Buying bulbs & seeds online recommendation

Oldstyle1

Just looking for a great website to buy bulbs and seeds for flowers in my garden.

Would anyone have recommendations of some good quality sites that people have used

Thanks

paddy147

Oldstyle1 wrote: »

Just looking for a great website to buy bulbs and seeds for flowers in my garden.

Would anyone have recommendations of some good quality sites that people have used

Thanks

Dont know if this will help you but.........

You will get lots of lovely bulbs,veg and seeds in any Eurogiant and Dealz store for under 2 euro a pack (1 euro 49 cents to be exact).

We have bought many a pack and had great success with them.

Also Homebase are selling their bulbs off at 1/2 price at the moment.


Also Lidl and Aldi sell large bags of various flower bulbs for 2 euro a bag on a regular basis aswell

seefin

paddy147 wrote: »

Dont know if this will help you but.........

You will get lots of lovely bulbs,veg and seeds in any Eurogiant and Dealz store for under 2 euro a pack (1 euro 49 cents to be exact).

We have bought many a pack and had great success with them.

Also Homebase are selling their bulbs off at 1/2 price at the moment.


Also Lidl and Aldi sell large bags of various flower bulbs for 2 euro a bag on a regular basis aswell

Can you plant bulbs that are half price and just let them there and wait for them to come up in 2014 spring? Sorry for highjacking thread!

paddy147

seefin wrote: »

Can you plant bulbs that are half price and just let them there and wait for them to come up in 2014 spring? Sorry for highjacking thread!

Depending on the bulb/plant type.....You plant the bulbs now and they will come up in a few months time.

Half Price or Full Price.......it doesnt matter

padi89

Have used these quite a bit

http://www.seedaholic.com/

Be careful buying bulbs in packets, i've had issues with a few in each pack being rotten.

paddy147

padi89 wrote: »

Have used these quite a bit

http://www.seedaholic.com/

Be careful buying bulbs in packets, i've had issues with a few in each pack being rotten.

The gardening centres will soon be selling off all their bulbs as the season for buying them passes by.

I got lots of giant Allium bulbs in Plantagen for 50 cents last year...should have been 4 euro at normal retail price.

Planted them in the last weekend of Feburary and they flew up in time for June and July.

All of them came up and all were over 1 meter tall.:D

Technophobe

padi89 wrote: »

Have used these quite a bit

http://www.seedaholic.com/

Be careful buying bulbs in packets, i've had issues with a few in each pack being rotten.

Plus one to the above...

Also UK sites Dobies, Thompson & Morgan etc

paddy147

padi89 wrote: »

Have used these quite a bit

http://www.seedaholic.com/

Be careful buying bulbs in packets, i've had issues with a few in each pack being rotten.

Hense you look and check the bulbs and feel for any rotten/mushed ones,if you are buying them in an actual shop.;)

padi89

paddy147 wrote: »

Hense you look and check the bulbs and feel for any rotten/mushed ones,if you are buying them in an actual shop.;)

I went through each pack when they arrived and all I could see was a few here and there. When I opened the packet it was a different story as there were many in poor condition. The packaging was slightly opaque but still very hard to spot them all and I did look them over well initially. I was able to return them to a local store but it was still a pain in the ass. When your doing pot displays and you want certain numbers of each it's very annoying. Bought some Alliums in packets recently and 2 were unusable.
You would need net packaging like onions and be able to go through them to be sure.
A garden centre near me sold all their bulbs loose and it gave you the choice to pick the healthiest ones, il be doing this anymore.

looksee

Tescos are selling off amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus for €3. Since the ceramic cachepot is worth €3 I have bought one of each. The narcissus were all curved over in the packet, around 2" shoots but curved round the bulb. So I planted them anyway with the tops just clear of the compost. Three days later they are all straightening out nicely! Meanwhile the amaryllis is a sturdy 2 ft high - I bought it a couple of weeks ago.

The Garden Shop

Remember to shop around for seeds online.. You'l find the best deals that way and also be able to choose from the widest range of vegetable and flower seed. and that is the real benefit of growing from seed; you get such a range of varieties to sow.

WIth that in mind buying Irish would be recommend because Irish sellers sell seeds that do best in our soil

paddy147

Seed multi packs in Aldi for 3 euro.

Also loads of GROW YOUR OWN seed packs for 79 cents each.

Huge choice of seeds.:)

paddy147

padi89 wrote: »

I went through each pack when they arrived and all I could see was a few here and there. When I opened the packet it was a different story as there were many in poor condition. The packaging was slightly opaque but still very hard to spot them all and I did look them over well initially. I was able to return them to a local store but it was still a pain in the ass. When your doing pot displays and you want certain numbers of each it's very annoying. Bought some Alliums in packets recently and 2 were unusable.
You would need net packaging like onions and be able to go through them to be sure.
A garden centre near me sold all their bulbs loose and it gave you the choice to pick the healthiest ones, il be doing this anymore.

Easily seen and felt for rotten mushy bulbs in this type of packet.;)


1 euro 49 cents in Dealz.:)

looksee

Ref my earlier post, all the daffodils have unwound themselves and are now growing straight up, about six inches high with flower buds showing!

pwurple

Oldstyle1 wrote: »

Just looking for a great website to buy bulbs and seeds for flowers in my garden.

Would anyone have recommendations of some good quality sites that people have used

Thanks

If you are looking for good quality, disease free bulbs, and want to be able to chose the varities rather than getting mixed bags of junk, then avoid the Dealz, B&Q, Tescos etc. the bulbs are very hit and miss, can carry disease that will wipe out the rest of your bulbs and are not stored properly, so you will get rotten or dried out ones a lot of the time. You get what you pay for basically.

Professionals and garden club members get their bulbs mail order from reputable sources. Taylors bulbs is who I use now. Sally-Anne is usually the person I deal with. She is very good.

http://s437141188.websitehome.co.uk/taylors/
The mail order websit is here:
http://www.bulbs.co.uk/

I wish I could recommend an irish company for this, but I have been looking a LONG time, and not found anyone comparable. There are dutch sites I use too... but the postage is always cheaper from the UK.

paddy147

pwurple wrote: »

If you are looking for good quality, disease free bulbs, and want to be able to chose the varities rather than getting mixed bags of junk, then avoid the Dealz, B&Q, Tescos etc. the bulbs are very hit and miss, can carry disease that will wipe out the rest of your bulbs and are not stored properly, so you will get rotten or dried out ones a lot of the time. You get what you pay for basically.

Professionals and garden club members get their bulbs mail order from reputable sources. Taylors bulbs is who I use now. Sally-Anne is usually the person I deal with. She is very good.

http://s437141188.websitehome.co.uk/taylors/
The mail order websit is here:
http://www.bulbs.co.uk/


I wish I could recommend an irish company for this, but I have been looking a LONG time, and not found anyone comparable. There are dutch sites I use too... but the postage is always cheaper from the UK.

Well Ive bought packets of bulbs from the above,aswell as Homebase,Lidl and Aldi and never had any problems.....(I tend to check and feel through the packets,as I described in my last post)

I posted the pics of the various bulbs too,and also when they had grown and where in full flower.

Never had a problem with any of them.:)

Now I know there will allways be the odd case of a rotten bulb....but sure you can get that from anywhere.....no matter how prestigious a gardening store may be.


Also if you go to BLOOM then you will get some good and IRISH CONTACTS for bulb and seed supplies.

paddy147

Oh and Ive also bought giant allium bulbs from Plantagen and Aldi for in late Februay (clearence specials.....paid 1 euro per pack) that had started to growin their packets.Planted them straight away on the same day as I bought them.

They have all grown and given beautifull full shaped allium flowers in mid June,through to July and into early August...(pics posted to show them in packs and also in full bloom,with bees all over them).

pwurple

I've been to bloom a few times paddy147, and I've never been impressed with the bulb sellers. Bloom in general I'm not impressed with though. I know they are trying, and maybe in a while it will get established, but it's nowhere near the standard of the UK shows like hampton court, or any of the dutch shows. OP specifically asked for QUALITY bulbs. For hobby gardeners, they are fine for sure, but you could never put a professional planting plan together and say 'Chance your arm and buy something from Aldi'. How would you even get enough qty there for a bank of the same colour? It's like an interior designer putting up a paint spec for whatever is on special offer in B&Q that day.

Also, those places are going to be selling the bog standard crowd pleasers. Not anything special or unusual. It's fine for your staples like Allium 'Purple Sensation', or Tulip 'Queen of the Night' for regular gardeners. But if you want a display with something extra, like texture and longevity of flowering, you might want to put a bit more thought into the combinations and add maybe Havran , Tambour Maitre, Cuban Night or Muriel to your dark tulip bed. You're just not going to get them in Dealz.

Novaman

I've ordered from Bakker on their Irish website, they are a very quality orientated company and have no complaints with them.

http://www.bakker-irl.com/

They will ship to you their bulbs from Holland by courier and give a one year guarantee with bulbs flowering

I hope that this helps...

NM

paddy147

pwurple wrote: »

I've been to bloom a few times paddy147, and I've never been impressed with the bulb sellers. Bloom in general I'm not impressed with though. I know they are trying, and maybe in a while it will get established, but it's nowhere near the standard of the UK shows like hampton court, or any of the dutch shows. OP specifically asked for QUALITY bulbs. For hobby gardeners, they are fine for sure, but you could never put a professional planting plan together and say 'Chance your arm and buy something from Aldi'. How would you even get enough qty there for a bank of the same colour? It's like an interior designer putting up a paint spec for whatever is on special offer in B&Q that day.

Also, those places are going to be selling the bog standard crowd pleasers. Not anything special or unusual. It's fine for your staples like Allium 'Purple Sensation', or Tulip 'Queen of the Night' for regular gardeners. But if you want a display with something extra, like texture and longevity of flowering, you might want to put a bit more thought into the combinations and add maybe Havran , Tambour Maitre, Cuban Night or Muriel to your dark tulip bed. You're just not going to get them in Dealz.

So 1st you tell me that the bulbs in these stores and DIY stores are junk and all mixed up and rotten.

pwurple wrote: »

If you are looking for good quality, disease free bulbs, and want to be able to chose the varities rather than getting mixed bags of junk, then avoid the Dealz, B&Q, Tescos etc. the bulbs are very hit and miss, can carry disease that will wipe out the rest of your bulbs .

I reply saying that Ive never had any such problem with any bulbs bought from any of the stores I have mentioned (as my pictures have shown through the years)

And now you are on about something else...namely professionals,hobbiests,and regular gardeners...(dont know what any of that has got to do with this thread and why you are even mentioning it).




So in reply to your comments about getting crap,rotten and mixed up bulbs from these stores.........Ive have had no such problems with rotten or crap bulbs from any of these stores.

So I thinks a tad harsh of you to slate these shops in the way and manner you are slating them.



But hey...that only my personal experience and what I have bought off of B&Q,Tesco,Homebase,Woodies,Aldi,Lidl,Plantagen,Dealz,and Eurogiant.


I didnt know that only certain classes of gardeners buy certain types of bulbs and plants....Id like to hear how you came up with that one...did you interview every gardener in Ireland.???


Oh and before you have think Im having a go at you or looking for an arguement...IM NOT.....(not into arguements and squables)

Im honestly just trying to understand figure out how you have come to all of your conclusions,and how you can slate these shops??

Thanks.

padi89

pwurple, just to say the packaged bulbs i had issues with were Taylors bought from an Irish company. I think the issue lies with storage and I am personally not a fan of using plastic packaging not matter how much ventilation. I was looking at Canas recently in a hardware store and out of about 20 packets only two looked good.

I will say this though the ones i bought sold loose where you could pick and choose were excellent quality. The bulbs were much plumper and healthier than any packaged ones i received. For me this is the best option and il be sticking to it in future.

pwurple

Paddy147, I don't mean to slate them, I've said they are fine for regular gardeners above in my posts.

I don't know how you haven't seen mixed bags of bulbs, I see them all over the place. Red Assortment, yellow assortment etc. I never said 'crap'. I said mixed, and sometimes rotten. By mixed, I mean mixed intentionally. Those are fine for some people, but not for everyone. If stored in plastic, they are often rotten. You've found rotten ones yourself. Same thing happens with onions or leeks stored long term in plastic in a supermarket. End of season (which this is) that is even more likely.

I'm offering another alternative to your suggestions, as the OP didn't ask specifically for bargain basment, which you have recommended... No need to jump down my throat over it. They may want the cheap bulbs. Now they have both options. Hurray for everyone.


Padi89, yes I agree. Plastic is not the right storage material. The bulbs sweat, get moist and rot, even with those tiny holes. I normally buy bulbs in larger qtys, so they come in crates.

paddy147

pwurple wrote: »

Paddy147, I don't mean to slate them, I've said they are fine for regular gardeners above in my posts.

I don't know how you haven't seen mixed bags of bulbs, I see them all over the place. Red Assortment, yellow assortment etc. I never said 'crap'. I said mixed, and sometimes rotten. By mixed, I mean mixed intentionally. Those are fine for some people, but not for everyone. If stored in plastic, they are often rotten. You've found rotten ones yourself. Same thing happens with onions or leeks stored long term in plastic in a supermarket. End of season (which this is) that is even more likely.

I'm offering another alternative to your suggestions, as the OP didn't ask specifically for bargain basment, which you have recommended... No need to jump down my throat over it. They may want the cheap bulbs. Now they have both options. Hurray for everyone.


Padi89, yes I agree. Plastic is not the right storage material. The bulbs sweat, get moist and rot, even with those tiny holes. I normally buy bulbs in larger qtys, so they come in crates.

So tell me what the difference with this pack of Fritillarys that I bought in Hoimebase for 2 euro,and that is also for sale in 2 established garden centres for 4 euro....(exact same pack)


The only difference is PRICE..and not quality of the bulb.;)...(as I have experienced from planting them in my own garden)


I dont think gardening has to be expensive and exclusive to a few shops or websites.To me, quality is about a bulb growing,producing a nice flower,that lasts the time and then come back up the following season and flowers again.

Quality isnt just all about how expensive it is or cost or what shop you bought it from.

Gardening can be as expensive as you want it to be,or as cheap as you wantt it to be.

And you can still get the look....if you shop around too.


Its not about bargain basement either..its about BARGAINS....(well it is for me )..:D

Letyourselfgo

padi89 wrote: »

Have used these quite a bit

http://www.seedaholic.com/.

Thanks for the recommendation, just bought some tall growing Daisy type seeds. Each seed type comes clipped to it's own sheet with a load of info (history and sowing info etc), very professional looking and will definitely use again.

brno

Hi, I find thegardenshop.ie very good value for all things gardening.

paddy147

I also pop into Mr Middleton every now and again.

He does have some good deals and sometimes you can pick up some hard to find and get seed sand bulbs on the cheap too (where packets have split open or lables have gotten torn).

pwurple

paddy147 wrote: »

So tell me what the difference with this pack of Fritillarys that I bought in Hoimebase for 2 euro,and that is also for sale in 2 established garden centres for 4 euro....(exact same pack)

Seriously? :rolleyes:

A "Bumper Pack" of 12 measly snakehead fritillaria? It's a ripoff at 2 euro for a start.

Mr Middleton, a reputable bulb seller, sells these at 50 for 8 euro. That's even cheaper per bulb than your 'bargain', and they will be stored properly.


There are plenty of reasons I wouldn't buy them.
-It's February. September is their planting time.
-They are bog standard, I prefer the ones I don't see in everyone elses garden. the tall varieties.
-It's packaged in plastic
-It's more packaging than plant... Your price is mainly packaging. Snakehead fritillaria are miniscule. 12 will go absolutely nowhere. You need another 10 bags of them to even fill a medium size pot.


Honestly, the likes of bargain shops are not bargains for this stuff a lot of the time. You're having the wool pulled over your eyes if you think they are not making big money selling a cheap low-quality product for inflated price.

paddy147

pwurple wrote: »

Seriously? :rolleyes:

A "Bumper Pack" of 12 measly snakehead fritillaria? It's a ripoff at 2 euro for a start.

Mr Middleton, a reputable bulb seller, sells these at 50 for 8 euro. That's even cheaper per bulb than your 'bargain', and they will be stored properly.


There are plenty of reasons I wouldn't buy them.
-It's February. September is their planting time.
-They are bog standard, I prefer the ones I don't see in everyone elses garden. the tall varieties.
-It's packaged in plastic
-It's more packaging than plant... Your price is mainly packaging. Snakehead fritillaria are miniscule. 12 will go absolutely nowhere. You need another 10 bags of them to even fill a medium size pot.


Honestly, the likes of bargain shops are not bargains for this stuff a lot of the time. You're having the wool pulled over your eyes if you think they are not making big money selling a cheap low-quality product for inflated price.

Who said I bought/sewed them in February????????

I didnt say that.

And who said that I didnt buy another 10 bags of them???

I did (12 in total actually).

Dont be all hasty now and jump to conclusions...like you did on the Camellia thread.;)





So in your eyes and view.....gardening has to be expensive and if you dont buy from a certain website/shop then it must be junk and no good.
I also like how you have personally tested all these bulbs from all these shops you have slated and that they are all low quality,because they are cheap.

Those are some fantastic conclusions you have come up with there.:pac:


Ok so you may think that the bulbs form all the shops mentioned are junk because they are cheap,but the fact is that all the bulbs I have purchased have flowered and flowered very nicely.

Now you may like to look down your nose and put down flowers/bulbs that other people and gardeners may like,but isnt that what gardening is about.............."what a person/individual likes".





I like my garden,I like what I have so far planted in it,and Im happy with what I have bought and planted.Nothing was rotten/mush,nothing has died or failed to come up and flower.You also dont know half of what is in my garden,so dont be so quick to judge.

Now you may have different and possibly more expensive tastes than me with regards to bulbs,but dont put down another persons choices down because you dont agree with it or where they bought from and at what price.

You dont see me putting you down over your bulbs or prices,do you????;)



Oh and it may surprise you that I dont just look around in/shop in diy stores or discount stores or supermarkets.
I also happen to shop in well known nurseries and in garden centres around the county of dublin and around leinster too.If I see a bargain then I will usually buy it.:)

Recently bought some nice big black round fibrecrete pots and some trees too for not alot of euros,aswell as some evergreen ferns and black grasses too.
After all,when a bargain is to be had,I will usually whip it up.


Thanks and Regards.

pwurple

You managed to conveniently ignore the link where your "bargain" was more expensive than buying them in Mr Middleton I see.

You got ripped off mate.

I don't know where you are getting that things have to be more expensive when I showed you a cheaper option, with better quality bulbs.

Get over yourself.

paddy147

pwurple wrote: »

You managed to conveniently ignore the link where your "bargain" was more expensive than buying them in Mr Middleton I see.

You got ripped off mate.

I don't know where you are getting that things have to be more expensive when I showed you a cheaper option, with better quality bulbs.

Get over yourself.

I think its you that needs to get over yourself and also to take a step back and not look down your nose and prejudge any person that buys bulbs that you dont like or think are any good.

Oh and I havent overlooked or ignored anything (unlike yourself and the Camellia thread)..
I have replied to everything you have said and posted.
Mr Middleton is a good place to buy from...as I have said in a previous post...I shop there.

I was in Homebase and bought the bulbs there,as it was handy for me instead of trying to get all the way into town.I said they were more expensive in 2 other garden places in the general area.So I bought them in Homebase,while I was there looking around.So therefore yes,it was a bargain for me

And I wouldnt be surprized if there was somewhere else in Ireland that you could get those bulbs cheaper from than in Mr Middletons....but sure who knows?????




Now you have absolutely SLATED any shop (named supermarket,named diy stores,named discount stores) that sells bulbs on the cheap,you have claimed they are all junk and diseased too...all because they are cheap and werent bought from x shop or y website.

I replied to say that I have never had any problem with any of these bulbs that I have bought.
You then go off on a totally different agenda talking about classes of gardener and look down your nose at what people may buy and plant,because it doesnt sit well with you.



Gardening is all about individual tastes and what a person enjoys to do with regards gardening themselves.

Please remember that and do not look down your nose at every other gardener who might plant bulbs that you dont see fit to buy or see fit to plant.

No one does it to you,so you dont do it to others.

Show a little respect for all gardeners and their individual tastes and dont have a go at them for their personal likes and choices of plants/flowers.

Thanks.

pwurple

I'm not looking down my nose at anyone, I am struggling to see why you are making this assumption. There is room in the world for us all. I've said that loads of times in this thread, but you keep insisting the opposite. Inability to read? That could explain you thinking your bulbs were a good deal too.

I firmly believe gardening is best done with your own propogation, which is free free free free. No expense required.

My words about the discount stores were to be cautious, as you have no idea how the product was stored before sale, and it certainly isn't stored properly in the shops. Plants are perishable. Storage is important.

You have been spouting off-topic bigoted vitriol towards me for the last few posts, and I'm wondering what your motivation is. Do you work in a discount store maybe? Or are related to someone who works there? I can't think of any other reason for your unquestioning loyalty to the foreign retailers.

I haven't even disagreed with you much, except to point out that your bargain was nothing of the sort. You paid over the odds for no good reason. Bad advice to any gardener I'd call that.