Different company, same bulb, different price.

Any thoughts welcome on the diverse pricing for crocosmia bulbs, for example, masonorum prices:

Big Dipper 2 corms for $6

Brent & Becky's 10 corms for $7

Bulbmeister 6 corms for $4

Lazy S's 1 quart for $6.

It is hard to tell if profit margin or the bulb quality is behind the higher prices. All these companies have good Watchdog ratings. Some of the companies have a wide selection of less common crocosmia than masonorum and I expect and found those prices to be higher, but am not sure how to interpret the price difference for common crocosmia.

Have you ever tried McClure and Zimmerman? They have lots of variety. Almost all their products don't grow here in zone 10, but, I have ordered from them in the past. I never ordered the common bulbs, just the more rare kinds. They are offering 9 kinds of crocosmia, 6 for $5. I have had good luck with my orders, but, watch dog gives them a 77.

Big Dipper--not familiar with. B&B and Bulbmeister both sell bulbs in a dormant state. Lazy S sells bulbs "in the green"--that means actively growing (so does Yucca do, Telos rare bulbs--some of them; Bulbmeister sells some this way too; plants delight, and one other nameless Texas grower) and there is usually more than one bulb in those containers. Selling bulbs "in the green" is the wave of the future and is usually done by bulb growers and not just bulb brokers. This just depends on what you prefer. Dormant bulbs are often obtained thru bulb brokers--and many times (but not always) are not particularly suited for their final garden home. Quarts usually contain several bulbs. Hope this helps but it probably just further clouds the issue.
Debbie

Thanks for above. Very interesting.

I agree that M&Z has terrific selection and good prices as no money goes to glossy catalog. I have ordered from them and some of the bulbs have been a bit dessicated quite the contrast from Brent and Becky's. Because Brent & Becky's has sent such plump, healthy bulbs, I was wondering if the crocosmia of the above more expensive companies were even better still or if the companies' profit was higher.

All opinions welcome.

It would be interesting to see a sample of the same product from each company. I'm very visual. Where do they get their bulbs from? Are any growing their own products?

Good question, lillyo, even if I'm a few weeks late in noticing it. :-)

It might be fun, albeit costly, to buy some of the same bulbs from each company and photograph them then do a flower count on the growing bulbs.

Telos is a grower and not broker and so is Plants delight, Yucca do, Lazy S, and Solas Gardens. B & B and Bulbmeister are mostly brokers, B & B does some growing but mostly showcasing what they sell. B & B is a great place to visit if you are near Williamsburg VA--I graduated High School near there and we always went over to Gloucester.

Pay attention to the size of the bulb or corm that is offerred by each source. The larger the bulb the better the flowers. Some only say something vague like 'Top size' which is very hard to compare while others give a specific minimum cirumference of each bulb. Usually the larger the bulb the higher the price.

Did you buy them, Lillyo, and if so, from whom and how did they perform?

I've noticed this too, and in other bulbous plants that are sometimes treated as regular perennials, like Liatris. I can see that any plant product sold potted would be more costly, both to produce and ship (extra costs of pots, potting media, employee time in potting and care, heating and other greenhouse expenses, and more labor intensive packing and shipping). I suppose it allows for a longer selling season.