Pro Lycoris versus nothing

Russell Stafford, Odyssey Bulbs mail@odysseybulbs.com
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/


More information about the pbs mailing list