Margaret,
I few years back I brought bulbs along on a September trip to NZ. They had proper phyto documentation from Grant Mitsch Daffodils and were in good health. I declared them upon arrival at Auckland Airport. Your MAF officials took the package for inspection. After an hour they came to me and said they would have to treat them and would send them to me in a few days. I received the package by mail (sent to Max Hamilton) and I thought all was well. As I proceeded on my trip I left bulbs with friends. Near the end of the trip I looked closely at the few bulbs I still had – they were grey balls (could have been mistaken for those "Superballs" that bounce so well). None of my Kiwi friends with whom I left bulbs ever told me the bulbs were all dead, but later I heard so via the grapevine.
This all is just to say that your loss of bulbs may not have been your doing at all, but rather that of your MAF.
At 03:49 AM 6/20/2008, LG and MA Seconi wrote:
- Bob
- Thanks for this note on Daffnet. You’ve quietened my fears a little as I bought some of Brian’s bulbs from Northern Ireland this time last year and they were delayed by our M .A.F. for a month before I could retrieve them. I put them in the bottom of my domestic fridge for a month then planted them. The weather then became warm again & only 3/4 have emerged so there are 3 noticeable gaps in the pots. I dug up one to check it and it too was a grey ball of mush. I’ve left the others hoping that they will emerge eventually but I think that two more will be the same. One can but live in hope!
- regards
- Margaret Seconi (experiencing an unusually warm winter here in Wellington).