It's funny but I actually did order this way one year. It's easy to see the holes in the spring garden while it's blooming and think about what you want to add for the next year, so I placed the order in May and then it was delivered in October!

Yes, I also did this last year and ordered a lot of daffodils and chiondoxia plus some other pretties I couldn't resist. They delivered in a timely manner that Fall. I think the catalog I got said May 10th. was the deadline and it looks identical to yours. I'll have to check again. Also got their "all daffodils" catalog, both catalogs received in April.

I thought that everyone realized that was the best time to buy (sorta like lalala said). I have bought in this time frame for ten or fiveteen years.

Must not look... must not look... must not look...

In May when everybody else's bulbs are blooming, I see endless opportunities. I daydream about all the places where I could tuck in a few more pretties. The bulb catalog pages become tatty and a large charge appears on my credit card. In fall, when a hefty box of bulbs arrives, the gardens have filled in and I don't remember where all those new bulbs were supposed to go.Both DH and the UPS driver shake their heads at me.

A local independent nursery stocks a wide assortment of bulbs so now I wait until October. Holding the bulbs in my hand as I select them feels satisfying. I don't have a comprehensive local source for peonies, so I do need to order those now.

Re Chionodoxa (Apr 15,2009):

Have seen it moving into a local park here, though it's not in the woodlot yet.

Yes, I know the chionodoxa (thanks for correcting spelling I know I need to be careful over here on this forum) can travel. I had a vision of them lining the edges under my Privet Arch. It's taken a long time to accomplish so that's why I bought more every year. Now I'd better stop.

Should have learned my lesson after I planted muscari. I just dug some out of the weeds at the edge of the property line next to the field.

My scilla has hopped the fence into my neighbor's yard. Thankfully, she seems to enjoy it. [g] . I wish my chionodoxa would spread. I added about a dozen into my back lawn 3 years ago and I still keep getting the original dozen back and no more.

Is there any discount offered for ordering this early?

My only fear of ordering this early, is I don't know what my fall is going to be like. Am I going to feel like planting the 100 or more bulbs that I enthusiastically ordered in the spring? Am I going to have the time?

The downsides listed above were true for me. I couldn't remember exactly where I wanted the bulbs by the time fall rolled around, and by October I didn't really feel like planting them!! (October is a busier time of year at work than May and there's less light for being outside, so i was like "GAH! I don't want to plant 100 bulbs after work!") So I haven't done it again. But I still think it's a good idea, especially if you make targeted purchases and take pictures of your garden in spring for reference.

In general I don't understand how people plant new bulbs without destroying the old ones. Every time I plant things I'm accidentally impaling some poor buried tulip or daffodil.

uh oh, I just ordered 25 double purple tulips and 50 chinodoxa for fall delivery.

schoolhouse.. can we see your privet tunnel in leaf ... looks real cool ...

i can see the marketing genius in allowing ordering.. when you are looking at the spots you want to fill in fall ...

but ..the big question is .. will you have a clue where to plant them in fall ... lol ...

you might want to snap some pix now ....

and then make sure to plant some annuals in the spot ... so you can rip them out at bulb planting time ... else.. otherwise.. you might fill the spot with perennials ... and then wonder .. what the heck .... where are all those spots ... lol ...

ken

Having another tulip year so yep, I AM looking.

The privet arch is very old, planted at least 36yrs.ago. Altho the arch has been nice for so many years, three years ago I began trimming out dead wood and last year had the top trimmed, thinking to refresh it a bit and still maintain the arch. It is making a difference. So these are photos from this morning. A wet morning after a windy storm, so things are a bit droopy. Every Spring and Fall I do some maintenance pruning on the inside and removing dead branches.

You can see how the chionodoxa foliage has already began to fade away. I won't mow it tho for awhile yet.

Ken, I like the idea of planting annuals where you want to put bulbs in the fall. Genius! :-)

When are they shipped?

I couldn't remember exactly where I wanted the bulbs by the time fall rolled around,

Lately I have taken video clips with my phone when the bulbs are in bloom so that I am able to see where there are gaps in the planting.

When are they shipped?

Sometime in September/Oct as I recall.

Is there any discount offered for ordering this early?

There is advertised a large discount but it has been my experience that Brecks and others have sales all the time.

I received an order from Vesey’s and was very surprised to find their Fall catalogue at the bottom!

@schoolhouse: your privet hedge is dreamy!!