Well Soultan, I'm Croatian (3rd generation) so I'm excited to see your bulb bloom!
: )

I'm not Croatian, not Hungarian, not even Bohemian... I'm adopted... part Irish, and part mixed... but I'd still love to see the smuggled bulb bloom! It will be a nice surprise for you, soultan! And... I think we all missed you!

I hope it will bloom soon. It is small though yet. It is smaller than a golf ball, so I don't know how long we'll have to wait. I don't even know if it is a really special variety... Maybe it turns out to be a species. I just don't know yet. :o)

But this experience gives me the nerve to smuggle other bulbs maybe if I go overseas some other times and find something interesting.

I also smuggled a lot of TV pepper seeds, sweet apple pepper seeds, and purple kohlrabi seeds. 6 packages of Hungarian special plants that are not available in the US and I have grown to love in Hungary. Now, I will have to create some new garden spaces for the Spring.

Now, now, now Soultan. That's it! I will tell my mother to go ahead and bring me some Japanese super-minis next year. It was her idea anyway. I'm pretty sure they won't be fussing on an old 'wheelchair assisted' woman's baggage in the airport. They never did.

I keep hearing bits and pieces about this new "Japanese Super Mini"... what's the scoop? I assume these are new varieties of miniature Hippis, but what's the story? Aren't they available in the States yet? Is there a proposed time frame when they'll be introduced to the public? Do tell!!

That would be terrible, but kind of humorous, if we all got a call one day to help come up with bail money because either soultan or Maria's poor Mom were in Customs jail!! The headlines read: "Bulb Smuggling Ring Busted!" And the story goes something like: "Customs Officials arrested a woman in wheelchair today trying to enter the country with a carry-on bag full of suspicious looking bulbs! Officials would only say that they had information that would lead them to an entire online bulb smuggling and distribution operation involving several Hippi Fanatics!"

Busted while smuggling Hippi bulbs into/out of foreign country!! Oh my! LOL!!!

Tell your mother to put it in a million plastic bags bare-root, leafeless, INSIDE her check-in baggage... I wouldn't try more than one in one baggage, but this way there is chance that they don't see it. And if they find it, I'll say that my niece wanted me to have it, and when I told her that It is illegal to bring it in, she snuck it in without my knowledge, so I gladly surrender it and sorry for bringing it in the country. You have to be prepared, and then you can get out of it. If they search the bag, don't be the one to show them where it is. Let them find it, and if they ask you where it is, you can help them searc, and when you find it, you can smile and be embarrassed and tell them your story. :o)

Japanese Super Minis. I WANT SOME. They are tiny and cute. Why aren't they in here yet. Aphrodite and the Peacocks are here already, as well as Jewel. The same grower, so why doesn't it distribute the super minis too?

If this bulb had had not been forced on me, I would have not tried to bring it in. And if it had had not been something available in here, I would have not bothered. But I just don't know what it is. I hope it is something interesting. Will se in a year or two.

Yes, I'm interested to see what you got, too, soultan! Surprises are nice, although, this is a long wait for a surprise!

I don't think it would be that hard to just smuggle one bulb in your luggage... it would be risky to try for a bunch, though! LOL!

Does anyone have any pictures of any Japanese mini's, or know where to look? I'd really love to see what all the hub-bub is about!

Last summer was my mother's 3rd time to come visit here in US. Her checked in baggage was never opened or questioned. It's just getting the right porter with the right price at the right port of entry..wink! wink! It's all in the planning...LOL! Jodic you are right, I feel like a mafia member talking about this.

Jodic... the really nice pictures of the Japanese super-minis are shown in Veronica Read's book. Miniature hippeastrum planted and blooming in a tea cup! Here is a Japanese hippestrum grower's website that you might like to look into. www.komoriya.co.jp Have fun!

Oooooh I like this conversation!
I was so tempted to do the same coming home from Thailand but just couldn't work up the nerve. I even got a bit nervous when you sent me those seeds Maria, even though I knew I was allowed to have them...such a chicken.
I wonder what would happen to me if i just went ahead and bought some bulbs from ebay and had them sent.

How come you had to smuggle the bulbs in? Your allowed to order bulbs from other countries so how come you can't bring them in yourself?

Yes we are allowed, ONLY if the bulbs or any live plant material comes in with the required phytosanitary permit. Am I right about this Bluebonsai?

Thailand is also FULL of beautiful plants. So much like my former home. It's only 45 min. away by plane from the Philippines.

I would love to live some where tropical. Do you miss it Maria?

Always...

Even though I was born here in Australia, I love everything about the tropics. Mum says it's in my genes. I think mum and dad really miss it too. They try to go back to Vietnam every year for at least a month.

The main worry with transporting plant materials from country to country is spreading diseases or pests... the import companies have to go through all the red tape... inspections and paperwork... but it's more cost efficient for them because of the sheer numbers of bulbs or plants they ship.

I've never ordered any plants from overseas... mainly because it's too expensive with the shipping costs. I once sold a ring on eBay to someone in Australia... there were forms to fill out just for that! And it was expensive to ship! I'd hate to think what was required for a few bulbs or plants!

I would love to move a bit more south... just gaining a few zones for gardening would be heaven to me!

I'd say look at my url instead about the minis. Just LOOK AT THE MINIS! Damn they look pretty and interesting.

dizzy,

Commercially produced, horticulturally checked bulbs are allowed in the country if they are exported by professionals. You cannot bring in plant materials yourself, even if they were commercially produced since they were not checked at the port of entry. You might, if you get the USDA papers for them, but I don't think you'd pay $100 for an USDA certificate for two $10 bulbs. :o)

I also forgot to tell that I also smuggled in some horse-chestnuts in the country. I have not seen them in California, and I picked up four in a cemetery in Hungary... Now, I will plant them and see if they can survive... It is exciting... To try something not proven. I hope I can give them a good, new chance of life.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miyake Nursery Minis

Those are absolutely incredible! It's hard to believe they can grow in teacups! I don't need a Japanese translator to find my way around that website! I want some of those! I really hope they become available here in the States soon!

Speaking of chestnuts... dear friends of ours have this awesome recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing that uses chestnuts and some kind of delicious sausage... It's the best stuffing I've ever had, although, it takes a lot of hard work to make because the chestnuts have to be boiled, peeled and chopped to use. They must be peeled while still hot or the skin is impossible to remove! The end result makes it totally worth it, though.

Believe me, if these minis become available in the US, they will end up in my collection.

Smuggling: It is not the edible chestnut! It is the one that has wonderful big tree, nice Moneytree-kind leaves and huge white sugarcone looking flowering. They use the nut itself for a lot of medical reasons. They make ointments and drugs out of them. I just haven't seen any in California, so I thought, let's try and make a little nostalgy if I can grow them here. They are purely ornamental.
Some pictures? Okay. I will not resist your request. Okay. Stop twisting my arm... I will go and try to find some picture on the web and post them here. I am sure that this tree is common in the northern states.

{{gwi:425412}}
flower

{{gwi:425413}}
leaf

{{gwi:425414}}
tree

{{gwi:425415}}
nut

Yep... those look exactly like the nuts they boil, peel and use for the stuffing recipe! There are probably a few varieties of the chestnut tree, though...

I hope you can get them to germinate and grow. Is it a tree that will grow in your zone?

They look a lot like my state tree - the Buckeye.

jodik,

It is not edible. It is very similar to chestnut, but mindly poisonous and bad tasting for people(hence the use for medical purposes). Here is a pic of chestnuts, the edible ones. Do your comparison. Chestnuts grow in a very protective shell, unlike the Horse Chestnut. Chestnuts grow in this very stinky shell, and they are pointed, not round and their leaves are not palm-like. Hungarians make the most incredible chestnut pure out of it with rum and sugar pouring whipped cream all over it. Oh-La-La... I've had some now that I went home. Fortunately, I can buy the Hungarian Chestnut Pure here in Los Angeles, so I can make almost the same thing at home. Almost.
If you roll up and down, you'll see the difference.

{{gwi:425416}}
Edible chestnut

Oh ya, ok... I see now! Thanks for finding those pictures! I've never really thought about them much. I just know that the nuts look similar, are only available at the store around the Holidays, and are a lot of work to prepare! I also know that the stuffing is delicious!

The latter is put in Turkeys traditionally in two months... Gosh, it is that time of the year again. How fast we are aging, my my...

Yep... I can tell it's almost Halloween because all the stores have Christmas displays up already!!! What does that say about our society?! Kind of sad, really... driven by money...

Ana, Em-em and I picked up Black Walnuts this afternoon in the backyard to the point that my hubby had to 'rescue' us. We got LOTS and they were heavy...LOL!

What will you do with them? I know a lot of people stop along the back roads where we used to live to pick them up in bushels... I don't know if they're the same kind, but they are walnuts...

Practically nothing Jodic. It's the time and joy of picking them up with my kids that matters. Some of them I give away to those who wants them. They take away the meat, dry them out, crack them and eat the walnut. They say it has better flavor then the California Walnuts that we gat to buy in the stores. It does have a stronger flavor. Want some? LOL!

I am really confused now. I just read a lot of information about walnuts on the web and now I don't know which is wich. I know that the walnuts we grow in Europe very tasteful and they look like just like the black walnuts shown on the web. It is especially good when the nut itself is not entirely ripe, and still in the green, protective shell. This time, you will have to knock it down from the tree. You open the protective shell, crack the shell open and take out the seed that you peel. Yummy. It is just a lot of work. :o) It only works when the seed is not ripe yet. Just yet... Have you ever tried it like that, Maria?

Soultan...So are you asking me if I ever tried to knock down walnuts from a tree twice the height of my house? LOL! NO, we just pick them out of the ground, just newly dropped from the tree and still green. The girls peeled some today and had to get into the shower with black hands. We'll crack them open in a few days. Now that would be FUN and delicious!

I'm afraid eating nuts of any kind is out of the question for me, right now! I just broke a tooth yesterday... on a piece of a peanut, of all things!

I'm on a soft food diet until I can get to the dentist... I hate dentists! I don't want to go!

Yes Maria. You get a huge stick and knock the nuts down. :o) That is how we did it.

Jodik, I feel for you. I hate dentists too. I have a theory that only sadists go for dentistry. They enjoy seeing, touching screaming people... Uh...

I require lots of novacaine! I'm a huge baby... I don't take pain very well! Especially at the dentist's office! I've had 5 root canals and about 4 teeth pulled in the past... and I cringe every time I know I need to go see the dentist! All I can say is... I'm extremely glad that I never developed wisdom teeth!!

Maria - Just today, on our way to town, I saw several walnut trees with huge, fat green nuts hanging from the branches, and lots on the ground! The squirrels will be very busy!

I have three wisdom theeth out and the fourth one is pushing... I will go to sedation dentistry to try if it helps the problem of getting rid of the fear to go to the dentist. I just need to find the perfect time to be willing to drop that kind of money and live with the consequences after. I am sure that the procedure will be okay, since I will not remember, but there will be someting after I wake up and the initial medication wears off... Especially with wisdom teeth.

I was lucky, and never developed them... but I did inherit bad teeth, and as I get older, they are just crumbling... so, as each one gets bad, I have it pulled or capped... it's very expensive and painful, but what can you do? I imagine that one day I'll have to get false teeth... But at least I'll be able to eat what I like! LOL!

Look into sedation dentistry. It should not cost much more and they give you a sedater that puts you in a pseudo-hypnosis, so you do what you are asked for, but then will not remember any or most of the procedure... I have not tried it yet, but I will soon.

I think I'll stick to novacaine... I want to be aware of what is happening to me at all times... too many freaks in the world, and you hear horror stories all the time about women who are victims of sexual assault by doctors... I'm a little paranoid of being hypnotized or put under... if I weren't paranoid, I'd at least look into it... it does sound interesting.

Now that you mentioned the victims of assaults by doctors, I seriously consider doing it as soon as possible. :o) Who does not need a little excitement in his life! :o)
I wouldn't worry though. There are nurses in there, the whole thing is videotaped if you want to watch it and someone is in there with you in the waiting room who will take you home.
You would not do anything under sedation dentistry that you wouldn't do in your life anyway. You are just more able to be talked out of the pain. It is really useful for patients who cannot take pain killers of the pain killers don't work for them, like for me. I have to have 3 shots of pain killers for a simple local surgery, and I still feel what's going on in there, so I prefer if I am knocked out.

I'm glad the hypnosis works for you... that's a funny thing, and doesn't work for everybody... my husband was hypnotized to quit smoking, at a cost of $75... it worked for a total of 2 days...

Pain killers work well for me... and it's a good thing they do, because otherwise, I'd be in constant pain!

I'm not quite ready to make my dental appointment... the tooth doesn't hurt right now, and I'm doing everything in my power to keep it that way! :-)

Dental appointments are quite important, even if your teeth don't hurt. Most of the time it is important so you can do preventive care of something that you might not even know that is jeopardizing your teeth. Too bad that it is easier to say than do. I can't even imagine having a dentist as a friend. :o)

I don't mind going to the doctor, but I always put off the dentist! Which is probably half the reason my teeth are in poor condition! Yes, I know it's important... I know smoking is bad for me, too, but I'm not ready to quit... It's just one of those things you know you SHOULD do, but you don't... :-)

If it does not hurt, people tend to put off these things. I am not different. :o) I'd go and drive around for bulbs for 4 hours, but wouldn't visit a doctor for 30 minutes.

Hehe! I'd much rather go shopping for plant materials, too! I haven't been able to get back to the larger town in this area, Champaign, to look for bulbs... I was going to go today with my husband and daughter, but I have too much yard work to accomplish, and I thought I'd better just get it done. I'm in the middle of garden clean-up for winter, and I still have things that need planting... plus, I have kennel clean-up and feeding every day... Oh, well... next time I'll go with!

I always set up little calendar for me what to do. Every Wednesday night is movie night, every Sunday has a trip to the garden stores in the area to look for new varieties from october 10th till about november 10th. If I don't set up these appointments with me, then I would not do anything ever. How many times I have said that I feel too tired for the movies, and when we went there, I was glad we saw that movie? Life is too unpredictable. I try to put some order in it.
It's another form of OCD.

It's good to make time for enjoyable things, like going to the movies, or to the garden center! Usually, Sunday is "girls day out"... and a friend and I spend the day shopping or flea marketing... and we always go for lunch. We get together most Sundays, unless either of us has something else planned. But other than that, I'm more the "live moment to moment" type... our lives are unpredictable and not that scheduled... but I like it that way!

I have bulb days for Sundays for a while now. I pack up Toto, jump in the car, and we go and sniff out new bulbs on the shelves...

That sounds like fun! When we lived up north, I used to have garden center days... I'd get off of work, go home and change, then drive to all the local garden centers and look for perennials that I didn't have in my garden... and I always made sure to hit the end of season sale at the local shopping center... they had Hosta and other nice plants for 50 cents each, sometimes!

I definitely don't want to wait for the sales with the bulbs. I had horrible experience with Brent & Becky's bulbs sale. I bought like 6-7 bulbs 50% off (expedited shipping yanked up the price anyway), then almost all of them turned out to be sick, almost dying, distorted flowers... I would buy the bulb right at the beginning when they still have the good selection. When it is sale already, they already only have the end of it.

Buying the bulbs at the start of the season when the bulbs just came in from the growers almost guarantees you that they are fresh and were stored correctly. After that, we really do not know how they are treated by the retailers. Improper cold storage can greatly affect the bulb's performance.

The retailers in the garden stores just keep them out on the shelves. Now, it can mean 80F during the day in Southern California in October... That is why a lot of bulbs start scapes peaking out... I don't mind that though. I like it. I choose the ones that show the tip, so I know they will bloom for me, at least.

That is exactly what I meant. Then after we buy them, we usually put them back to cold storage at the wrong temp. This could be one reason for bulbs failing to perform after we plant them up. Poor confused bulbs...

Indeed. Though I keep the fridge on constant 47F. I don't expect the new bulbs perform poorly for me now that I will post them quite quickly after I bought them as opposed to the year later with last year'd order. Of course, I maintain an order within the bulbs and put the ones that have scape showing right at the beginning of the line, so the most developed ones that have the scape showing the most get planted first in line...