Discount Flower Bulbs
What Bulbs Do You Need?
However, before that - if you're not sure what kind of bulb you need for a specific purpose, click here to check out what flower bulbs to buy
Important Questions to Ask
It really doesn’t matter whether you deal with the Internet or through mail-order catalogues, all of these questions and concerns are the same, or at least they have been for me. Let’s deal with the questions one at a time.
Are there risks to purchasing discount flower bulbs the Net or mail.
For sure.
Any time you can’t see what you’re purchasing, there’s a risk.
Check out the Mail Order Nurseries references before you buy.
However, and this is a big however, if you purchase from reputable companies, the risk is really minimal. Reputable companies are trying to stay in business and they don’t do that by sending you plant garbage. If they do make a mistake, reputable companies make good on their order immediately so you don’t lose a gardening season.
Check their guarantee.
However, having said that, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
When you see bulbs offered for sale locally at 50 cents a bulb and you find discount flower bulbs in a catalogue for a dime, you should be suspicious. If somebody is going to give you free bulbs or really cheap flower bulbs you should be suspicious. If a company floods the mail with special discount flower bulb “deals” and glossy catalogues, you should be suspicious.
If you purchase through the Net, ensure that the company in question ships to your location.
The Net is a world-wide marketplace now and there are many companies that you’ll find that do not ship or do not ship to your home from their country. While this makes me unhappy because I always want the plant I can’t have; I recognize that different countries have import and export situations that are problems for growers.
Will you save money when ordering by mail?
Probably not.
By the time you pay shipping and handling charges, it eats up the “savings” on most so-called discount flower bulb orders. The only time I purchase by mail or Net is when the plant I want is not available locally. Then, not only do I get a good deal, but I get a plant that none of you have. Not that having a rare plant is something to get excited about you understand.
What about the bargain bulbs – are they really a bargain? Y
ou know, the bigger the bulb the bigger the flower is a thumb rule in the bulb game.
Discount flower bulbs are typically bulbs that have graded out smaller than the premium retail bulbs. If you’re only planting a few, they aren’t a deal. However, if you’re planting hundreds, then the price is right.
Naturalizing mixes are often composed of smaller bulbs and this is why they can offer them at such cheap prices. This is particularly true of daffodils
How do I know what to buy and will I get it if I order it?
Hmmm. Well, you order what you think looks good in the colour pictures or you save my articles over the year or you dream on gardening magazines. Or, you do what I do and say, “That one looks good, I’ll order it.”
Also, look for the little check box that’s on many order forms.
It says something like “accept no substitutions” and if you check it, the company will not substitute some other variety for the one they are sold out of.
There’s good and bad news with this.
The good news is that you only get what you want. The bad news is that sometimes you don’t get anything.
Most reputable companies will substitute a bulb or equal or greater value in the same family if they have to substitute. For example, the famous daffodil ‘King Alfred’ is no longer the original bulb. The original ‘King Alfred’ is over 100 years old and is only maintained in botanical collections and specialist nurseries. What you are now purchasing is a ‘King Alfred’ type rather than the real King itself. So, what does it matter if there’s a substitution to a more modern and heavier blooming variety.
When you go to your local garden centre and buy ‘King Alfred’ I can guarantee you aren’t getting that bulb. Check the box if you like.
For specialist bulbs, I often check the box if I only want to pay for a particular bulb.
Other than that, a good discount flower bulb display in the spring is a good balm for winter's ailments. The more the merrier.
If you want to ask about discount flower bulbs, click here
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