Please look carefully at the above photo and tell me if you see any flowers. No? That’s because THERE AREN’T ANY! I know that you get what you pay for, but I still balk at paying $30 for a top quality amaryllis bulb. And no one ever buys me one as a gift either…..but that’s another post.
So last year I trotted off to our local discount store (Ocean State Job Lot – we Rhode Islanders love that place) and thinking I was being so darned smart, I bought three bulbs for $5 each and planted them together thinking they would produce a lovely holiday display. They were a huge disappointment, bearing no flowers at all. I should have known by the sizes of the bulbs. They were the lowest quality available – so small and with few roots.
This year, conveniently forgetting my experience of Christmas past, I went back and did the same thing all over again – 3 bulbs, one planter etc. They’re doing a bit better than last year’s but come on – one bulb (the one on the left) has not produced a flower stalk at all and the others are puny-looking.
I think I have finally learned my lesson.
Digging RI 
Those stores are called “Big Lots!” in my town and I have to say I love that store. Lots of good bargains. But, I agree with you ~ it’s definitely not the place to buy bulbs. I haven’t had a bit of success with anything I’ve bought there. The ones that come in the little Christmas kits are always good and transplant into my yard nicely, and I’ve been successful with the ones from Wally World.
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We have “Big Lots” stores here, too. Ocean State Job Lot, as the name implies, is a Rhode island business that has expended to MA but that’s about it. I have had excellent results with the narcissus bulbs I bought from them over the years, but their amaryllis – not so much. I have never hears of Wally World. It sounds cool, though.
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Wally World is WalMart. We don’t have much choice in my town. 😦
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I’ve purchased those bulbs from Ocean State Job Lot and all but one bloomed for me. The grape hyacinth I purchased also did great. The iris didn’t work that well.
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