Favorite Daff/Tulip Spring Bulb Supplier?

Hi, everybody--

I have been looking at my spring bulb garden notes and planning for my daff/tulip order this summer and was wondering which bulb supplier is your favorite?

In the past, I have ordered large orders from Brent and Becky and VanEngelen/Scheepers and have been happy with what I received. I also pick up sale bulbs around town at HD/Lowes and the garden centers and they are OK for end of season 'specials' on common bulbs...

However, I noticed the Bulb Co-op bulbs came from Bloomingbulbs, a firm I had not considered before (and after looking at their website, it seems like their bulb co-op prices are about the same as Vanengelen's regular prices...but I could be confused..please correct my thinking if I'm wrong ) and I know there are other good suppliers...

If you buy spring blooming bulbs and you have a favorite source please let us know--this could be a source for specialty and rare bulbs, bulbs for southern gardens, heirlooms, rock garden, bulbs in quantity, whatever...

Thanks a lot. t.

I would be interested in any feedback as well. I buy most of my daffodils from a local nursery center, with the exception of a mixed box of 100 from White Flower Farms that I got for my birthday two years ago. It is my plan to actually order some bulbs by mail this year, so I'd love to know who is most reliable.

Lori

I've been very pleased with orders from Brecks, Wayside, and Dutch Gardens. Big bulbs, and if you shop the sales and use those "spend $50 and get $25 back" coupons, then prices become reasonable, especially considering the quality of the bulbs. Having the guarantee is nice, too! I'm thinking it was Wayside who sent some especially big daff & hyacinth bulbs last year, but the quality from all 3 of those companies has been very good.

I also got fabulous species tulips & some daffs last fall from Aaron Schnelby on eBay ("rarebulbs" is his eBay ID, and he has an eBay store, http://stores.ebay.com/Rare-Bulbs-and-Plants_W0QQsspagenameZdomainQQtZkm). Great communication via email, good prices, nice little bonuses, and even end-of-season specials. I did have one batch of bulbs that turned out to be the wrong variety (probably mislabeled from the supplier), but he promised to replace them this fall, and instead of having me dig and return them, he said to give them to my neighbor. Nice guy, and I'll be ordering from him again!

I used Bloomingbulb a couple of times, and was not impressed. For tulips, Tulipworld cannot be beat for quality and performance of tulips especially - though they decreased their hyacinth size this year and their bulb selection is somewhat limited compared to others, so I didn't use them last fall. One of my favorites for tulips though, is White Flower Farm. I know they're expensive and I know their rating is not stellar in Garden Watchdog, but their bulbs are absolutely HUGE, flawless quality, perfectly packaged, and I have never had anything but great performance from every bulb type I have purchased from them. They're my favorite for tulips and daffs. VanEngelen for standard hyacinths and Old House Gardens for unusual and rare ones. I like B&B as well and buy Dutch Irises and tulips from them.

I use BloomingBulb, Van Englen, Dutch Bulbs, Brent & Becky's, Van Bourgondien, Van Dycks, but one of the BEST is Old House Gardens. Very unusual bulbs you can get from them. They specialize in preserving historic bulbs so you see ratings like "rare" rarest" on their website. Good Watchdog ratings too.

I bought from Terra Ceia for the first time this winter for spring bulbs and they were average.

I recently came across Jaques Amand's rare bulb site http://www.jacquesamand.com/ and wondered if anyone purchased from him...apparently he is an British grower who sells at the Philadelphia Flower Show and elsewhere in the States...

and also David Burdick's , who offers bulbs for the collector, I think...
http://www.daffodilsandmore.com/catWY.htm

and Nancy Wilson's site, where she specializes in Miniature narcissi http://www.asis.com/~nwilson/

These sites look interesting, although I am not sure I am ready to dive in to the world of 'show' bulbs....

Ladyrowan---didn't you mention somewhere that you are acquainted with Nancy Wilson? Your part of the country is pretty serious daffodil growing territory and I bet you have really interesting resources nearby...

Also, (back to my bulb reality) does anyone know how the bulb sizes from VanEngelen compare with the bulb sizes from B & B or some of the others...they all seem to have 'bigger' bulbs, but is one supplier especially know for big handsome bulbs?

Happy gardening...t.

Hardly rare, but very cheery...a pic of my 'n. cheerfulness'...from van engelen...

Dutch Gardens is my #1 choice. They never "run out", they're reliable in every way, their bulbs are very good sizes, their customer service is outstanding. Their choice is excellent and their catalog is definitely the best anywhere - huge photos (just measured: 4.5 x 4.5) of different varieties. Larger photos of others. I've dealt with them for about 10 years now and have never been disappointed.

Hi again, everybody---

have you ever purchased from Scheeper's/VanEngelen, pirl? Wonder how their bulbs compare in size with DG--looked up DG and it seems like they are expensive ...

I think 'touch of nature' http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/1594/
is getting excellent reviews for its spring bulb offerings and customer service but I don't know much about the bulb sizes they offer...everyone says 'topsize' but exactly what does that mean?! ;-)

Tulipworld is getting rave reviews from some and I might try them this year, too, for tulips, especially... along with Growingtulips.com http://www.growingtulips.com/ for rarer tulips at reasonable prices...

I wonder who brokers the bulbs for White Flower Farms....would be nice to get that quality with wholesale pricing (or at least less than WFF)!

Does anybody buy from Grant Mitsch's daffodil site? They offer some interesting hybrids beyond the usual 'stock' garden narcissi...

Well, after my 'array' of daffodils and other bulbs came up for the first time this spring, I can see I am going to have to make a lot of changes and additions to the bulb garden...

I didn't think daffodils could 'clash' with each other, but, I found out, yes, they do! so I will be digging and re-arranging and studying (more carefully) what is available from the bulb sellers! (Would like to try some hyacinths orientalis and a few more tulips, too, if I can keep the critters away and if the Dollar doesn't shrink too much more against the Euro!)

So many choices! So many great resources for bulbs...

Some of my 'clashers' don't look so bad in a pot (except for the photography! LOL)...

tabasco - sounds like you ought to consider doing a coop? You've been doing lots of good research.

I've bought from Dutch Gardens and Van Englen and I wouldn't say that either are exceptionally huge bulbs. Pretty normal size - nothing I hold against either of them and I'll continue to buy bulbs from both in the future.

Are the tulip places you mentioned big on hybrids or species or both? I'm looking for some good suppliers of species tulips.

Hi, Tobasco.

Nancy Wilson and her Husband are wonderful people. She does the miniatures, and he do the larger varieties. Both of them win many awards when they take their blooms to daffodil shows. Her website isn't updated often, and they aren't too technically savvy, but their daffs are beautiful. I got about 10 different types from them last fall, and put them up on this site. Rippling Waters, Daviot, Ken's Favorite, and Rosy Cloud are just a couple of the daffs from their garden.

As for our climate, it is wonderful for daffodils. It doesn't freeze, but it still gets cold enough for the bulbs to go dormant. Up and down the Northcoast, you will see them naturallized along the roads. It is very pretty.

Lori

Hi, ladyrowan and langbr and everyone--

Well, I admit I am fascinated with spring bulbs--in part because they are the first to show bloom after wintertime--which thrills me to death here in Ohio (didn't mean much to me when we lived in Los Angeles --the daffs just came up crowded out by the the camelias, azaleas, magnolias, agapanthas, roses in succession around new years...and I didn't even think about it!)...

I might do a co-op but would only want to do (sort of) rare and exclusive bulbs and keep it small (or my husband would 'plant' me out in the garden for sure). I always like my flowers better when I get a sale/discount price, too. ;-)

I think growingtulips.com has a nice selection of species, gregeii, etc.,. Don't know about Tulipworld or any of the others. Am waiting for catalogs or the latest season's postings on the Websites. The British seem to be quite interested in the species tulips...I suppose more their style--subtle and complex...Americans always like the big and bold (as I usually do.)

Would like to try Nancy Wilson's miniatures, but I feel like I would have to have a very special spot for them in the garden...same with the rare Grant Mitsch and Old House bulbs...kind of like having a newborn in the house (a very expensive one, at that)!

Maybe I will look around about your idea, langbr. If you have any thoughts, please e-mail me...

Happy gardening...t.

this is the only tulip that really bloomed well for us this spring---lots of trouble with the critters...it's 'weber's parrot', I believe.

This is exactly the kinda plant I like. Too bad tulips don't like me. I'm afraid they would break my heart like the infamous daffs did. LOL

It is one of the few "advantages" of living further North I suppose. I do love having all 4 seasons about equally split throughout the year.

Hi, voss-did you try bulbs from "Easy to Grow Bulbs" yet?

--Easy to Grow specializes in bulbs for southern climates and has excellent customer service (Jon) to advise customers...

The right Early Blooming Daffs should work.... but, don't know anything about Tulips in extreme climates, though...I do think they would be a problem...

Bear with me while I practice with the Picasa 2 Photo Collage feature and posting to DG...here's a pic of some of the daff bloom from this year...thanks...t.

You got my attention when you mentioned bulbs for southern climates. Here in the Texas Hill Country you have to be very selective about buying daffodils. Most of the descriptions claiming to be "hardy" don't take into consideration our brutally hot summers, sometimes warm winters, and pourly timed rain. How do I find "Easy to Grow Bulbs"?

silver--your texas hill country sounds a lot like our Los Angeles (Pasadena) weather...we could grow early daffs, but tulips took a lot of babying and very often were killed by the heat.

Here is the link for EZ to grow http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp

they do not have their daffodils and other spring blooming bulbs listed yet, but very soon....

they are located in Fallbrook CA.

Good luck. t.

hi t- can't keep up with all these forums!- but just noticed this- way back there you mentioned David Burdick- I have met him at a Boston plant sale- and his daffodils are neat- he hybridizes some of his own- and has a lot of pinks! I like to support people who are really doing their own thing- so I got a bunch of his daffs, which I have to say were quite lovely! s.

How neat that you got to meet David Burdick at the plant show. I would like to buy from him, too, especially since he is offering a new introduction by Mary Lou Gripshover, a daffodil enthusiast right here in Cincinnati. (But his prices scare me a little!)

Yes, I like to support the true enthusiasts, start-ups, small operators (and dreamseekers!?), too, if I can. That's why I was interested in David Burdick, Nancy Wilson and 'EZ to Grow', so thank you, sjms and ladyrowan, for sharing your experience with them.

And BTW it kills me to support organizations that really spend excessively on marketing and advertising...for instance, Breck's, which historically relied on its marketing engine to sell some mainstream bulbs, but, whose real business was gathering names for mailing lists to sell or use for other products. (Not to say that you can't get some nice bulbs from them and I have been known to send away for their free $20 offer and other lures, too!)

(Breck's mission as a marketing company may be shifting to that of a more authentic bulb merchant now that Breck's and sister company, Spring Hill, are owned by Garden's Alive!, but we'll have to see...)

Sorry for getting on my soap box about these suppliers and sounding a little negative this early in the morning... :-)

Have a great gardening day. t.

Here's my latest 'Daffydowndilly Collage'--having fun with this Picasa 2 free download!

To me the phrase 'top size' from www.touchofnature.com is because all the daffs I've gotten from Bert have been big enough that they had 2 other 'bulblets' (read full sized bulbs) attatched to each of them. lol

hi tabasco, I'll ck out Eas to Grow bulbs, thanks. I also wanted to add that, like Critterologist, I bought amaryllis bulbs (Papillio and Vittatum) from Aaron Schnebly--rarebulbs.com on ebay and was extremely pleased with his products as well as his overall pleasantness as a human being. Will definitely buy from him again.

didn't know how to put him on gardenwatchdog.

VanEngelen has the biggest hyacinth bulbs by a mile - and they grade theirs, so you can buy 16/17 cm bulbs or 18/19 cm, your choice. I have found that B&D has the biggest lily bulbs, but OHG's were surprisingly large.

I don't seem to have any trouble with daffodils here, Vossner - I must be right above the invisible "line". Actually a lot of the better-blooming narcissus for southern conditions are late bloomers - Jonquilla division - like Hillstar, which blooms very well and likes the heat.

This message was edited May 27, 2005 11:17 PM

I got the Brent and Becky's new catalog yesterday...have to get out my green pen and start circling...