Interesting list - I've had very good success with bulbs from both
Wayside and Dutch Gardens. Wouldn't touch Michigan Bulb with a ten
foot pole. Also try White Flower Farm (www.whitflowerfarm.com) or
Van Bourgondien (www.dutchbulbs.com).

A lot depends on determining exactly what the bulbs need and putting
them in the right places in your garden. I lost a lot of tulip bulbs
until I realized that they want a wet winter and a dryish summer.
Once I planted them in an area that tends to dry out fast, I've had
them last and spread for 4 - 5 years (which is a typical life span for
a tulip). Hyacinth like it to be a bit wetter, but none like it real
wet. Alliums hate clay soil, daffodils thrive in amended clay, etc.
etc.

HTH

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:14:21 -0400, Vicki H
wrote:

After a few years of trying to order bulbs from catalogs and getting
VERY poor results, I went to gardenwatchdog and found that most EVERY
catalog that I get has a ton of negatives from people complaining
about moldy bulbs, mislabeled bulbs, tiny bulbs, and poor growth
rates. Last year I planted a small patch of bulbs I got at my local
Frank's, and they all grew beautifully this year.

I have to wonder, what are these companies thinking? How is it that
they are allowed to operate? Why doesn't a corporate officer for one
of these companies say, "Holy cow, we have to DO something about our
product quality!"

Some of the companies are, but not limited to:

Michigan Bulb
Gurney's
Breck's
Dutch Gardens
Brent & Becky's Bulbs
Wayside

It would appear that some companies are actually the SAME, they just
start a separate "division" doing business as a different name, I
would guess to try to hide their poor reputation? But then they still
continue to perform poorly!

The BIGGEST question I have is, where are the BEST places online to
order bulbs? I'm mainly interested in Tulips and Daffodils
(Narcissus).