Crocuses and My Favorite Bulb Source

Crocus chrysanthus 'Goldilocks' (Species crocus)

From In the Garde

Those diminutive harbingers of spring have begun blooming in my garden here in Tennessee and they are most welcomed. In addition to the crocuses blooming the spring peepers have begun their peeping. Can spring be far behind?

Crocus tommasianus (Species Crocus)

From In the Garden

Today I thought I would not only share some crocuses but also talk about my favorite bulb source. I love bulbs. The anticipation of planting those bulbs in the fall with visions of sweeping vistas of color come early spring is rite of my fall gardening. The joy I get seeing the bulbs poke through the snow or grass or mulch is not only one of relief (the voles didn't get all the bulbs), but one of anticipation. How will all the bulbs look once blooming? When will they bloom? Did I make good choices when choosing my bulbs?

'Blue Pearl', 'Cream Beauty', and 'Goldilocks' species (Chrysanthus) crocuses.

From In the Garden

I've always been an adventurous gardener and tend to choose plants based on their uniqueness. Years of gardening have taught me this is not always the best method to choose bulbs. I must first consider my environment and what kind of bulbs will do well here, then I must consider the track record of the bulbs, and finally the price of the bulbs. Most of us don't have unlimited garden funds so I try to be thrifty with what bulbs I purchase for my garden. Bulbs more than anything else can be a hit or miss plant and I don't wish to waste money on the misses so I've begun focusing on a bulbs proven stamina. I want long lasting bulbs that will not slowly pitter away in my garden. They must not only be strong but I'd like them to spread and naturalize here in my woodland style garden. Knowing what I want from a bulb and what kind of garden and environment I garden in makes it most easy for me to think about the bulbs I'd like to grow. Van Engelen then does the rest with the best prices I have found.

Van Engelen is a sister company to John Scheepers bulbs. I like both companies but Van Engelen is a bit cheaper. Most likely due to the bulb size or quality but honestly, I can't tell the difference and all bulbs I have ordered from Van Engelen have been top notch bulbs that bloom well. 


I've done a lot of checking out bulb catalogs and actually sit down and compare prices on all bulbs I wish to order by catalog. This usually means I have about 5-6 catalogs open to the same bulb before I make a decision. The places I have ordered bulbs from are: Jung, Brent and Becky's Bulbs, and Netherland Bulb Company. I am going to list some price differences of one of my favorite bulbs here on this post. I am only comparing my personal experiences with bulb purchasing to the companies I have actually purchased bulbs from. I will give you an example of the price differences: 


Van Engelen:     100 fritillaria meleagris   $16.50 Size 6 cm/up
John Scheepers: 100 fritillaria meleagris   $18.50 Size 6 cm/up
Competitor 1:    100 fritillaria meleagris   $31.00  Size 7 cm/up
Competitor 2:    100 fritillaria meleagris   $40.75  Size not listed


As you can see there is quite a price range for these bulbs and this is only one type of bulb. I have personally ordered and researched this particular bulb but similar results are available for other bulbs. Most of the websites I visited did list the size of their bulbs and as you can see the more expensive bulbs are a slight bit bigger. Bigger is always better unless you want quantity, then price must trump size.  I can attest for the smaller bulbs growing just fine and personally I don't think a 15% size difference accounts for a nearly 50% price difference, but each person has to make their choice on what they want for their gardens. Me, I'm economical and go with the cheaper priced bulbs for my garden and feed the bulbs very well.


I will say one other great thing for Scheepers/Engelen. Their catalogs are the best I have found for variety and information listed. Under all bulbs; which are categorized by type such as species crocus, hybrid crocus, etc; the date the bulb has been introduced is listed. For my garden I like to buy the bulbs that have been around a long time so the date of introduction is very important. I also prefer species type bulbs and this is also listed in an easy to understand format. The Scheepers catalog has beautiful color pictures of all bulbs but the Van Engelen catalog does not. I usually use the Scheeper catalog to shop then go to Van Engelen to make my order. The quality of both sister companies is the same but Scheepers is more expensive and quantities available for order may vary between the two companies.


The species (Chrysanthus) collection of crocus bulbs I ordered are stunning in the garden and are growing well. I am looking for them to multiply and spread around a bit too in the coming years. I have been most pleased with my orders from Van Engelen and while most folks order bulbs in the fall, you might be one who orders spring bulbs. If so, check out Scheepers/Van Engelen for all of your bulb needs. The other place I usually order from is The Netherland Bulb Company. They are a good company that has good prices for a large amount of bulbs and their customer service is outstanding.


In the coming weeks I'll be showcasing some other bulbs from my Fall 2010 bulb purchase from Van Engelen and I hope they shine as the crocuses do....


in the garden....

I received nothing from Van Engelen or Scheepers to write this post. 


Tomorrow is the Nashville Lawn and Garden show and I, along with a few of my friends will be in attendance. I am so excited as this is one of my can't miss garden events of the year. The other being Summer Celebration. I hope to post on this year's show this Friday. For now, I'm in the garden...




Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden