" (8cm) apart, or 10/12 per sq foot. May June; 16" (40cm). They need frost protection by deeper planting or covering in the winter. In deep pots filled with John Innes No 2 compost, you would need 10 corms for a 12" (30cm) pot

Sparaxis have the most beautiful tri coloured flowers and this mixture brings a riot of colour to your pots or borders. Best planted in groups, where the mix of colour explodes in late Spring / early Summer Flowering : Late Spring to early Summer Height : to 10 inches Planting : August onwards in good quality, well drained soil or bulb compost

Ranunculus
1. Find a location where the soil drains well. If there are still water puddles 5-6 hours after a hard rain, scout out another site. Or amend the soil with the addition of organic material to raise the level 2-3 inches to improve the drainage. Peat moss, compost, ground bark or decomposed manure all work well and are widely available. Site your ranunculus where they will get full day sun.
Dig holes and plant the ranunculus bulbs 2” deep and 4”-6” apart. The bulbs look like small, dark bunches of bananas, a curious shape that makes it easy to determine which side is up and which is down for planting. Tuck your ranunculus into the planting hole with the “bananas” pointing down.
After planting, water well, thoroughly soaking the area. Roots and sprouts will form in the autumn. Winter will bring taller growth and flowers will develop in the spring. When in bloom, feel free to cut ranunculus flowers for bouquets. This will not hurt your plants, in fact, the more you cut the more blooms your Tecolote ranunculus will produce. So snip away.
After blooming has finished for the season leave the foliage in place; don't cut it off. The leaves will gather sunlight and provide nourishment for next year's show. Water as needed during active growth periods. Ranunculus actually prefer not to be watered while dormant.
At the end of the summer the leaves will yellow and die back as the plant slips into dormancy. Foliage many be removed at this point. Your ranunculus will rest for a few months before beginning the next growing cycle.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks for that ratglass. I will save that and put it with the bulbs for when I plant them.

[lainey lou]

Thanks ratglass that's very useful.

[debjay]

Got mine today thanks for the link
Debs

[HeyWayne]

Thanks for the info ratglass - it seems I might just get away with where/how I planted them. Nice to see what they should look like too.

I should of looked them up myself, but just seemed to run out of time yesterday.