Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Dear Bakker-it.com: you just lost a lover


Lasciate perdere! Bakker e...la mia insoddisfazione. Bakker che delusione! Leggi le opinioni su Ciao.it

As the saying goes... “Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Say it ain't so. I usually don't go around blabbing about my gardening love affairs, but this recent fling with Bakker-it.com was, sadly, a very short-lived romance. Consider this an updated opinion of my experience with the catalog/mail order company. Three strikes and you're out!

In the early fall of 2009, I ordered a variety of bulbs which included the more costly Himalayan blue poppies and allium forelocks. We planted them all but neither himalayan or allium came up this spring. Of the rest that did develop (blue alliums and assorted freebies), overall flower quality was very weak.

In April of this year, an order for Salvia Hotlips microphylla rootstock arrived in a nicely packaged container but after flowering, it turns out not to be Hotlips but Hardy Plumbago! (above photo) Do the math. 2 bulbs plus 1 rootstock equals customer dissatisfaction. See ya' later Bakker-it.com, it was sweet while it lasted.

For some good news...the tomato plants grew a LOT in the past 2 weeks.

Today

15 days ago

Today's high: 24°C / 75°F

8 comments:

K and S said...

wow! your tomato plants look beautiful.

Rowena said...

I'm telling you that pellet-type manure is smell-ay but it's the shit! (oops) We actually thought it might actually counter our intentions (grow too much but not produce flowers), so thank goodness it didn't. We just need more hot sun...

K and S said...

I hear that you should rotate where you plant stuff, like if you plant tomatoes one place you shouldn't the next year, something about bacteria from the plant staying in the soil so stuff doesn't grow. Anyway, looking forward to seeing some colorful tomatoes from your garden :)

Rowena said...

My wish for next year is that we sell this place and move!

K and S said...

that would be cool too :) where would you like to move to??

Sue Swift said...

Erm ... isn't it a bit hot there for Himalayan poppies. They're horribly delicate - wouldn't dare try here ...

Rowena said...

Sue - I'm able to grow stella alpina here (they actually came back from last year and more than double in the amount of flowers). The himalayan poppies didn't even come up, so I am certain that they were simply bad/old bulbs. I agree that they wouldn't stand a chance in Milan - I keep wanting to go into the city but the thought of all that heat....

tom | tall clover farm said...

I feel your pain. A whole drift of Siberian iris I planted ended up being this really really bad bright yellow, not what I had purchased at all.

As for your toms, lookin' good, mine are where yours were 15 days ago...um um cool summer.