Comments regarding Brent & Becky's Bulbs

I had been buying bulbs from Brent & Beckys for many years, (back when it was the Daffodil Mart before White Flower Farms bought them out). I was attracted to them because of the wide variety of daffodils offered. The variety offered had been declining over the past few years, so their appeal had declined as well, but what is troubling and reason I am writing this post is that the last two orders I placed from them have not bloomed the first year after planting. Now bulbs offered for sale should be fully formed, mature and ready to bloom the first season after planting for the bud should be fully formed (in embryonic stage) and ready to go.

When contacted about this they didn't really seem to understand or care about the problem. For this to happen once is a mistake of which I can forgive, which I did for I did order from them again. For it to happen again is indicative of a bigger problem, one which they apparently do not care to remedy and that I can only remedy by refusing to purchase again from them.

"

Just got back from the New England Flower Show (had fun meeting all of you Bostonians!) and gave John a call. He was nice enough to try and recap his experiance with his '03 and '04 orders. He mentioned that he may not have identified himself at his calls so that we could have put notes in his file and handle his concerns with more TLC, but none-the-less, we've reiterated with our CSRs to take notes on every call so we can handle them and follow up more effectively. We sell bulbs, but our real product is education...both for the consumer AND for US. We know what works well for us here in VA, zone 7B - we've only gardened here - and encourage all of our customers to communicate their successes and failures so we get a better idea of how things perform in other areas of the country.

Thanks, John!

Jay Hutchins
General Manager
Brent and Becky's Bulbs"

i'm glad that I made a small order with these folks. I followed the instructions in their catalogue to the letter, on the crocosmia but they never even came up (the bulbs arrived dried and shriveled- but I hoped that they would come out of it). I placed the canna musifolia in my pond and kept it fed during the summer but it only grew to be about a foot tall (at least its still alive). While they have a great catalogue, this years addition went directly from the mail-box to the trash.

Brent and Becky's had positive feedback from Dave's Garden, so I decided to try them out last Spring. I ordered a number of lily bulbs, all of them were of very good quality & size, true to name etc. The prices are fair for what they offer, some different varieties that aren't found many places. Lots of choices too.

I purchased more than 40 oriental lily bulbs from Brent and Becky's spring 2004, and although I lost a few to delayed planting (on my part - sometimes hard to find the time to get so much stuff into the ground at once!), and to a critter who decided the bulbs tasted great, several of them still came up later that summer and bloomed nicely.
Much to my surprise last summer (2005) was the gorgeous display all the bulbs put on! Even those that had been munched on seemed to come back, and my garden was filled with sight and heavenly smell of literally dozens of lily blooms last August! I may have lost a few in the initial planting, but what did(seems like at least 75% of what I ordered), did fabuously well.

I ordered from them for the first time this year. Two unusual varieties of daffodils. They arrived nicely packed and the bulbs are huge. Each one covered the palm of my hand and most of them are double noses with each of the bulbs easily blooming size. I look forward to seeing them bloom this spring. I am sure they are going to be gorgeous!

I've found their website very user friendly and the selection of plants very pleasing. My shipment arrived in a timely manner. I was very happy with the packaging, everything carefully wrapped and labled. The entire order was then set into a plastic tote crate and securely fastened down. I was very happy with the size and quality of the bulbs and plants. Everything bloomed in my gardens. I will be ordering from them again this year.

I likewise just ordered from B&B's 50% close-out sale. I was very pleased with the condition of the bulbs - there was nothing that said "clearance" about them. The bulbs were large and looked fresh. After I had ordered, I had a question about substitution which was answered promptly and courteously. When my order did not appear to have been shipped on the date previously discussed (a "delay" of one week), I sent them an e-mail requesting status. In a matter of hours, I received a shipment confirmation e-mail. The only real disappointment I had was when I found out, via opening the shipment box, that they had run out of one of my order items - but I suppose that's life in close-out sales. Assuming that spring performance is on par with winter disposition, I would order from these guys any day of the week and twice on Sundays. If you live in a zone that tolerates December planting, you've got to check out the B&B close-out sale - the combination of price and quality makes it a steal.

Just got my order from them. I hit the 50% off sale and talk about some excellent bulbs!! I would highly recommend them to anyone. Here in the south I like to refrigerate my tulips and plant them in waves over the summer, so I ordered a ton from their sale. Their bulbs are huge and they bloom beautifully for me. A+++++

I've ordered from Brent and Becky's about five times now.

Their bulbs are always bigger and fresher than anyone else's. And their prices are good--in fact, their lily prices are astonishingly good. They've allowed me to fill up my yard with lilies.

I also love getting my bulb orders in those great plastic flats they send if you buy any quantity at all from them--useful for a million things after the bulbs are unpacked.

I was referred to B&B by another, different website but I knew they were in the watchdog top 30, so I wasn't worried. I fell for their 50% off sale, tra-la-la-ing that I would pot everything up if it got here too late to plant. Well now I have a box stuffed with bulbs and the ground is frozen! But it's my own fault. So I'll give them a 'positive' because I had a great time ordering.

This Aug. I went looking for bulb vendors using the Garden Watchdog. From the reviews, I tried ordering from 3, among them Brent and Becky's. I've been delighted with the quality of the bulbs from all 3 vendors I tried: all excellent.
I was displeased with B&B's the shipping date--much later than the other vendors. It would have suited me much better to get everything in Oct., especially since I was waiting to plant certain areas until I had the full assortment of what I planned for those areas, but when I called in Oct. to ask when my order would ship, B&B's customer service dept. told me Nov. was "the best time" for my zone and I'd have to wait. OK, Nov. came and not until the day before Thanksgiving did my bulbs come. I called back to complain about the date, and found out that I should have put a date by which I wanted them in the comment box when I placed the order, because they can accommodate that if the customer requests it. I wish their site indicated a way to do that (as Colorblends and many other sites do), but at least now I know what their system is, and hopefully sharing this will help others.
I was very happy with the tools I got, but again the customer service dept. could have done better: I called and asked about their stainless steel trowels, because it was hard to discern from the catalog what the exact dimensions of the blades were. Customer service wasn't sure either, and didn't seem able to find any so they could measure them, so I got 2. One has a blade 7" long and 2.25" wide, the other is 5.5" long and 1.5" wide. The straight blades are really handy for digging in a previously planted bed--they get you to the depth you need without risking as much damage to bulbs already in the ground as wider spades do. I also received one of their black plastic bulb crates with my order, and that is so useful, I might order more. It's great for storing, sorting and carrying bulbs or other garden items around.

This was my first order with Brent & Becky and it definitely won't be my last! As others have noted, there's no comparison between B&B's bulbs and others. The bulbs I received are very healthy and of a nice size. I will be recommending them to friends & family!

This company consistently has provided large bulbs, fine selection, and good shipping. I've ordered twice yearly for several years.

This is one of the most POSITIVE experiences I have had in ordering through a catalogue. They took great care in delivering my order the middle of October, as I requested. The bulbs I received were fresh and 200% quality. I will definitely continue to order from them again!!

This was my first year buying bulbs. I redeemed coupons for freebies from both Brecks and SpringHill, and also purchased some packages in retail stores such as Lowes and Andersons. Then I placed my order at Brent & Becky's. WOW! Talk about night and day! The bulbs I received from Brent & Becky's were larger, so very clean and flawless, and wonderfully packed. Their service was fantastic, and their selection and prices beat just about anybody's.

Brent & Becky - you have definitely gained a customer in myself, and I have spread the word to other gardeners I know. I would highly recommend this company to anybody.

This was my first experience with Brent & Becky's and I have to say I'm amazed at the size of the bulbs! Communication was good. They sent an e-mail for confirmation of the order, as well as when it was shipped. If how the bulbs look are any indication of their performance, I have no doubt I will have wonderful flowers next spring!

Wonderful! I found Brent & Becky's website when looking for bulbs, and when I saw they were only an hour away, I drove up to Gloucester to check them out.

Great BIG healthy bulbs for reasonable prices. Friendly customer service--they make you feel welcome and right at home. Their "catalogue garden" was impressive--the dahlias were like sunflowers and butterflies were everywhere!

I will definitely buy from B&B's again.

Ordered two types of colchium and a fall blooming crocus; all are coming along nicely. Their prices are good for smaller orders, but if you're thinking of buying large quantities, it pays to shop around for the best price for a given size.

I loved their catalog and all the information it contains, as well as the large selection of bulbs available. However, I did not have good results from the bulbs I ordered. Some of the tulips bloomed (possibly squirrel predation was to blame) but the foxtail lilies were a huge disappointment. One grew and bloomed, not well; others didn't bloom at all, altho one did grow and bloom the second summer. I hesitate to order them again, with that kind of a track record.

This company provides a mixed experience, leaning toward a negative. Their site provides no way to email, so you have to call, and they did not properly account for my order on two different occaissions. Once the count was wrong, the second time they failed to provide the credit owed for an out of stock item. They seem to get by on their reputation for good stock, but have customer service issues.

This was my first order from B&B and it was not a great experience. This spring I ordered some white Liatris. While I was on the phone ordering this, I added a Ginger plant on a whim. B&B quoted me a total, it sounded good, so away we went. A month later I get a note saying that they had misquoted the shipping on the ginger and they were adding another $10.00 to my credit card. I would not have ordered the Ginger if I'd known how much the charge was to be. And to add insult to injury of the 10 white Liatris bulbs only 2 were white. The rest were the neon Purple (probably Kobald) which was not in my color scheme at all. When I called to complain they were fairly nice. I was credited for the price of the Liatris (but not shipping) and told (in essence) that the company is not responsible for quoting correct prices when an order is placed with them. So now I know how they are to do business with. I give them a neutral because that's how I feel about buying from them again. I'll look at other places I'm POSITIVE about first.

Simply, the Best Bulb-Mail-Order with whom I have ever dealt. Their finer points in my experience were prompt shipping, unsurpassed selection, best prices, and the biggest blasted Zantedeschia (Calla Lily) bulbs I have ever recieved: litterally five times the average mail-order size. I cannot wait to stock my newest gardens with their fanciful selections.

-Getting toasty in Colorado.

The plants were healthy and are growing well. The instruction booklet that came with them is very helpful. However, this company's business practices are very poor. My plants were shipped and my credit card was billed over two months ago. Two days ago they posted a charge to my credit card for additional shipping. I learned about this from a postcard that was sent to me. I checked my account online and saw when the charge was posted. I have a real problem with charges made to my credit card account that I do not know about or approve. The original charge to my account was the amount stated in the confirmation email I received after placing my order. A shipping charge was included in that original amount. It seems to me that they made a mistake in not charging me enough for shipping and that it was discovered later. I was not notified by phone or email; just a postcard after the fact.

Ordered bulbs during their end-of-season sale and was impressed with the size of these "leftovers." The lilies took off immediately, and the anemones followed closely after, despite the late planting. Other small bulb plants followed. Neither the glads nor the cannas yet show signs of growth after three to four weeks in the soil, and I'm starting to worry about those. But the lilies--wow! Even if I don't get a good performance from the cannas or the glads (I bought them on sale; I knew I was taking a risk), I won't hesitate to order from B&B again.

I am a relatively new gardener and was very excited to order from B&B. I have ordered twice and both times my experience was similar.

Bulb Quality - mixed.
While nearly all (>90%) of the 60+ Narcissus, 80+ tulips, and 20 Camassia are blooming/have bloomed beautifully & reliably, other bulbs were not as successful.
Dwarf Iris - only 60% of the 100 bulbs came up and when they did nearly 20% of these were actually Crocus--not dwarf Iris (I didn't order any Crocus and don't have any in my garden. No chance this didn't come from them.)
Ipheion - None have come up
Hyacinthiodes, Triteleia, and Gladiolus - the jury is still out.

Customer Service - poor.
I called to complain about the Crocus mixed in with the Iris and the poor bloom rates and was told they were "in a crunch" and someone would get back to me asap. No call ever came.

I understand that they were in "crunch time" and even that my complaint was minor, but to ignore customers is a good way to lose them. Overall, I lost $20-30 on wrong bulbs or blooms that didn't materialize (out of a $300+ order). Acceptable? Maybe... but their customer response was not. While I *may* take my chances and order from them again (for hard-to-find items) I certainly won't be spending the bulk of my gardening dollars with them.

We met Brent and Becky at a plant show at Winterthur Gardens a year ago. I asked if they had any Oxalis Adenophylla. They had not brought any but suggested we order out of the catalog, which is what we did as soon as we got home.

The Oxalis came. We didnt plant them immediately, actually planted them kinda late. With that and the squirrels, we really didnt expect a whole lot from them.

The little bulbs are blooming their little leaves off! They are really pretty! We did find that the squirrels got some of them and replanted them in various areas around the yard. Its a neat surprise to be weeding in an area, or cleaning the leaves out in another area, and seeing those little Oxalis peeking out from under cover and blooming away!

Thank you Brent and Becky! I had been looking for them bulbs for awile, and was heartbroken when you didnt have them with you at Winterthur, but am thrilled with the results of these bulbs!

Thanks again!

I've been a fan of Brent & Becky's bulbs and service for more than 10 years now.

In my 3-year-old Washougal, WA, garden, I've planted a couple thousand bulbs, mainly daffs and tulips, all from B&B. Always great bulbs, huge, fat & healthy, never ever have had a problem---and I live on the other side of the country from their operation.

I live in a subdivision built on a hill, near the top. This spring, Neighbor A told me that Neighbor B, near the foot of the hill, had expressed dismay because Neighbor A's flowering plum had grown so large it now blocked Neighbor B's view of my garden---"One of the reasons she bought her house." Neighbor B even offered to prune Neighbor A's tree so she could see my Brent & Becky bulbs again.

Pretty flattering. Not to mention funny. They'll just have to hash it out, I guess; I have a last-minute B&B summer order to work on.

Last Fall I ordered from Brent and Becky's Bulbs for the first time after having read the great reviews of this establishment on this website. After viewing their wonderful online catalog, I found them to have very reasonable prices and many interesting and unusual varieties of bulbs. I ordered 2 varieties of daffodils, 2 varieties of crocus and 1 variety of dwarf iris. The large, healthy bulbs arrived within 2-3 weeks of my order in great conditon. All the bulbs have done very well this spring and I have already placed another order with them for more varieties! Glad to have found this company!

Got my first order from B&B yesterday and I'm very happy with the quality. I only ordered lilies and Bletilla striata and both are firm and healthy. Can't wait to order more in the fall.

I am a first-time customer, and ordered several lily bulbs from Brent & Becky's. I received my order yesterday in excellent condition....the lily bulbs were all healthy, large, and well packaged. I was very satisfied.

I got a late start in ordering and planting my Spring bulbs for this Spring 2005. I ordered a mixed collection of Tulips and a mixed collection of Daffodils in October/November 2004 time frame. Even at that, I still didn't get them all planted until early December 2004.(Someday I'm going to lick this procrastination affliction, but I'll start working on that later.) Well, Spring has now sprung here in Winchester, Virginia and I have the most glorious, breathtaking Spring bulb garden that you could ever hope to enjoy. The bulbs arrived big and healthy and ready for planting. They came up in the most gorgeous colors with HUGE blooms. I love Brent and Becky's. You cannot do better. I have always believed that there is nowhere as beautiful as springtime in Virginia and you need only look in my backyard to prove it. Thanks!

Love Brent & Becky's! Great selection, bulbs are nice and big. My spring display was fabulous and has been blooming for months. Last year's daffodils came back nicely -- hoping everything will naturalize. Had quite a struggle to stop myself from placing two summer bulb orders, since I kept finding more things I wanted. Have had very good luck with their bulbs.

Their bulbs are great! Everything I planted last fall has been spectacular this spring! The only problem is that I didn't plant enough. I definitely plan to order from them again.

Sedonia

WONDERFUL TULIPS! My Flaming Purissima and Sweetheart tulips are in bloom and absolutely beautiful!
I would highly recommend this company. I will definately
be ordering more tulips this fall.

Brent & Becky never fail to impress me. They always offer intriguing new items I've never tried before. Aside from appreciating the soundness of their products, I am always so grateful for the booklet of planting instructions enclosed in the package. When time is of the essence and newly delivered items have to be planted as soon as possible, the last thing anyone wants to do is scramble around looking through books and Websites for planting instructions for the more exotic bulbs. That's never necessary when a package arrives from this nursery.

I received an order of dinner plate dahlias from B&B and never expected the qulaity or the size of the tubers!!! They are by far the best and already growing in the packages.

OUTSTANDING!!!

Great experience and I highly recommend this company. Since I live not far from them in a neighboring state, I can't vouch for their shipping practices for long distances, but my order arrived well-packed, fresh, labeled nicely and at the correct time for planting. The Canna roots they sent are HUGE compared to most companies and grew rapidly to immense size. The Caladium bulbs were clean and cured properly--unlike the bulbs I have ordered from other companies. All plants were marked correctly. VERY POSITIVE experience. Only one error: one plant was broken at the stem from careless packing. They replaced it quickly after I sent an email. Will be one of my regulars for future orders!

I placed a large order of daffodils, giant allium, muscari, lilies and amaryllis with Brent and Becky's. All arrived as ordered and on time--Very fine fat bulbs. (The Amaryllis were stunning at Thanksgiving and Christmas and are still blooming!)

Their website is easy to navigate and their catalog is beautiful and very informative. I especially liked the section where they recommend some of their favorite bulb and plant companions. This feature made some of the decisions easy for me.

This is the third year I have ordered from B + B, however, I do believe their bulbs are getting a little pricey for my needs. I expect this could change as the dollar gains strength against the Euro. (The day after Thanksgiving Sale is an excellent and economical resource, but you have to be quick.)

The bulbs were a pleasure to plant and I look forward to a glorius April display. I will definitely order again from Brent and Becky's.

Placed 2 orders for fall bulbs from B&B. Very happy with all the bulbs. No rotten or disintegrating ones in the bunch. All of the fall-blooming crocus and colchicum bloomed this year.

I did have to email about the status of my order as other fall crocus orders from other companies were received and starting to bloom and I'd not received my B&B order. I received a reply the same day and the order was enroute.

All in all a fine transaction - nothing particularly over the top that I've experienced with other companies. Will likely order again in the future.