What do nearby independent garden centers have?

The ones that do really well for me are Scilla peruviana, Chasmanthe floribunda, and of course Amaryllis belladonna.

Those are spectacular photos, gyr!! I can grow bletilla but it doesn't spread like that. Neither do the freesia - they are mostly a one season wonder here, which is unfortunate, as they are my very most favorite cut flower because of their scent. And the hipps are definitely only houseplants in my area. I think the winter soils stay too wet for them.

You guys are so lucky in the choice of bulbs you can plant that are not necessarily hardy in cooler climates. I get bored with the standard spring bloomers - daffs, crocus, tulips, etc.

In addition to those mentioned you should try more South African bulbs.. all these are permanent for me...

Babiana, Ipheon, Ixia, Sparaxis, Tritonia, Watsonia

And Ranunculus

I have used Brent and Becky, Easy to Grow Bulbs...

I got my purple freesias from a local nursery. Two bags of 10 each 9 yrs ago and now I have hundreds. They were put in one area and I have thinned numerous times and now they are everywhere. They multiply faster than bunnies. One year I bought 2 bags of double blue at a big box home improvement store and they were mixed. I keep tearing the red one out. They come up in October to have the winter green and bloom in march-april. I'll get several days of frost each winter but not cold enough for other bulbs. I put in a few grape hyacinth many years ago and they come up but rarely flower. Just 3 flowers of them last year.

I got fressias from easytogrowbulbs when they donated some bulbs to the Huntington Fall Plant sale that were great. Then I got some more from my local Armstrong nursery and the bulbs came with thrips. That just sucked.

Haemanthus do quite well for me as well, speaking of South Africans.

If you want to get crazy, http://telosrarebulbs.com/

I've got three boxes of bulbs on my dining table right now! I can't help but order when they first become available, then I'll order a few more from elsewhere, then the sales start to wrap up the season and I can't help it there's a third order! Then spring bulb pre-orders have already started...?!?

Easy to Grow Bulbs used to be my favorite, but they've disappointed me more and more lately. Plus shipping is too much, and you have to order $125 for free shipping... Feels silly when I live 15 minutes from them.

Longfield Gardens sells slightly smaller bulbs, but is way cheaper and offers free shipping at only $50 order. Their range is a little more limited, too, but if they have what you want I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Then there's always Brent & Becky's...

Bulb madness!!!

Check out Annie's Annuals, https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/filter/?type=bulb&list=&color=&life=&availability=&water=&sun=&zone=USDA-zone-10a

A lot of bulbs grown in other parts of the country don't grow so well in SoCal because they need a winter cold period. So bulb options in SoCal are usually limited.

The selection is definitely different than the typical tulips, hyacinths, and crocus, but the sheer number of bulbs/corms that are perfect for our climate are staggering. Just look for those that originate from the Mediterranean or South Africa, whose climates are very similar to ours -- hot dry summer, mild moist winter -- and you will get freesia, ixia, watsonia, and so much more that naturalize happily. Even the holiday staple Amaryllis will grow happily outdoors for us! Of course you can artificially chill to force bulbs that need a cold winter too, but there are so many options that don't need it here, you'll never get bored. My addiction proves it ;-)

And there are a ton that absolutely need a summer dry period that we can grow but most everyone else can't because they rot away over the summer.