I would never use Bloms bulbs again: a friend ordered a substantial amount of small plants a couple of years ago, well over £120: on arrival they were tiny, tiny things, certainly not fit to be planted out.

Of course *sigh* she planted them all out... and yes, none survived the summer.

I checked their catalogue quite carefully, and it really didn't indicate quite how tiny their plants were.

I know that sometimes it can be the only way to get something desirable, or something other than "the usual suspects" in your local shops, but honestly, I now always recommend shopping locally, from individual nurseries rather than garden centres, if you can.

It's also worth asking the staff how long they've had particular plants in - nothing sets of my warning bells more than "Oh, they just arrived from Holland yesterday" . Straight out of the polytunnel, eh? They won't be hardened off, in any shape or form, then?

As an aside, and Sasha, you might be kind enough to answer this one, why do my local nurseries all buy stock in? I would have thought that propagation from their own plants would be cheaper, plus they would be fully hardy for that location.... ?

Rachel