YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
It didn’t look like this in the catalog
Posted on April 21st, 2009 – 8:27 AMBy Robyn Dochterman
Ever ordered something from a nursery, supplier or friend and discovered the item in question wasn’t quite what you expected? Maybe it was a tad smaller, slightly scrawny, more brown than green, or possibly not even recognizable as whatever you ordered? Where is the lushness and vibrancy the copy promised?
I got a big box recently. It was full of blackberry starts (I remembered ordering those). There were some grafted nut trees (I’d been waiting for those). There was also a little bag of lily bulbs (my free gift).
Then, there was this unspeakably ugly thing in a mesh bag.
It looked like nothing I’d ever ordered. Or would order. In fact, it looked like nothing that should ever be sold in a nursery. Was it a hunk of cinder? A paper wasp nest? I couldn’t imagine.
And then, as I gingerly picked up the bag to examine the hideousness in 360 degrees, it occurred to me that there was only one thing this powdery, gnarly elephantine clump could be: Petrified dinosaur dung.
It finally dawned on me to see if there was a tag. Indeed, there was. And it said…
Well, what do you think it said? C’mon. Guess. Anyone know what mystery thing I’d ordered?
(Yes, I’ll tell later in the day!)
62 Responses to "It didn’t look like this in the catalog"
Looks like a fungus. Like Corn Smut. And I’ve heard of people eating it but I don’t think you’d be ordering it from a Garden catalog. It’s hard to tell. How big is this…thing? Apple size?
OMG! That looks awful! What is that?
It’s rhubarb
[…] Greengirls – […]
It’s the size of a softball or two.
Manure for planting.
Looks like something I got from Gurneys a couple years ago…it was supposed to be rhubarb! I called when I received it and told them it looked like a punch of dried poop - the lady laughed and they sent me new rhubarb!
Bare-root strawberries?
When I’ve ordered from nurseries I have consistently never even received the species of plant I order. I try to order early in the season and am told they ran out of advertised stock. What I loved last year is that I ordered an entire shade garden and they sent me 15 anemones because that’s all they had. No foxglove, no bleeding hearts, nothing else. Just a ton of short anemones that were partially rotted. That’s burned me off of catalog ordering for a while. As far as the dung - not a clue. Looks rotten.
I’m not sure why, they strike me as moldy rununculus bulbs.
tbone, your experience sounds awful. Feel comfortable sharing the catalog so the rest of us might avoid it?
I think those are canna bulbs that have molded.
tbone: I have ordered from Bluestone Perrenials for two years with very good results. You can also check Dave’s Garden for mail order catalog reviews—I plugged that site yesterday, too.
Hey, are we gonna have a plant swap this year? We did last year, and I thought it was fun!
I’ve ordered from Bluestone too, and been very happy (the above red mesh bag did not come from them).
Looks like the roast we were fed growing up.
It’s rhubarb.
Fertalizer…..
We purchase many items from the internet, however we haven’t had good luck with nursery items.
My wife purchased 25 lillies - mixed colors - all were white.
We purchased blueberry bushes - got something that looked like a bunch of sticks - if they would have grown - it would taken forever. Would have had better luck planting the berries 
Judybusy — and everyone else, too: things are looking good for the GG plant swap. Watch for details coming very soon!
Oranges or Grapefruit.
Its a tuber of something like a canna.
I, too, have had really good stuff from Bluestone.
i shop local nurseries. why do people order plants from catalogs? are the catalog prices lots better for big quantities?
those items in the bag look really bad!
Bulb of some sort–it’s hard to tell without anything to judge the size–did you order elephant ear caladium? My own rule of thumb is: First it has to pass the snif test: does it smell “live” or is it soft and smell like wet rot. Wet rot goes into the compost bin. If I can’t figure out what it is and really want to know, it goes in tupperwear in the vegetable crisper until I check the order blank carefully or email the nursery. If I am willing to just give it a shot and care what it is, it goes in a 24″ pot with garden soil, out in the sun, after May 15.
I think you oughtta plant it…then when the Stalk grows, you can climb up it and go kill that pesky giant
It’s dung/meteor that came out of the sky. “Ala Joe Dirt”.
I ordered from Jackson & Perkins. Never again. Thanks for the Bluestone suggestion. Perhaps I’ll be brave again someday.
cathy g, sometimes it’s difficult to find exactly the variety/item you want at local nurseries, especially when it’s not “season” but you’re planning. Obviously, seeing what you’re buying before you buy it is a powerful incentive to buy from local nurseries.
Love the prose and photos of White Flower Farm. They label carefully and send instruction book. Ordered fancy cone flowers from them last year and they were devoured by something in my yard undeterred by spray and netting and tomato cages around them. But that wasn’t the catalog’s fault. Though geesh aren’t coneflowers supposed to be native around here?
GreenGirl,
When you post a picture and a question to ask what it is, you should probably save the jpeg as something other then the answer. GGrhubarb.jpg
Just a thought.
LOL. You’re right, Kathryn. I meant to go back and change it, but got distracted by eggs in the incubator peeping. Thanks to all for guessing. And a question for those of you who did know — from the photo — is this viable-looking rhubarb? Any clue how I plant it (which end is up, for instance)? Anyone?
Rhubarb roots are fat and orange, almost looking like a small carrot. does your plant have any parts like that?
on the other hand, you can hardly kill rhubarb, so even if you plant it incorrectly, i’m guessing it will figure itself out.
I order from trees of antiquity on the web as well as bountiful gardens. I’ve never been disappointed. From trees to berries to lettuce and it’s all come well packaged, in good condition and grows like crazy.
Nothing fat and orange or even remotely close in the package, cathy g. I guess I could plant it and see what happens. Here’s hoping it’s not as toxic as it looks!
You’re not kidding that you can’t kill rhubarb! We still have some that comes up every year in our woods, and no matter what nasty herbicide we put on it, it keeps coming back for more. So if you don’t WANT rhubarb, I wouldn’t risk it being viable!
I found the comments very amusing.
Being the “detective” I am, I’d plant it, water it, and see what comes up?
Who doesn’t like surprises once in awhile!
Could be good for a big laugh.
Good luck.
If you do plant it, DO NOT EAT ANY the first year. You will have to wait until next year to “enjoy” any of it, if it does grow.
When are you going to tell us what is it?
Were dieing to know what’s in the bag!
The tag said it’s rhubarb, just as several people guessed (and one pointed out that I stupidly included it in the name of the photograph). Kudos to those of you who actually did know. I’m impressed. And now, I need to know which end is up!
I think they are praying mantis egg sacs. You put them in your garden after it’s warmed up and it eats lots of insects and as they get bigger, they also scare the neighbor kids away. My kids liked them.
I planted rhubarb last year and I’m almost certain it was from a catalog. I don’t remember it looking like that. Oh wait, I got it at the Friends Plant Sale. There was green on it so I was able to tell which end was up (and since it is coming up this year just fine, I must have done something right). Okay, so now we know it is rhubarb, but is it supposed to look like that????
Gad zooks! I had no idea rhubarb looked like that. Are those korms or bulbs or what?
No clue, Connie. I’ve got questions out to some experts to find out. I’ll post here when I know something. Readers, if you know, please help me out by telling me!
Not look like what I ordered…
Ever eaten at Subway???
Looks like the lint trap from my washer.
That’s my lunch. I carried it in that bad but lost it five years ago back when I used to work at the nursery.
It’s the severance package some of the Star Tribune employees received in the downsizing of staff.
i hate you for not just saying what it is…
The filename of your image gave it away. It’s rhubarb!
Norm Coleman’s Brain!
Adam, Jef and others are right. It’s rhubarb and I stupidly forgot to change the name of the photo file, which included the name. But I do have to say, you all have come up with some very, very entertaining guesses!
Hey, Robin, if this doesn’t grow, I have unwanted rhubarb I can dig up for you as part of the GG plant swap!
Not changing the label on the picture is so funny–only because I would absolutely do something like that!
Someone asked why one would order from a catalog. Sometimes it’s price. Two years ago, I realllly wanted orange trollius, but plants in local nurseries were going for $10 a pop. I got SIX plants for $24 through Bluestone; only one has died, and the rest have grown nicely.
Also, bulb selection via catalog is far vaster. When was the last time you saw Fritillary actopetala offered ’round here? But I have a dozen coming up thanks to Beauty through Bulbs.
Just another kudos to Bluestone perennials! I’ve ordered there for 3 years and am happy every time. When I did have something that didn’t come back they didn’t hesitate to send me another or offer a better suggestion for a hardier version. I can’t say the same for VB Bulbs.
All you could ever want to know and more at
http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-growing.html
It looks like 2 heads of Iceberg Lettuce gone bad! Yikes:)
Or this one tells more about how to plant them for the home grower.
http://www.jerseyasparagus.com/hgrhubarbguide.htm
I’m going to guess its Elephant Ear bulbs . . .
Rhubarbinfo is a great suggestion and full of useful information. I actually did go there earlier this afternoon, but I just couldn’t find a pic or description of how to plant something that looks like the thing — I guess it’s a crown — I have. I even e-mailed the guy who runs the site, but haven’t yet received an answer.
This one is good too…
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_september_1_rhubarb.asp#rhubarb_start
Assuming it’s actually rhubarb- soaking in a bucket of water overnight cannot hurt it; and the resulting swelling from hydration (which it seems to need) might go together with a little cleaning to show which end is up.
Robyn, thanks for a good laugh! I also tried to blow it up and got the rhubarb but was so amused by the guesses that I kept on reading without spoiling the fun. I had my money on the dino dung.
I received some bleeding heart from a neighbor a few years back that looked alot like that after she forgot it in her garage over a two week vacation. Now I have to divide my plant as it REALLY came back to life with a vengance.
Judybusy — I’d love to get some of your rhubarb at the GreenGirls plant swap! Thanks.
Greenpa — That’s a good idea. I’ll soak it tonight.
DebW — Thanks for playing along. Your bleeding heart story is a good sign!
Everyone — Your guesses were fab!
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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