Where do I buy the best bulbs?

[Perfectlystill]

Every year I try different shops for bulbs and every year they are pretty disappointing.

If anyone can recommend me a nice bulb supplier so I have lovely pots of tulips etc in the spring, I would be most grateful!

If you are having consistent failures year on year, then could it be that the common denominator is the growing conditions in your garden rather than the bulbs themselves?

I generally buy mine from supermarkets, hardware shops or the local garden centre and never have any problems. I do miss Wilkos for bulbs.

Do you plant them deep enough/in decent compost/at the right time/with enough drainage? Do you have problems with squirrels stealing them?

Dutch bulbs.

make sure you have the right soil mix. Keep your pots dryish over winter - I store some of mine underneath a table.

But also, I know some will disagree, but tulips are not the best bulbs for pots. Small daffs like tete a tete or minnow, and Iris reticulata, look nicer and flower earlier/longer. Fancy tulips like parrots and doubles don’t last, a heavy rain will destroy them.

I'm a big fan of Farmer Gracy for bulbs, especially ones which are a little bit different. Although I do agree with other commenters; make sure they're planted at the right depth, at the right time, and that might help as well.

Thank you all. I think the conditions are pretty good - well drained pots etc. just had terrible ones from Waitrose last year and a failure from the garden centre the year before that.

Love all the advice here, thank you!

One trick with tulips in pots is to buy short varieties. The packets usually tell you the height they grow to, so avoid the really tall ones.

I really miss Wilkos too.

Bloms bulbs - expensive but amazing !

Just had a look. I’m finding theor website a little hard to navigate. It seems to quickly defer to all of the bulbs in alphabetical order.