Lily bulbs - who is the BEST supplier? And when to plant?

17 years ago

I want to buy some more lily bulbs. I was wondering who is THE BEST online supplier of huge healthy bulbs and are they planted in fall and spring?

I've tried so far, the lily garden, van englen and brent and beckys.

Also, anyone know why my casa blaca from the lily garden is stunted and looks like it is dying off? It never got any buds and was very small, now it's turning light green and looks like it's on it's way out. I'm new to lilys so not sure why this is happening. The other casa blaca is planted in the same bed about 2' away and looks fine.

Thanks

Maureen

Featured Answer

hld6

17 years ago

Hi All,
Keep in mind that since Lilies are best planted in the Fall all sellers don't ship in the Spring. John Scheepers/Van Engelen doesn't have any spring sales.
Brent and Becky's sells both Fall and Spring but their selection changes.

Note also that unlike daffodils, lily bulbs don't ever go truly dormant and should be kept moist and should have some roots apparent when you purchase them. Its more like transplanting. That said, bargain bulbs (WalMart, Home Depot, etc.,) will often grow fine because bulbs have enough strength to send out new roots. But your first season might be less than spectacular.

John Scheepers/Van Engelen is cheap enough that if you think to order in the Fall it's a lot better overall bargain than WalMart.

The Lily Garden is probably the best for bulb quality. Plus they grow their own lilies so they have very good quality control (i.e., no viruses) and dig them up per order shortly before shipping them out. But you are paying for that and I wouldn't use them for standard varieties like Stargazer, Casa Blanca, etc., that you can get anywhere. Also, because they are lily hybridizers you can find truly amazing new lilies that you can't get anywhere else. (Check out their lilies marked "CP" for Columbia Platte and their "Dr. North Asiatic hybrids.)

In the Spring I order from Brent and Becky's. They are intermediate in price and in quality between Van Engelen and The Lily Garden. I've gotten good service from them and good results from their bulbs.

-Helen

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Comments (15)

bobby1973
17 years ago
hi maureen,

i bought my bulbs last august from bloomingbulb.com for fall planting, and i had great results this spring. the plants came up tall and healthy and produced really georgeous blooms. hope this helps!

~bobby
mac_girl_81
17 years ago
i bought mine from QVC. Hahahaha, i know what u r thinking BUT they are gorgeous!! Big!!!!!!! But Casablanca that i got from ebay is dying,the leaves are brownish and the flower is small and brownish.
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Maureen, I'm on the roses/lily forum usually, but saw your post. I got WONDERFUL lilies from John Scheepers and The Bulb Crate last year, as well as from Brent and Becky's. John Scheepers is the sister company to Van Engelen-has the same bulbs basically, but you can buy smaller amts...you probably already knew this. I'm going to get more from JS soon as I can. Can't beat the price...I've heard great things about Fogbelt, B & D Lilies etc. I have to say that the BIGGEST healthiest lily bulbs I ever got were from Buggycrazy, but she isn't going to be selling many lilies anymore. I WISH I had ordered more than the 10/$25 oriental mix from her last fall. They are coming up GORGEOUS and HUGE. Her bulbs were literally the size of grapefruits! You might check out Gardenwatchdog.com to see about companies' reputations! :0) Phyl
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Plant lilies when the bulbs are available. Large retailers and many bulb suppliers will offer them in both the fall and spring. Bulbs are harvested in the fall - often the late fall - and are kept in cold storage until spring sales. Depending on the source, I prefer spring planting as those bulbs have not been held as long as those available for planting in September - September is generally too early for much of the harvest and so fall-available bulbs may have very well been held in limbo for many months. And fwiw, fresher bulbs will often produce better results.
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You can dig around some now carefully with your fingers. If a stub of the old stem is left that will help you find where the bulblets are. But if you find you are "digging to China" while following a baby stem then that means they are offset from the base of the mother bulb. If you wait, you can make it late summer/early fall when the main bulb's leaves first start to yellow. The "babies" should still be visible (and after a seasons worth of growth,hopefully larger than now). Though if you dig up the whole clump it won't matter if the stems aren't visible since even the small bulbs should be readily seen near the main bulb. (The smallest will be the size of a pea and others will be more the size of a marble - with a leaf attached to them. So they should be easy to spot.) And when you plant the bulbets, don't plant them deep like you would a mature bulb. As they develop roots and grow larger they will pull themselves deeper into the soil to the depth appropriate for their size. -Helen
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Wonderful! I am delighted to hear that. I love Ednie. I lucked up years ago and was able to order Astilbes from them as a consumer , not retail supplier. Awesome stock. I would much prefer to stay with them now that I am going pro. I have contacted the Lily Garden and am waiting for a reply back to see what they will have available and cost. Thank you :)You so made my day :)
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phylrae
17 years ago
We got GREAT lilies from John Scheepers, The Bulb Crate, The Lily Garden, Brent and Becky's Bulbs and a few from White Flower Farm. I'd say the LEAST EXPENSIVE by far were JS. They are blooming like crazy right now. BuggyCrazy sent us HUGE bulbs, but she isn't selling lilies much longer. I wish I had purchased more from her when I could. BTW, I wouldn't recommend Jackson and Perkins...I planted 8 Orienpets, 5 came up and they were SKINNY and had 1 little bloom each. :0( Hope you find some good bulbs! :0) Phyl
carygardener
17 years ago
I bought a lot of bulbs from VanEngelen.com - they are the same sellers as John Scheepers ..only a bit cheaper. But by far, the best results I got were from the bulbs I bought at Walmart. I bought the bulbs as soon as they arrived at Walmart and planted them early this year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Orientals from Walmart
alina_1
17 years ago
carygardener , are they all from Wlmart??? They are gorgeous!8-)
carygardener
17 years ago
Thanks !
Yes, all orientals are from Walmart. The bulbs are fresh when they arrive so the key is to buy them as soon as they are available.
It is pity that Walmart keeps selling them as late as May.

VanEngelen had run out of Orientals late last year when I tried to order.
alina_1
17 years ago
Do you remember when you bought them? I am in the same zone. They still sell Easter Gift buskets with Lollipops and Mona lisa lilies! I checked - just in case - all bulbs are dead.
carygardener
17 years ago
I bought them in January. I guess the mild winter in NC helped. I think I got pretty good flowers in the first season itself as you can also see in the pictures.

I agree with hld6 though that lilies never go dormant and that fall is the best time to plant them. If you buy it at the right time i.e. fall, most vendors will have good bulbs.
ezlivin1
17 years ago
I'm happiest with Scheepers for the last several years. All lilies have been true to name. Are there any nurseries in NY selling potted plants? Those give me much better first season growth than the bulbs, but I haven't found a single nursery in PA, De, or MD where they have a good stock (with the exception of Stargazer).
oldroser
17 years ago
I've gotten great lilies from Brent & Becky and also from B&D in Oregon. The auratum lilies are flowering now - over my head and more than a dozen open blooms at one time. The whole front garden is full of fragrance.
tyshee
17 years ago
The best places are The Lily Garden, B & D and then Valley K greenhouses and the Lily Nook in Canada. Also contact your local Lily Society. You will pay an import fee on the Canadian Lilies but there is a huge selection. I especially like Valley K.
thirdmajorgirl
16 years ago
I LIKE VESEY`S IN CANADA FOR LILY BULBS.
singhji
15 years ago
Hi,
Does Agriculture Canada/Canada Customs allow lilly bulbs from the USA
flora2b
15 years ago
If ordering bulbs from the US to Canada you need a phyto certificate. I have only ordered from The Lily Garden and they provided it for customs.......cost $19.00 extra, if I remember correctly, but they included an extra bulb or two to help with the cost.

Lily bulbs - who is the BEST supplier? And when to plant?

hld6

Comments (15)

bobby1973

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