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Best place to buy tulip bulbs

Sandra ASandra A Posts: 146
Hello, what would be the best place to buy tulip bulbs online? Thank you

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You may struggle to find much of a selection just now @Sandra A, if that's what you mean. If you want some for this coming year, there might be some on sale though, or even in local GCs or other outlets as 'already potted up' specimens.
    Online, Peter Nyssen may still have some, and also places like Farmer Gracy and Broadleigh, which are all reliable, but it's not really the right time for buying them  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AthelasAthelas Posts: 946
    September to November appears to be the peak time for buying tulip bulbs online. Sale offers will go deeper the later it gets in the year, so I tend to wait until early November, but different varieties (inevitably the ones you might want) will start to go out of stock. By early to mid December it’s mainly the ice cream coloured fringed ones left…

    If you’re after tulips that will flower this spring, Sarah Raven sell some in 2 litre pots, shipping in February, but note they are on the expensive side for plants/bulbs.
    Cambridgeshire, UK
  • Sandra ASandra A Posts: 146
    Hi everybody, thank you for your comments. @Fairygirl I thought that maybe Farmer Gracy would have them to be ordered now and delivered later, as they have several varieties to buy now, deliver later, but there are none available. @Athelas, Sarah Raven is too expensive for me. So, when would be a good time to order tulip bulbs, if you want them to perform in 2024? @Fire thank you. will read now :)
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited December 2023
    Gee Tee still have quite a lot for sale and on sale. I use the company often. They are a wholesaler but also sell to the public.


  • AthelasAthelas Posts: 946
    Sandra A said:
    So, when would be a good time to order tulip bulbs, if you want them to perform in 2024?
    Hi @Sandra A, you can try buying bulbs from Gee Tee now, as linked in @Fire’s post, and plant them as soon as they arrive.

    However, the typical timing is this:
    1. Order bulbs online or buy them from garden centres/groceries/etc. when they start appearing on sale, e.g., between September and November 2023
    2. Plant bulbs in October/November 2023, but you can do this as late as December 2023 or even January 2024
    3. Tulips will flower in April/May 2024
    Cambridgeshire, UK
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    @Sandra A - you can find bulbs being shown online with the reliable sellers from around late summer, and that's a good time to decide on the ones you want and place your order, before the favourites are sold out. They'll be sent out in early autumn and you can either plant them or store them - that depends on where you're located. We can easily plant tulips in the ground in September up here, whereas it's better to do them a bit later if you're in the south due to temperatures which will favour the virus. 

    I would only buy  tulip bulbs this late if they were practically giving them away, especially if it's the species/botanical ones as they flower from around February.  They may not be as viable due to the storage conditions.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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