Article 20019 of rec.gardens:
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Revised bulb catalog list
Date: 19 Jul 93 12:58:38 -0600
Lines: 399
BULB CATALOGS FOR NORTH AMERICAN GROWERS
revision of 19 July, 1993
"One makes a mental note, or even a written note,
and then the season changes and one forgets what
one meant at the time. One has written 'Plant
something yellow near the yellow tulips' or "Plant
something tall behind the lupins," and then autumn
comes and plants have died down, and one scratches
one's head trying to remember what on earth one
meant by that."
--- Vita Sackville-West
BULBS: Included in this list are purveyors of bulbs, corms and
tubers, excluding Dahlia and Iris specialists. Among the most
immediately rewarding, these "sure-fire flowers" are ordered in
late summer or early fall for spring bloom, in early spring for
summer and fall bloom. There are often significant discounts for
ordering by mid-August for fall delivery.
If you have someone with an absolutely brown thumb, give them a
bulb of _Colchicum autumnale_, a fall-flowering species that will
bloom sitting on a bookshelf, producing a number of lavender-pink
trumpet flowers from a naked bulb. Planted outdoors after bloom,
it will produce flowers autumn after autumn.
Another welcome gift from a gardener to almost any poor soul in
the [in]temperate zone winter is a pot of bulbs for forcing.
Most catalogs list cultivars especially suitable for forcing.
ABBREVIATIONS:
Cat -- catalog
cv -- cultivar (=variety)
? -- item of which I am unsure.
"refundable" means catalog price is at least partially
credited to first order (may be a minimum order for such
credit)
CONSERVATION NOTE
Dutch bulb growers/importers have agreed to label all
*wild-collected* bulbs, corms and tubers by 1993 (most will do
it this year). US growers have NOT agreed to do this, and in
1991 imported more than a million bulbs and corms (mostly
snowdrops and cyclamens) stripped from their native habitat in
Turkey.
US growers also sell wild-collected native plants (esp.
pink ladyslipper orchid, _Cypripedium acaule_, and many native
ferns). In general, if there is a cultivar name ('President
Kennedy' tulip or 'Blue Pearl' hyacinth), you can assume these
are grown in cultivation. Those who enjoy growing
"unimproved" species have to trust the source if they care
about population destruction. Some unscrupulous "growers"
strip wild populations, park them in beds over the winter and
then sell these "cultivated" plants in the spring. CAVEAT
EMPTOR.
_Herbertia_ is an international bulb journal on bulb
identification and culture. PO Bos 5355 Pasadena, CA 91107-
0355
Should you decide to plant several hundred bulbs, you may wish to
invest in a long-handled bulb planter (also useful for
perennials), or an auger bit for an electric drill. One such
auger is the Daffodrill, PO Box 248, Salt Point, NY 127578
Bob Batson and Jim Bishop contributed most of the addresses and
remarks; others from Kay Klier.
Compilers of this list make no warranties about the firms listed
herein.
***** Please send all new addresses, changes, *****
****** remarks and corrections to Kay Klier *****
***** (in%"klier@iscsvax.uni.edu") *****
----------------------
CANADIAN FIRMS
CA Cruickshank,Inc
1015 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4P 2M1
Cat $2
One of the largest lists in N Am. Strongest in tulips,
scilla, iris, crocus, hyacinth, narcissus; fall catalog
features much stuff from Van Tubergen of Holland (nice
stuff!)
Gardenimport,Inc
PO Box 760
Thornhill, Ontario,
Canada L3T 4A5
Cat $4
English perennials, lilacs, bulbs, seeds; N. Am. agents of
Suttons Seeds of Great Britain; some European cvs
WH Perron
515 Labelle Boulevard
Chomeday laval
Quebec H7V 2T3
Canada
Cat $?
US FIRMS
Bakker of Holland
US Reservation Center
Louisiana, MO 63353-0050
Cat $0?
Dutch bulbs
The Banana Tree
715 Northampton St
Easton, PA 18042
Cat $3
tropical bulbs and seeds
B & D Lilies
330 P Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Cat $?
Lily specialist?
BioQuest International
PO Box 5752
Santa Barbara, CA 93108.
(805) 969-4072 (Dr. Richard Doutt);
Cat $2
South African bulbs especially.
bulbs native to South Africa
Bluebell Lilies
1432 Manor Lane
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Cat $?
Lily specialist
Bonnie Brae Gardens
1105 SE Christensen Road
Corbett, OR 97019
Cat $0
daffodil specialist
Breck's
6523 N Galena Rd
Peoria, IL 61632
Cat $0
basic range of species
W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
300 Park Ave
Warminster, PA 18974
Cat $0
good general catalog for beginners; one of the oldest and
best known US seed companies
Caladium World
PO Drawer 629
Sebring, FL 33871
Cat $0
caladium specialist
Cascade Daffodils
1790 Richard Circle
St Paul, MN 55118
Cat $1
daffodil specialist
Daffodil Mart
The Heaths
Rt 3, Box 794
Gloucester, VA 23061
Cat $1; Van Tubergen of Holland wholesale cat $5
Hundreds of daffodil cvs; minimum order from Van Tubergen
catalog is 100 bullbs, but VT is said to have one of the
broadest lists of Dutch grown bulbs.
Peter De Jager Bulb Co.
PO Box 2010
South Hamilton, MA 01982
Cat $?
Dutch Gardens,Inc
PO Box 200
Adelphia, NJ 07710
908 780-2713; fax 908 708-7720
Cat $0
Good selection of basic Holland bulbs; good prices, esp in
quantity (group order program esp.). Excellent color
catalog with pictures of all cvs.
Fairyland Begonia and Lily Garden
1100 Griffith Road
McKinleyville, CA 95521
Cat $0.50, refundable
hybrid oriental and asiatic lilies
Gaybird Nurseries
PO Box 42
Wawanesa, Manitoba
Canada R0K 2GO
Cat $?
Lily specialist
Gladside Gardens
61 Main St
Northfield, MA 01360. List $1
gladiolas, dahlias, cannas, unusual bulbs
Holland Bulb Farms
PO Box 127
Westwood, NJ 07676
Cat $0
Dutch bulb importer
Kelly's Plant World
10266 E Princeton
Sanger, CA 93657.
Price list $1, refundable
cannas and other summer bulbs
Kent Lilies
2009 Edgewood Rd NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Cat $?
lily specialist
Kester's Wild Game Food Nurseries
PO Box 516
Omro, WI 54963
Cat $2
Specialist in species favored for food and cover by game
animals
Louisiana Nursery
Route 7, Box 43
Opelousas, LA 70570
Cat $3 (daylilies, LA irises); $5 (magnolias, trees,
shrubs, vines); $3 (crinums & bulbs); refundable
McClure & Zimmerman
108 W Winnebago
PO Box 368
Friesland, WI 53935
Cat $0
Excellent list of bulbs, esp. species and uncommon
cultivars; also
uncommon species.
McFayden Seed Co.
30 9th St, Box 1800
Brandon, MB
Canada R7A 6N4
Cat $?
Messelaar Bulb Co.
PO Box 269
Ipswich, MA 01938
Cat $0
good cvs of commonly available species
Michigan Bulb Co.
1950 Waldorf NW; Grand Rapids, MI 49550
Cat $0
Quoth a rec.gardener: "Everybody buys from here ONCE".
Cheap prices, cheap plants. Caveat emptor.
Mileager's Gardens
4838 Douglas Avenue
Racine, WI 53402-2498
800 669-9956
Cat $?
Grant Mitsch Novelty Daffodils
PO Box 218
Hubbard, OR 97032
Cat $3 refundable
daffodil specialist/breeder; many cvs available here only
Oakwood Daffodils
2330 W Bertrand Rd
Niles, MI 49120
Cat $?
Pinetree Garden Seeds
RR 1, Box 397
New Gloucester, ME 04260
Cat $0
Good seeds (many op) in small packets at very reasonable
prices; small selection of bulbs (many row-run or smallish);
pretty good book and tool
selection.
Pleasant Valley Glads
PO Box 494
Agawam, MA 01001
Cat $0
gladiolus, dahlia specialist
Quality Dutch Bulbs
PO Box 225
Hillsdale, NJ 07642
Cat $?
Rex Bulb Farms
PO Box 774 2568 Washington St
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Cat $1
200+ cv hybrid and species lilies
Royal Gardens
Box 588
Farmingdale, NJ 07727
Cat $0
Nicely illustrated catalog of common species
John Scheepers,Inc
PO Box 700
Bantam, CT 06750
203 567-0838
Cat $0
Nice range of bulbs; probably of more interest to
specialists. Well-established firm with exhibition size
bulbs
Smith and Hawken Bulb Book
25 Corte Madera
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415 383-2000
Cat $0
Ask for "Wilma Kay" for advice. No seeds, but bulbs, good
tools, garden furbelows. Mostly expensive stuff for trendy
gardeners, but they do have sturdy English tools.
Strahm's Lilies
PO Box 226
Harbor, OR 97415
Cat $0.50
Oriental lily specialist
Trinidad Bay Bulb Co. (1992): PO Box 974
Trinidad, CA 95570
Cat $?
Lily specialist
TyTy Plantation
Box 159
TyTy, GA 31795
Cat $0
Cannas, crinums and other bulbs esp. for S US gardens
Van Bourgondien & Sons Inc
PO Box A245 Farmingdale Rd
Babylon, NY 11702
Cat $0
Mixed reports on quality
Mary Mattison Van Schalk
Box 181
Cavendish, VT 05142
Cat $1
established importer of Dutch bulbs
Van Tubergen of Holland
See CA Cruickshank and Daffodil Mart for
N Am distributors.
Veldheer Tulip Gardens
12755 Quincy St
Holland, MI 49424
Cat $?
Mary Walker Bulb Co.
Box 256
Omega, GA 31775
Cat $?
specialist in southern US adapted bulbs
Wayside Gardens Co.
1 Garden Lane
Hodges, SC 29695
Cat $0
Pricy, but interesting and well illustrated color catalogs.
White Flower Farm
Rt 63
Litchfield, CT 06759-0050
800 888-7756
Cat $0
Informative catalogs you may wish to keep for reference.
Carries several strains of long-lived tulips (their
"perennial tulips")
Kay Klier in%"klier@iscsvax.uni.edu"