Are you writing about the seller Mike144mann aka Mike Grossman? If yes, then yes, I've purchased from him. He lists mostly single fans on the LA and single fans are what you will get.No extras if your into that kind of buy. I wasn't so it didn't matter to me but I've heard others be disappointed. Single fans appeared to be healthy. None of the ones I purchased from him in the spring and planted in 2010 bloomed. I had purchased 5 single fans of different cultivars that I was looking for. Perhaps the single fans take longer to bloom????

Julia

I've gotten quite a few from him and they were single fans, but healthy and a big single fan. I had 3 bloom the first year from him near the end of our growing season here.

That's just kinda rotten to be disappointed when you get NO bonus. Sounds like a spoiled child.

It's nice to get them but you should not expect anything extra, I think on the LA there is something on the terms page?? about bonuses and unhappy buyers who got no bonus.

I don't see what's wrong with being disappointed if you get no bonus. Geesh, who are you? The bonus fairy? It wasn't a complaint, just information.

I personally never bid on a single fan, knowingly. I want to see a bloom the first season, and doubles bloom and survive better than singles.
Ed

doubles or 2 fans are better, singles seem to take forever to bloom, but maybe it is my location.

No I am not the bonus fairy....... LOL

Did not take it as a complaint. Just my view.

Just to clarify, he does offer a bonus plant. But with regards to bidding on a single fan, that is exactly what you get and healthy one too. I'm not sure why in my case, none of them bloomed but as someone else said, they did have some of theirs bloom. Could be the cultivars I choose. Maybe the blooms will be better this coming season since they took a year off ;-).

ED: I too have never purchased singles but these I wanted so fingers crossed they made it through our winter.

Julia

Hi, Julia :)

Pineapple Moon bloomed for me in October (3 flowers), Citrix in July (8 flowers) and I can't remember the 3rd one. I don't think in the previous 2 seasons that I've lost any of the ones he gave me and I grow in containers that overwinter outside, so you probably have a good chance.

Yes.. I usually only want more than one fan and would rather pay more for a large plant, but again, I'm happy with the one fan size because he's never given me a pathetic size :)

Like the rest of you I don't like buying single fans either; but when it's something I really want and I don't see doubles on the LA I do succomb.

I have gotten a few things from Mike; and have something coming this spring

I think next winter I should ban the LA from my computer. This year I went totally bonkers.

Thanks everyone for the input.

Ed, I agree with you that when I buy daylilies, I want a double fan. There's a sound reason for that. In my experience, daylilies seem to thrive more with competition, and single fans take so much longer to get established. But sometimes, a single fan of something I really want is all I can find.

Normally, when I plant a double fan, it doesn't take long for them to begin multiplying. The single fans seem to languish for a year before taking off.

But Mike does have one I really, really want, so I will probably at least bid on it. If the price gets too high, I'll just buy it from the hybridizer.

Nancy

His postings are listed as a single fan so you know what you will be getting when you bid. I have gotten daylilies from him and they all have been a good size, healthy and obviously freshly dug. They bloomed the first year and have overwintered well. If I want a certain daylily and I can't afford to get a double fan I feel that one fan is better than none and the next year it wil be at least a double. I am not looking for bonus daylilies, I usually don't like the ones I have gotten.

I have some coming from Mike for the first time this spring from the LA. I don't like the single fan idea either, so I went and bid until I was able to get the second fan on another offering for the same daylily. He often repeated the same ones. That way I do have double fans coming from Mike on the ones I really wanted. I'm glad to hear that he sends healthy plants.
Cindy

baileycat, I'm with you on the ban! I've even asked Mike to ban me from his auctions but he hasn't. I dont even know how many I've ordered from him because it's so easy to get carried away. There are some I want that I'm already planning on bidding on next year. Seriously out of control!

I bought two of Mike's cultivars this spring, and both are blooming. They established better than any other plants I received. It may be something about the heavy root structure. He also sent a bonus, though I didn't really care about that cultivar.

In regard to bonuses, with a larger order, I think bonuses are part of the culture in daylily sales--either that or some extra fans. I was peeved this spring when a seller promised a bonus, listed it on the packing slip, and then didn't include it in the box. She said it was an error, but refused to correct the error. I gave her a neutral rating, but the lily auction authorities would not allow me to post anything about the situation and removed the neutral rating. That is probably why the seller comments are filled with praise--it isn't to the advantage of the auction itself for any reservations to be expressed.

Let me first say that Mike is not one of the sellers I am about to mention. I have bought many times from the lily auction (way too many, if you know what I mean).

However last year, two seller, includeing one I have bought from many times, and who lists all the time, did not send a plant I had ordered. I had also ordered labels for them in advance at 3.95 each. When I realized they were simly not shipping, I sent an email about it and both replied, separately, to the effect, oh so sorry I showed it sent. I let both know I had not gotten it and would look for it in the spring, and reminded one of them who asked fo my address. Nothing from either of them, I'm out the labels and $35 for each cultivar plus shipping.

I will buy from hybridizers in the future, or Mayrott, Marietta, Roycroft, Blueridge, Paul Owens, etc...don't want to be that disappointed agin.
kay

Kay: You need to contact Mike Longo and let him know what happened in not receiving the plants as promised and paid for. Be sure to include all the dates you won the auction, how much paid including the shipping and if you still have the communications from the sellers, copy and paste it into your message to Mike Longo.
The sellers need to provide documentation that the package(s) were sent, date received by the buyer. The labels, well, unfortunately that can't be recovered but no way should you be out monies for plants you didn't receive.

mantis oh: If the seller advertised on the LA that they send bonus plant(s) with auction wins, then it would seem to me that they do owe you the bonus plant(s).However, if they mistakenly printed on your copy a bonus plant which they did not offer in the original advertisement then I'd have to side with the seller. BUT, for "pleasing the customer" I would think they would go ahead and give you something.
BTW, I got STARTLE from Mike G. last year and I have to find a home for it. It is growing great but not something I see myself using in hybridizing.

Julia

Julia: It wasn't a matter of a mistaken printing. The seller and I had agreed on a bonus, the bonus was put on the packing slip, but a worker forgot to include it in the order; the seller acknowledged that it was an error. Of course, no bonus agreement is absolute, unless I suppose the seller (as you say) advertises that a bonus will be given. Personal communications are more iffy.

Regardless, I too thought that since the seller's worker had made the error, the error should be corrected, even if it involved only a bonus. Most daylily sellers, I believe, feel the necessity of showing a customer orientation.

The whole situation awakened me to the rating system on the auction. I often wondered why virtually every rating was glowingly positive. I thought, didn't some people get fans that were disappointingly small or sent late? Weren't some people disappointed in a seller's communication or, as in my case, a seller's unwillingness to show a customer orientation? But I found that to express even a neutral rating is difficult.

I also want to say that many sellers on the auction go out of their way to accommodate customers. I had one individual who sent me a bonus (we had agreed on the cultivar) and later sent me a second plant, explaining that he feared that a worker had made a mistake in the first plant sent. I wouldn't have expected that. But the auction's rating system makes it difficult to determine who the most reliable sellers are: all I find are lots of glowing comments.

I've not bid on any of Mike's plants...yet. However, a garden friend who has been growing daylilies for many, many years received auction wins from him this spring. My friend has bought plants from many sources over the years, ranging from hybridizers to auction sellers, and was really, really pleased with the quality of the plants. Thanks to that reaction, I've put Mike on my list of sellers whose auctions I plan to check out.

As for SFs versus DFs or more, that issue was the reason why I hadn't bid on Mike's plants before. But as I think about it, receipt of SFs has never stopped me from buying a hybridizer's new intro. Sometimes those plants bloom in year 1; sometimes they don't. But quite often, even if they do bloom, the flowers don't necessarily look too impressive. A roundabout way of saying, if there's a plant I want, I'll get it, regardless of the number of fans.

As for bonuses or not, I can't believe I'm about to say this....this spring, I had a box from a (non-auction) seller jam-packed with daylilies. It was difficult just getting them out of the box. As a checked them off the list of what I'd ordered, I realized...no bonus plants. None, nada, zilch. My reaction? Thank the daylily gods! One less hole to dig LOL.

I did purchase quite a few from Mike, and got lovely fresh plants. I was most pleased with what he sent me. Even though he is "far north," all fans were of good size.

Nancy

I am posting specifically in response to juliany post in this thread.

Hello Kay,
Your bad experience concerns me and I would like to know the name of the sellers involved and if you finally did receive the missing plants. Please feel free to contact me about this.

Regarding Bonuses, I will repeat what Paul Owens stated on the bus at the recent AHS convention... "Bonuses are Gifts....and so are the low prices that buyers have gotten from my plants sold on the Lily Auction." I wrote this down, and have shared this with others because I totally agree. I don't know who has started this concept of "bonus plants" but if you are getting plants at a fraction of the hybridizers price, I think it is not unreasonable to consider your discount as a bonus. Just my two cents.

Mike Longo

This is really nice Mike! I am new to the LA and have purchased way too many daylilies this past month. Try 60, I am very concerned about the lack of honest feedback. Why is no one allowed to leave neutral or negative feedback? If everybody has great feedback (which I thought was a little fishy), then how do I know the good sellers from the bad sellers? I seem to find a lot more information on the internet. I also depend on honest opinions from buyers on forums like this one.
Susan

Just noticed this. I did follow up with Mike on one of these sellers, because it is a very regular and big seller on the auction. I had paid for it and I wanted it, , and Mike handled it for me, and I got the plant I had paid for.

The other person was a forum poster at that time, who said she had had an illness in her family, and I just let it go.

I have bought a lot of plants from the auction in the past, in this year, and I'm sure I will again. And again.

kay

I am glad to hear that. I have heard nice things about Mike on the forums and I was hoping you would email him.

On the flip side I would rather not have a bonus unless I get to pick it out myself. So often I end up paying extra postage for someones junk because they are calling it a bonus?
I won an auction with one lady who let me pick out my own bonus and gave me a credit based on my purchase. I loved it!

I have bought from Mike G. on several occasions and have always been extremely pleased. Re bonuses.....one seller I dealth with said her bonus plants are extra fans of what the customer has purchased - that way, they are sure to be pleased and I certainly was! Very good idea!
Judith

That works for me also. :)

susan