City sells 10-cent flower bulbs
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That’s why there are 20,000 spring flower bulbs currently on sale at less than half the expense of what they would cost at retail prices. McMinnville urban forester Nick Kuhn expects the bargain-priced bulbs, which cost 10 cents each, to be selling like hotcakes this year after last year’s bulbs were snatched up in less than two weeks.
“You can buy as many as you want, as long as you plant them in the city,” Kuhn said of the only purchasing requirement, as urban forestry’s primary function is to help beautify McMinnville.
While only daffodils were ordered last year, this year, Kuhn extended the order to include daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses and alliums, which are all perennials.
The program is the result of a cooperative effort between non-profit organization America the Beautiful and the city’s Department of Urban Forestry, which received the bulbs late last week.
Although healthy, Kuhn said the bulbs were likely acquired from bulb and seed companies unable to sell their fall stock. Spring flowering bulbs are typically planted in the fall and he said the bulbs purchased from the city should be planted as soon as possible.
“Bulbs and seeds have a shelf life, and these things cannot be stored forever,” Kuhn said. “Once they’re dug and packaged, they need to be sold and planted. They just don’t last that long, so they take the overstock that these companies cannot sell and provide them at cost, which is just their shipping, to local small governments and non-profit groups.”
Kuhn noted the success of last year’s bulb sale.
“We had people calling for a month after we had run out,” Kuhn said. “Everybody wanted them and these are still in really good condition.”