I was just writing to Claire in her post looking for daffodils to go with Forsythia how much I like Old House Gardens. I ordered some summer bulbs (cannas, tuberoses, dahlias, etc. ) from them and was so pleased with the quality and varieties offered. You may want to check them out. They have heirloom, antique varieties that are often hardier than today's varieties especially for tulips. Some of the modern tulips are breed for forcing in pots or the cut flower trade and don't flower the next year reliably as the older varieties. Check out their web site they have a lot of growing information in any case. One thing I learned from them is that tulips like dry summers. If they get too much water in the summer they will not do well so you have to site them properly (i.e. not near your automatic sprinklers!). Their fall 2006 catalog is coming out soon.

Another I am considering ordering from is John Scheepers. They have 'species' tulips which are more reliable for blooming in subsequent years. Brent and Becky's has a great reputation also. They had a large gorgeous, display at the New England Flower show this year.

I always check out GardenWatchDog for company's ratings before ordering:
http://davesgarden.com/gwd/

Here is a link that might be useful: Old House Gardens

Just posting my experience...

Brecks. Several years ago I bought tulips. 1st year TERRIFIC! 2nd year- ok...3rd & subsequent years- very poor.

After I'd been playing around these forums and others over the past year, I found some information that substantiated my results: others had the same results with Breck's bulbs. Not sure why this is, but many seem to have the 'depreciation' factor going on with their bulbs. So...that having been said, I have no problems with purchasing WM or local grain-store bulbs each year rather than spending 3x that on Breck's bulbs and getting poor results in the subsequent years.

YMMV.

Wow, this is a hard question to answer - for me at least! I LOVE spring bulbs, and have rarely met a bulb I didn't like!

I buy most of my bulbs now from John Scheepers. I buy a few from B&B, but find they are expensive and don't really do any better than Scheepers. I've used Breck's in the past, but no longer. I also have had decent results with Dutch Gardens, but again, the bulk of my bulbs I get from Scheepers. I have heard good things about Old House but have no personal experience to relate with them... yet. :)

Tulips in general, IMHO, don't do very well here as perennials. I now use them as annuals or maybe for a two-year show, and that's that. Most of the tulips I buy now I pot up and place on my patio or front porch. To me, it's a pain in the butt to have to dig them up, so it's easier to dump the pot. My favorite tulip is Pink Impression. Huge, gorgeous pink blooms, and these did come back fairly nicely (in the ground) for a second season - not as spectacular as the first year, but really much more nicely than I expected. Another favorite is Barcelona, a smaller, deeper pink. (Can you tell I love pink, lol?) One tulip I tried this year is Yonina, which is a lily-flowered tulip. It is (what else?) a dark pink and opens up star-like on a sunny day to reveal a blue center. Elegant Lady is another pretty lily-flowered tulip, pale yellow with pink edges.

Daffodils - where do I start? I love big, bold, bright daffodils. My favorites are King Alfred, Serola, and Fortissimo. They are spectacular! But the little ones are nice too - Rip Van Winkle, Jetfire, Tete-a-tete, Jenny. I also add some Quail to my garden every year. These are a jonquilla type, and they are late-blooming, very long lasting, and fragrant. Another jonquilla that is nice is Pueblo. Very fragrant to my nose.

And I do have to admit a fondness for the small bulbs. I LOVE snowdrops and crocuses - how can you not love a flower that can bloom in February in the snow? Snowdrops last for almost two months in my garden. Scilla is also nice, and I add some chionodoxa every year to my garden. And of course muscari makes such a nice companion to daffodils and pink tulips! I always had trouble with anemones, but this year had quite a few blooms so hopefully the bulbs are finally established.

If you have deer, keep in mind that deer like tulips but not daffs (another reason I keep my tulips closer to the house). And make sure you plant your bulbs at the right depth, in well-draining soil. Too much moisture is probably the worst problem you can have with bulbs.

I know it makes your head spin, but really, the best thing to do is look through catalogs and get an idea of what you like. I think in general most bulbs do well here, and it's really just a matter of what you like.

Have fun!
:)
Dee

mmqchdygg, tulips do not "perennialise" the way most other bulbs do. Unless you select species or kaufman tulips, most varieties DO in fact depreciate, no matter where you buy them. With perfect bulbs and perfect care, they can last for many years, but there's no digging/dividing chore like there is with daffs.

By the way, that's a great way to describe the way they slowly fade away.

Spring bulbs... good topic. I planted most of mine 2 years ago, and I have forgotten their names. I am also looking to fill in some areas and replenish my beds.

My favorite spring bulbs are crocus and grape hyacinth and daffodils. But in 4 weeks I'll be muttering about the dying foliage.

If you are new to bulbs, then explore the idea of bulb layering. This way you can get a continous display from the same area. Bottom layer large bulbs like allium, next layer daffodils, hyacinth, and top layer crocus. My layered bulb displays are not as tight as my mono-layer (is that an adjective?) bulbs, but the display is worth it.

This is the first spring I've had bulbs in my half whiskey barrel. Last fall, I got a steep discount on left-over bulbs in November. So, having always wanted to give it a try...I ordered 75 bulbs of different types (crocus, muscari, scilla, daffs, & tulips. I crammed them all in the barrel starting with the larger bulbs at the deepest level and working upwards. It's been a joy for the past four weeks, or so & something different besides pansies in that barrel. They'll be gone after this weekend's rains so I'll dig them up and replant in the garden in the same way (one multi-layered clump). They, probably, won't bloom next year but should settle in for spring '08. There are so many fun ways to use bulbs. I've developed a new love of the smaller cup daffs...ones like 'Segovia' & 'Geranium' as well as the poetic ones. I also love 'Baby Moon'...it's very late, short, multi-stemmed and hardly looks like a daff at all (rounded, overlapped petals) and 'Hawera' (short & throws multi-flowers per stem).

Have fun with bulbs...it's a good opportunity to just let the creative spirit move you and try new things. As far as perennializing tulips in New England, I've done well with the Darwin Hybrids. They actually multiply in the first three years, or so & continue to perform very well for 5-6 years. But, eventually, even they need to be replaced. The species tulips also perennialize quite well in my garden but they are very different than the large hybrids, if you're not familar with them. Most are under 6" tall and bloom quite a bit later.

Scilla 'Spring Beauty' is one bulb I'd really hate being without come April. I combine it with hoop petticoat daffs which start to open just as the scillas are going by. I've got this combo planted between 'Sum & Substance' hostas along a pathway leading from the front to back gardens.

I also order the majority of my bulbs from Scheepers.

I've found that nearly every daffodil in the north is a pretty sure bet. They will come back year after year and even multiply.

Unfortunately, tulips don't do as well. They usually put on a spectacular show the first spring after planting, but in subsequent years sort of fade away til they no longer bloom. And usually the fancier they are, the less likely they are to be perennials. The good old Darwins seem to return year after year, as will most of the "species" tulips. I have had a double-flowered collection I ordered from Scheepers 3 years ago that keeps coming back strong, as well as some peony-flowered tulips.

I have some friends who treat their tulips as annuals. Every fall they order copious amounts of beautiful bulbs, plant them, then the following spring they dig them up and discard them after they're done blooming--then they plant annuals in their place.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice and suggestions. I did not know that about tulips (said in my best Ron White voice). I have enough trouble with my own accelerated depreciation, let alone dealing with that of bulbs that I plant, and this property is Grand Central Station for deer, so I think IÂll stay away from tulips and focus on other spring bulbs.

DD, I did not find King Alfred on the BreckÂs website, but I learned from some of the other excellent sites mentioned that it only called that in the US and that elsewhere in the world it is called Dutch Master. Given the size, IÂll bet that BreckÂs ÂColossal Daffodil is probably their version of Dutch Master. Peering around my monitor, I can see a half dozen blooming right now out in the garden. Even in the rain they hold their headÂs up proudly, must be royalty.

Too many choices! With respect to daffodils I found a couple of collations that offer nice variety and include some of the ones yaÂll recommended. I think IÂll start with those and then see what to add, either later this year or next year, after they bloom. I have a coupon for BreckÂs that expires soon and also want to order some perennials from them, so I think IÂll start there and maybe order from some of the other websites, once their 2006 catalogs are out.

I also like the idea of layering. The reason I stayed away from spring bulbs for so long was because I considered them one-hit wonders  a week or so of color and then wilting greens. BUT, after watching the crocus and tulips and daffodils and hyacinths bloom one into the other, IÂve gotten just a bit wiser. And, with layering it is possible to extend the color in the same spot, instead of scattered all over the garden (not that thatÂs bad, either). Since I have so many new stretches of bare ground to fill, what with all the construction, itÂs the perfect opportunity to plant layers, since there will be nothing blocking me.

Again, thanks everyone for all the great ideas. I am definitely psyched to plant bulbs.

narcnh

As Isabella mentioned, fading foliage is a BIG issue with daffs, especially if you plant them among "more polite" or short perennials. I've got this problem where I've planted them with hellebores and pasque flowers - the spent daff foliage is a real killer.

Last year I bought a bunch of bulbs from Touch of Nature, because I found surprise lilies (aka nekkid ladies) at a great price there. THey have a great rating on garden watchdog, and their service was outstanding.

Here is a link that might be useful: Touch of Nature

DiTD

Lycoris squamigera (a new one on me) look very cool. Unfortunately, ToN is sold out of all varieties. I'll check back later in the year to see if they get in some stock.

narcnh

Lycoris squamigera is one of the toughest bulbs to find a proper place in a garden. Not that they are finicky, they will grow (and multiply) in almost any condition except boggy/swampy soil and blooms equally happy in sun or part-shade.
Problem lays in a foliage issue which will come up in a spring, stays well into June and then disappear without producing any flowers. Then in August 'nekkid' stalks appear out of nowhere and after they bloomed the new set of leaves emerges again.
Idealy, they could be placed among late emerging hostas which will cover their dieing foliage, but you have to select hosta variety that will NOT bloom at the same time as lycoris. Also, both hostas and lycoris would like to multiply and that might create some conflict of interest space wise. If you could manage to make such combo to work, everybody will be asking you name of that pink blooming hosta. LOL.
In a real life, placement along the edges of the woods or behind some 1' tall perennial with dense/decent foliage would be optimal. In one garden I saw them planted between grouping of the Crimson Pigmy barberry. At the bloom time combo was OK, but I don't think in a spring it was a nice combo.
Or...just use them for cut flowers. They are gorgeous!

Interesting thread! Didn't see any mention of English Wood Hyacinths specifically. I've always been confused by what botanical name should be used -- I've heard of at least three, but a quick Google search by common name finds the plant I'm talking about. They might also be called Spanish Bluebells but I don't call it that since they are also pink and white.

Got 120 of these from Pinetree late last fall and planted in semi-shade as a ground cover. LOVE these plants. In a former garden after 3 years they clumped quite nicely, the flowers hold for a good long time, the foliage is a nice alternative to other semi-shade ground covers, and they are virtually maintenance free. Haven't found a critter that likes them as much as me :-)

I think a key to tulips is how long the bloom is left on the plant. I have all of mine in a cutting garden and the ones that I don't cut (I marked them as an experiment) petered out in this year 2. For bedding I'd replace them every year.

Getting some very cool ideas for spring, here!!

Martie

George:

Do you think the Lycoris squamigera would look good coming through Hosta plantaginea? Would they bloom about the same time? Is the pink too light to go well with the white hosta flower? Or maybe the hosta leaves are too tall?

My hosta plantaginea are coming up very slowly, way behind the other hostas, so maybe the Lycoris leaves would complement the hosta.

I also like spanish bluebells, whose name has gone through scilla, endymion and hyacinthoides since I first met them. Mine are close to blooming now (I still have late daffodils and muscari in bloom).

If you like very late delicate little yellow daffodils, N. Hawera is in bloom now. I'd completely forgotten I'd planted them, so it was a lovely surprise when they bloomed.

Claire

I love daffodils... 'Ice Follies', 'Geranium' , 'Las Vegas', 'Carlton','Flower Record' and the late blooming white 'Thalia'.