I purchased a Minerva at the grocery store after Christmas sale for $2.99 - I had traded for one but thought, another wouldn't hurt. Didn't open box till I got home - there was a short stalk with a spent bloom. Oh, well, next year...she is a pretty one.

That is too bad... next year...

piksihk said:I purchased a Minerva at the grocery store after Christmas sale for $2.99 - I had traded for one but thought, another wouldn't hurt: rolleyes: Didn't open box till I got home - there was a short stalk with a spent bloom. Oh, well, next year...she is a pretty one.

That's a bummer, but I think $2.99 is still a good price! You might get lucky and get it to bloom twice next year, too. Some of my amaryllis bloomed twice.

Long as the bulb itself is healthy, an amaryllis at $2.99 is a good deal. I've gotten some really good deals at garden shops and grocery stores after Xmas, sometimes on the less common cultivars. FYI I always open the box and check before I buy it. Too bad if the stores don't like it, but I need to check the health of the bulb. Its a waste of money to get a bulb that was kept too long in a humid location or or was frozen during shipment. In both cases, the bulb may have started to rot.

Barbara, I usually do open and check but I was in a hurry - and grabbed one box. DND, it was a good price - so I'm happy with it. The bulb is hard and I think it will be fine.

bsharf said:FYI I always open the box and check before I buy it. Too bad if the stores don't like it, but I need to check the health of the bulb. Its a waste of money to get a bulb that was kept too long in a humid location or or was frozen during shipment. In both cases, the bulb may have started to rot.

It's probably better for the store anyway because it saves them from having to return it, which usually ends up costing them money in the form of a finance charge from the credit card company...not to mention it contributes to the cost of having employees process your purchase and return (which factors in if they have more returns and, thus, require additional employees to help). See, you help them by opening the bulb packages.

Can someone confirm if this is minerva?



It's her first blooming season.

That is Minerva. I look for the distinctive red "spots" at the base of the throat.

Thks, Barbara

I wish I could get some at $2.99....a minerva here would be ~$17USD and some of the "rarer" like papilio are ~$50USD