Michigan bulb company

Has anyone ever ordered through this company? Good, bad?? Does the stuff grow.

Do any of you order through mail catalogs. I was wondering if it is a good idea or should I just keep getting plants from friends.

I was wondering about the prices. I see something like iris $5.00 @
Is that five bucks for just one bulb??? What if you wanted a whole bed of them. You need to blow a few hundred?? or do I have it wrong.

Just wondering as some of these plants could get outrageous real quick.

Thanks.

Joel.

EDIT: Might as well knock out another question before I go down.
This will probably be a really stupid one but, If you plant groundcover like a myrtle or something thick like that can you also plant something else like shasta daisy and have it come up the next year or does the groundcover make it to thick for anything to grow from within it.

Two plant mentioned above are just examples.

This message was edited Aug 17, 2009 11:16 PM

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/186/

Here is a link to Garden Watchdog.
When the negatives out weigh the positives that tells you something.

"once burned you learn" that's my motto

THE VERY WORST EVER!!! DONT ORDER FROM THEM!!!!

Ordered from them about 25 years ago. It took 15 years to get rid of a free plant they sent as a gift. The stuff I ordered didn't grow!

Thank you for the replys.
Great, this site has a watchdog to rip on dirtbag companies. Thats nice.
I'll stay away from them.

Any idea on the rest of the questions mentioned above.

Ditto on what every one else said!!! No luck with anything! Ronna

plants from friends!!! i have tons of stuff-come on over!!!
i make great dealz too!
daylily
iris
hosta
perennials and more!!!

Half on my plants are from swaps at Daves Round up"s.
Rest, I either started from seed or bought at local garden centers. They run great end of year specials if you watch them.
Bernie

be careful with the ground covers some will chock out any thing else they get near thats why there ground covers ;0)
Gloria

Dear heavens, stay away from Michigan bulb. Whenever you get a catalog, check to see if it is a division of Plantron Inc. They bought up so many nurseries and sell the same crap out of one warehouse under many names. I got majorly screwed by them.

pentho2

Well most of us experienced gardeners have cut our teeth on Michigan Bulb.....and got screwed. Stay away from this company, they have inferior plant material.......and like notmartha says, if your looking for plants, we will be happy to give you some.....just pay the postage.....Not sure where you live if your zone 6, but I am over on the Lake Huron side of the state close to Tawas area if you want to come with your shovel, be my guest.....Just d-mail me with your area......

Deann

I concur THE WORST stay away.

Paul

Thanks folks,
I won't mess with any mail order.
I am reading on propagation now as I'm coming close to finishing my cold/hot beds. I just wanted to figure out a way to get seeds and small plants going. I was wondering if you guys used mail order for anything?? Boy their catalog sure boast it up. If it were in the dead of winter I'm sure I would be dreaming and picking a boatload out of their catalog.
Thanks for the heads up...

Thank you for the generous offers. Most of you live four or five hours away from me so I would have to plan a weekend for plant running and to meet you fine folks.

Dori, If I come down there I'm afraid I would snake that Z out of your garage in the middle of the night... :}
Does your Husband restore or does he farm it out... There use to be one on the beach drag in Ludington that looked close to yours before you restored it.

Where are the Dave's roundups located? or where do you guys get together for a meet or co-op thing I heard about..

Country Gardens, Where do you get your seeds from.

I have a lot of planning and learning to do. When I figure this all out I will greatly appreciate any help you guyz can give.
I have a lot of questions. I try to refrain from being a bonehead like the one on groundcover asked above. It could have been self answered if I would of took a minute and thought thats why they call it ground cover. Duh....
I was just wondering if I could underplant lilly of the valley & allium. Something those (edit) stinking deer don't eat.

i got mine on the beach in ludington 2 or 3 yrs ago
from valentine something!!!


I could send you seeds later this fall if you need some!!
there is a forum CO-Ops and there is the marketplace(top of page)
and classified is a forum too
You need to go to your info page and find the word forums to the right side of the page and you
can select what forums you want to follow!
I have reduced mine right now for summer-i cant keep up like i do in the winter months!!

I have had several plant trade(roundups)get together here at my place
this year was just to busy --maybe next year!

I hate lily of the valley!! they just keep going and going and going
i have several sedum ground covers that are great
dead nettles(laniumn)is another good one for shade and sweet woodruff!!
I will try to help you as much as i can!!!

here is what u do with that michigan bulb catalog!~

You can get lots of plants from other folks, but sometimes bulbs have to be ordered. Three good sources are Brent and Becky's Bulbs, Van Engelen/John Scheepers, and Old House Gardens, which is in Ann Arbor. These sources are not always cheap, but are definitely high quality. With deer, daffodills and allium are good bets. Tulips and lilies are deer candy.

classified!!! 2 great vendors now selling fall bulbs!!
eflowergarden and crafty gardener!!!

check em out=best prices and people on this site!!!!
been here since the start and these 2 are thee BEST!!!

Thank you very much Dori.
I will start checking out other places on here. I get out of work and have limited time to read at night til midnight then have to hit it so I can get up for work.
Weekends I'm out in the yard busting my rear then reading garden stuff online.

Lost a date last week. She said I'm addicted to my yard and Dave's & that I'm a compulsive plant freak. Thats alright the gardens don't whine.

Yep I know your car. I had seen it when it was for sale also. Always a car for sale there at some point.

The only reason I was thinking lov is I have tons of it out by the road.
I'm trying to think of what I could do with this row. It is 150 ft now and will be 300 ft soon. It will be 200 ft forsythia and 100 ft lilac.

What would you folks do to underplant or close to plant this long row.
Thanks again & goodnight.

most likely it will bush out with those plants and you wont need groundcover
but i still love the sedums and sweetwoodruff!
plants can still grow up through these kinds of ground covers!

If she dont like gardens-she wasnt worth the dinner!!!
where does she think her food comes from!
Im on here in the morning and nitez during the growing season!
winters im here waiting for spring! lol

good nite!! sweet dreamz

Many years ago my neighbor sent them about a $60 order and never got her plants. She was so mad. There was no way to contact the company. They list no phone number or anything in their order forms. Not sure if that has changed or not.

Beware of any company that does not have contact information.

This time of year you can go to local nurseries and get perennials, shurbs and trees half off or better. I mail ordered from Home Depot ten double pink Knockout roses a few weeks ago and got them for around $5 a piece. They arrived in excellent condition and they are now all blooming. That was a huge savings. They'll be larger next year. Since I wanted a mass planting this is an affordable way to get plants. My local nursery sells the large size Knockout roses for $39.

Check your local garden clubs too. Sometimes they have fall plant sales or exchanges you might be able to get in on.

Good luck,
Brenda

HI Brenda

Speaking of a Perennial Plant Exchange, the Tawas Bay Garden Club is hostessing an exchange on September 15th......would you like to be my guest and come???? It will be at the Methodist Church just west of town on 55. Give me a call and let me know....in the mean time I will email you the information.

Deann

Hi Deann,

That sounds great. I'd love to come. Let me know what time.

Beautiful Dori!!!!

This is probably a dumb question, but I foolishly ordered about 100 bulbs from MI bulb last summer before I knew about the garden watchdog. Some of them came up this past spring but it was a puny show. Will the bulbs mature and get better with time, or should I dig them up and start with fresh bulbs?

good morning I thought I was the only one on here this early !! I 'v never had good luck with MB, bulbs I always got tulips from them well and other things I thought it was my gardening skills or lack of but from all I'v read I think it was there plants ;0) I have lots of flowers now so I think I'll try tulips from some where else and see if I can grow them

Gloria

I bought Tulips & Daff's from Sam's Club a couple years ago. The price is good & every one grew & bloomed the first year. Most were back this spring, blooming great. Only thing is the large number you need to buy.
Bernie

Small bulbs will get larger and you'll get a better show. It wouldn't hurt to fertilize them with some bone meal if you have some. Scratch it into the soil though because bone meal is very popular with dogs and other animals. I found that out the hard way. :)

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll try the bone meal and leave them for another year to see what happens. I'm going to buy some new bulbs from off of vendors recommended by this web site. I bought glads from one of the sellers in the DG marketplace this past spring and they are beautiful beyond my expectations and every one bloomed. I'm stickin with the pros here.

You do know that you have to dig glads up and over winter them inside your house don't you?

There is a variety of hardy glad. Not sure if that is what you purchased or not.

I do know but thank you for the warning. Thankfully the vendors here on DG give great instructions too.

Just throwing in my 2 cents a bit late. I have vinca with other things planted in it, and they all grow fine - bulbs, mums, easter lilies, sunflowers...

Heed all the good advice about Michigan Bulb, stay away from them!!!!!!

I didnt read every post on this thread but to answer your questions.
DONT have anything to do with VanBourgundian or its partners
Do plant thru ground covers.
I use lamiums as ground covers and just dig thru them to put in perennials.
Just Checked Van Bourg and its DutchBulbs they are affiliated with sorry
Advise still stands though
not Martha your gardens are spectacular

This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 6:15 AM

Joel where are you....