Eight favourite: bulb suppliers

Some of our favourite plants are grown from bulbs, from the narcissus in our bulb lawn, our yearly experiments with tulips (we always go for some tried-and-trusted varieties and some exciting new ones!) to the glorious displays of alliums in our borders.

Planting bulbs in Autumn is a favourite moment in the gardening year, such an optimistic activity for a gloomy time of year - putting something small and relatively inconspicuous into the ground before the winter months, and trusting that it will show up in a stunning floral display come the following Spring.

We tend to buy bulbs from similar places each year, online suppliers that we rely on for quality, as well as reasonable prices. We’ve rounded up our favourites below, along with some companies with excellent reputations that we’re excited to try out over the coming years!

Alliums growing with astrantia in our flower beds

1. Sarah Raven

The Sarah Raven website is always our go to for tulips. There is a dizzying selection of gorgeous tulip flowers, which you can browse individually, along with a range of collections of pre-selected bulbs that work especially well together.

We always like to try out some new varieties every year, and return to a few of our favourites (like La Belle Epoque, still one of our top choices, which is just as beautiful when it is fading as it is in full flower — see the photo above).

Along with tulips, there are all the classic Spring bulbs, from alliums to irises and fritillaries. You can also find selections for bulbs for shade, bulbs for naturalising, and lots more, so the website or catalogue, is the great place to browse for inspiration…

Take a look: sarahraven.com/bulbs

2. Peter Nyssen

UK based Peter Nyssen is a long-running bulb supplier, with an excellent reputation. Their selection is slightly more traditional, but they’re a perfect place for crocuses, narcissi, alliums, hyacinths and, of course, tulips.

All bulbs are free of neonicotinoids. (Harmful insecticides that are sometimes used in plant growing, but which have been linked to a decline in bee populations. To read more, and find out other ways to encourage bee populations, take a look at our guide on gardening for bees.)

They also have a small selection of heirloom bulbs – which includes native bulbs, or bulbs that were classified before 1950.

Reliable and reputable, and a great place to look for some of the classics!

Take a look: www.peternyssen.com

3. Avon Bulbs

The bulb specialist, Avon Bulbs has one of the best catalogues – printed on thick paper and arriving with a satisfying thump on the doorstep each Autumn! The bulbs themselves are always reliable and excellent quality.

The website is simple and easy to browse, with bulbs listed out by type. There is a smaller selection of plants than other suppliers, but everything is guaranteed high quality. A previous winner of plenty of awards in the flower shows, the company has recently (2024) moved location and owners, and we’ve yet to try it out in its new guise…

Take a look: www.avonbulbs.co.uk

4. Crocus

Crocus is a go to online plant supplier for many gardeners, and their bulb selection is just as high quality as their plants. With a host of useful information about the plants, as well as growing tips, and visual plant size information, this is another website where you can easily fall into a rabbit hole for hours!

On the website, bulbs are organised by plant type, as well as collections by colour, location (a great choice of bulbs for naturalising) and even mood (the dark and moody spring bulb collection looks gorgeous…)

Not the cheapest way to buy bulbs, so do look out for the (fairly frequent) sales and discount offers…

Take a look: www.crocus.co.uk

5. De Jager

Based in Kent, established more than 150 years ago, and with a royal seal of approval, De Jager is an upmarket bulb supplier that sells large-sized, “top quality” bulbs.

The website is very easy to browse, with a good selection of plants – all of the classics as well as a few more unusual choices. As you might expect from the provenance, this isn’t the cheapest place to buy, but you are guaranteed excellent quality and reliable, large bulbs.

Take a look: www.dejager.co.uk

6. J. Parker Dutch bulbs

We often use the wholesale bulbs arm of J Parkers when we’re after a large number of relatively cheap bulbs. This is a wholesale site only, so you need to buy big numbers, but if you’ve a decent space to fill, or want large drifts of bulbs, then this is a handy way to buy them at slightly cheaper prices.

We have found some unexpected flowers appearing in our beds, so do be aware that there are occasionally mix ups in the bulb deliveries (we’ve found this happens more often if you order late in the season). But it’s worth the slight risk for the savings!

Take a look: dutchbulbs.co.uk

7. Beth Chatto

The gorgeous Beth Chatto plants nursery has a bounty of plants for sale that are regularly used in Beth Chatto’s gardens, including a small selection of bulbs. As you’d expect, with the famous gravel garden, many of these are good in sunny, drought inclined locations. Along with tulips, alliums and camassias, there are some more unusual plants, such as the statuesque Eremurus ‘Cleopatra’ a large foxtail lily, or the rare Arisaema ciliatum with an amazing striped flower.

Take a look: www.bethchatto.co.uk/shop-by-other/dry-bulbs/

8. Farmer Gracy

Farmer Gracy have been popping up all over our Insta feed in the past few years, and definitely seem to be one of the most popular places to buy bulbs at the moment. We’ve used them a few times and always found them reliable, with a good selection of photo-worthy blooms.

The website has a really handy “shop by feature” section, where you can select pollinator-friendly bulbs, bulbs that are good for containers, and even “rodent resistant” bulbs, among others.

Take a look: www.farmergracy.co.uk