What is your favorite Lily bulb vendor?

Hi, everybody--

I guess I missed out on the Lily bulb co-op. And now I've found out (the highly touted) Buggy-crazy isn't selling Lily bulbs (to speak of) anymore....

But I have lily bulb buying fever and I was wondering which supplier is the best to buy from (if you're a neophyte like me.) I did join the Ohio Lily Society, hoping to get to their bulb sale, but I would like to purchase several bulbs before then, too.

I looked up B& D Lilies and I find their website very difficult to read and navigate. Let's see, ....who else is there?...Lily nook? ..Maybe an E-bay source?

Any suggestions, please? Thanks. t.

I don't think you can buy bulbs for delivery now. Delivery for anything you order would not be until fall. Your local nurseries probably are your best bet for a quick lily fix. I have several in my area that sell potted bulbs. You may be able to order from places like Van Dykes, but before you do, please read the ratings in the Watchdog.

I love the bulbs from B&D. They are generally on the larger side and they also offer bonus bulbs if you order so much.

I love the Lily Nook because of their huge selection. The bulbs are not big, but I've never had a problem with them. You need to order at least 100.00 in bulbs from them to break even with the high shipping and cost of the health certificate. Somehow, I manage to do this once or twice a year.

The Lily Garden is good and reliable and is associated with Judith Freeman, the gal responsible for many of the Orienpets we love today including Silk Road. She is often a visitor at lily society shows and sales and I know that our local society orders a number of the sale bulbs from there.

Personally, everytime I've tried to use Ebay, I end up feeling I've been had. I won't use Ebay and I refuse to use PayPal.

beaker, thanks for the overview.

I will go back and try to decipher B & D's website. And check out Lily Garden.

I think the Ohio Lily Society purchases their Lily Sale bulbs through Lily Nook, although I could be corrected on that.

I have just a few kinds of lilies-- Red Hot and Stargazer. I planted 25 (of 5 kinds) orientals from a Van Engelen collection but none came up (or they all turned out to be 'red hots') since I seem to have way too many of those!

I would like to try Martagons since I read that they can do well in a shady spot, but I also heard they are 'perscickety'. Any thoughts on those?

Thanks again.

I love B&D. I just placed my online order for fall delivery. You sure get your money's worth. The bulbs can be huge. Up to softball size. I haven't bought from The Lily Garden yet but intend to. I will also buy some Martagons from the Lily Nook. Try B&D for sure, I don't think you'll be dissapointed.

I think the above sources are excellent as well. I hope to try some of the wonderful new colors of Chinese trumpets from B&D this fall. I have found that Judith Freeman trials her varieties for garden worthy attributes (as opposed to cut flower and pot culture qualities that Dutch bred varieties are often bred for), and gives good info on the most prolific ones.

Polly brought Wooden Shoe Bulb Farm to my attention early this spring, and they're great- quality and value. Some of the best quality bulbs for the best price I've bought.

What varieties or types are you thinking of adding next?

My main source for lily bulbs is Van Engelen. ( at http://www.vanengelen.com ) I've had excellent bulbs and customer service with that company. I have my fall order in and I have 1,020 bulbs on order. Yeah, I'll be busy....again.....LOL

The partner company for smaller quantities of bulbs is Scheepers. Use them if you only want 10 of this or that (at http://www.johnscheepers.com )

The Lily Garden is my other supplier, but only if I want 1 or 2 of something special. They're more expensive and, of course, a much smaller operation.

Last fall, I decided to order a lily mixture from VanE. to see what was being bundled in that offering. I ordered Summer Breeze and group-planted the bulbs. I've kept inventory of all blooms, which have just now finished opening at least each. I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that the mixture was a true color mix, not heavily imbalanced on colors. All are now tagged so that they can be lifted this Fall to be planted in more appropriate color groupings.

It's too early to obtain the 2006 bulbs for the Fall planting season, but you can (and should) put in your order now. You may want to go to a local nursery now to see what has been potted up and blooming (or ready to bloom)....at least that might be one way to satisfy your "need" to have some new lilies now.

Well, I don't think Martagons are persnickety. I do think they take a long time to establish and while doing that, they seem to have some strange behavior such as totally disappearing. The first time this happened to me I almost dug the bulb up, but a friend stopped me and said it was normal. I had blooms this year on my Terrace City after waiting three years. There were only two stems and only a few flowers on each. They only got to be about 2 feet tall. So, not a big show. I expect they will start to get better and better as they mature.

As far as what I plan to order this year, I want to put in more species and I see that there are 2 Belles available (Asiapets) that I can add to my Belle collection; Golden and Ivory Belles. I'm also very taken with the China Express that bloomed this year and will be looking for hybrids based on that parentage. China Express is also an Asiapet.

Other than that, I haven't really thought about it. Red Ticklers is one I like to replace and I'd like to do something about my Trumpets. Not real happy with what I have. They all seem so much alike, it's hard to tell the difference. I'd really like to have more color in the trumpet division. If I pick up any more Orienpets, it's going to be very selective. There are too many plants out there that all look the same, but with different names. If I do buy any, I think I'll stick with Judith at the Lily Garden.

I'm going to try to be selective about Asiatics as well. If I plant one more orange or red or pink or white or yellow without good markings, I hope someone will shoot me. As much as I love the LAs, I don't see much out there that floats my boat. Hopefully, next spring there will be some new ones on the market. Still hoping to pick up Giggle Button from B&D this fall or next spring.

Thanks--all kinds of good information here.

Gem--thanks for the word on Wooden Shoe --- I see their address is in Connecticut although for some reason I thought they were in Michigan--around Frankenmuth, maybe... and Van Engelen's has a wide variety of lilies too and I like the way their website is organized so I have ordered loads of spring bulbs (daffs, muscari, camassia and so on) from them and several lilies (my red hots) too in the past.

beaker--I looked up your "belle" series and I love the shape and the dark brushing on reverses. http://www.lilynook.mb.ca/library/library-Div%20VIII.htm

I read somewhere on the internet (GW?) that the hybrid crosses are the most interesting lilies these days-- i.e., the LAs and Orienpets and Asiapets, etc., etc.--(I don't really know what I am talking about here...duh...) I see that The Lily Garden (Judith Freeman) is active in developing these.... Anyway, I think some of these are attractive (at least on the internet). I would like to try some LAs, the martagon's, and there are so many others!

This page from NALS talks about all the divisions for lilies http://www.lilies.org/types.html and it boggles my mind. So much to learn.

Someone mentioned somewhere a possible Lily bulb co-op and I'd be interested in that, too.

Hope tomorrow is another lovely day of gardening for everyone. :-) t.

all wonderful tough tall lilies.
inanda

Definitely love B&D/Snow Creek Lilies. I usually order from them, and have already placed my Fall order. I planted 15 new bulbs that I recieved this past Spring, and many of them are blooming right now. Received large bulbs too.

I've heard lots of positive comments on The Lily Garden as well. I orderd some seeds from BuggyCrazy, and I think I saw that she had at least a few bulbs on her website.

I'm confused. I went to B&D and most lilium were sold out, would that include stuff for fall delivery?

Well, Vossner, glad to see you. I think you may be looking at an old catalog. Stay tuned and I'll get a link for you.

Try www.bdlilies.com/

It looks like it was just updated, and their new paper catalog is also out.

http://www.lilybulb.com/

Click on the 2006 Fall Catalog

I went running to my mail pile (I'm vacationing) and there it was. Thanks for mentioning it, Pard!

Beak-- I had to look around for it! It doesn't seem like a good way to do business in my opinion. Keeping an old list with SOLD OUT on everything will send most folks to another company!

T, a little O/T, but you gotta get this DL. Posting dated Jul 9, 8:11 pm

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/624523/#new

If you want to get at least 25 bulbs of any one lily. Wooden Shoe Bulb Farm is the best as far as I'm concerned for price, and quality.

woodenshoebulbfarm.com

Their web site does not have the listing yet for fall. But you can get some really nice bulbs for less than $1.00 each here.

Polly

voss--can't get your link open. Can you please repost?

Found this site for Wooden Shoe Bulb Farm http://www.woodenshoebulbfarm.com/s/shop/list.asp?subsec=LILY+%2F+ORIENTAL&sec=BULBS&catalog=

And it looks like she does have a nice collection, but I am wondering what 'precooled' bulbs are for--are those for the California and Texas gardeners? Would they work in Ohio?

My favorite is B & D Lilies too. They have the largest , healthiest bulbs out there. Bob and Diana are great if you have any questions or concerns about their lilies and are very prompt in getting back to you if they don't get to the phone/or are out at a show or in the field. Their customer service is excellent & their product second to none. I do order from the others, the Lily Garden, John Scheepers & local places, but B&D stands out among all.

let's try again


posted Jul 9th, 8:11pm

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/624523/#new

I'm watching this thread with great interest. I've fallen in love with lilies, but other than me I don't see anybody from South Texas participating in the lilies forum. Could be a hint that lilies need to be treated as annuals in my area, in which case my enthusiasm for them would drastically drop.

I know they do well in Dallas, but there' enough distance that what does well in Dallas, might not work for me in Houston area. Except for naked lady lilies and a double from Hirts, all the orientals and asiatics I planted did beautifully. I don't want my experience with lilies to be a repeat of my experience with hostas (those heartbreaker plants, arg!)

voss-You are too funny. I will definitely get "Tabasco Sauce". It's actually kind of pretty, in a 'saucey' kind of way...

Thanks for the tip!

I don't know much about Lilies coming back in warm winter climates...seems like some of them would but which ones, I guess is the question.

Pard, I don't know why B&D does this. Maybe for reference and dealing with problem bulbs. I had problems last year with trying to use an old catalog. Now that I know they do this, I know what to look for. They don't have all those beautiful Trumpets that they had this Spring...bummer.

Aren't pre-cooled bulbs just bulbs that were dug the previous fall and sold in the spring? If you live in a warmer heat zone and it doesn't get cold enough for the bulbs, you wouldn't want to buy fall bulbs unless you plan to keep them in the frig for about 3 months before planting.

You're right Pat. Any spring planted bulbs have been precooled because lilies are harvested in late fall and stored in refridgeration till then. Lilies have to be harvested so late(they go dormant late), they ship after the rest of the fall bulbs, and because it's a short window of oppertunity many vendors only sell in spring. Northern climes are often too frozen to plant by that time too.

Nery, some of the TX lily growers say the Orientals are the only ones that have problems with the heat, but the others do quite well. So you've even had good experience with Orientals- congrats! Is this the first year you've planted lilies? I'm not sure how much of a cool time they need.

Everyone--

Did you see Boomaholic's Lily Bulb "Bulbmeister" Co-op opened today? I think it's for the first thirty subscribers who sign up. Some nice offerings to get in on.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/625194/

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/625195/

Nery, I don't know how close you are to Fort Worth, but I think you're close.
Steve, there, has wonderful lilies and grows all sorts of orienpets. You should talk to him about his experiences and maybe that will help you choose lilies that won't break your heart. And as far as orientals go, you could treat them as an annual. Some of them, the prices are getting pretty low. And, of corse, there are always the HD and Wally World specials.

Beaker, I'm eternally envious of Steve's gardens, lol. Fort Worth is close to Dallas. Dallas/Ft Worth far enough from Houston to make a difference. I do watch what he grows, though, because if he can grow it, at least I can HOPE they'll grow for me too.

I did buy a few in the coop being hosted by Bloomaholic. A reasonable way to spend money if they turn out to be annuals and not perennials for me. If the ones I planted this year do come back, I will be doing one happy dance! I enjoyed Menorca and Sefanjia sooooo much! would love to see them come back and back and back.

Nery, up here in the cold north, I tend to plant lilies deep. 8 inches or more (depending on how big the bulb is) for everything but asiatics. Last fall I think I went down almost a foot for one bulb. Anyway, I wonder if deep planting in warmer climates might also be warrented. It seems logical to me that the deeper you plant, the more protected the roots. Also, if it's really hot and dry, the bulb will move lower itself. If you start out deeper, then the bulb won't put energy into moving itself if not happy where it's at. You might ask around on your regional forum for any opinions on this. I know if it were me living where you live, I would probably give deep planting a try.

I haven't noticed any ill effects on my lilies from deep planting. However, I've had more than one lily grower tell me that it's not a good idea. I started doing this the year I lost all my orientals and orienpets over a bitterly cold, snowless winter. As far as I know, I haven't lost any to winter kill since.

I think Stefanja is my favorite of the lot we got from the Wooden Shoe. The color is so vibrant.

Another advantage of planting deep is having more stem underground. More stem underground = more stem roots = more feeding for the bulb. I don't plant mine very deep, at best 5". Otherwise they would be under water most of the winter:-(

Mine are planted deep too. My martagons have wire over them and then mulch. Wire for the bushy tailed RATs.

My Orania hasn;t bloomed yet. Wondering why. Our lily show here is in conjunction with Neepawa lily festival July 21,22,23. Won't have many lilies left to take, as well as the heat when transporting them. Will be interesting to hear from Mary about stem quantity/quality at NALS>
inanda

My Orania didn't show up this year. Hopefully, just taking a time out. It was beautiful last year.

I have a friend who usually submits a few stems to our local show and he said he really didn't have anything this year either.

Did anyone order from the lily Co-op?

I bought just a few to try out.

Thank goodness there was nothing on my want list being offered in the coop. Hoping to find some good prices on OTs and martagons.

t, I'm so glad you're on your way to becoming a lily-a-holic too, lol.