Knowledgebase

Great Grandmother packed these . . . #873162

Asked June 14, 2024, 5:47 PM EDT

Hi, My wife sorta remembers a story about these (bulbs?) having been given to her grandmother when she came out west to Oregon/California. Story can’t be easily confirmed as we just found these in a specially constructed room in her basement in Dufur, OR after she passed. They had been packed in a mixture of sand/ash? and dried leaves inside wood crates. The dark, underground room had a door and insulation along with what I would describe as a “fresh-air” tube leading outside the house and above ground. Story aside . . . all the love and care given to these (bulbs?) I really want to make sure they don’t get lost without at the very least finding out what they are/were. At best I’d love to watch them grow and pass along [whatever it is they become] to each of her family members. Any assistance or direction is greatly appreciated. If needed I can bring them wherever someone needs for identification and/or cultivating!

Washington County Oregon

Expert Response

How interesting!  They look more like a tuber than a bulb.  Maybe they are Dahlia tubers?  They appear to be too dried out at this point to come back to life unfortunately.  You can read more about how the tubers are stored at https://www.longfield-gardens.com/blog/?p=overwintering-dahlias-time-to-check-the-tubers. You could take them into your local Extension office and they might be able to tell you if there's any life left in them, https://extension.oregonstate.edu/washington.
Sylvan Kaufman Replied June 17, 2024, 4:05 PM EDT

Loading ...