Comments regarding Brent & Becky's Bulbs

I placed quite a large order with Brent and Becky last fall. It arrived in good time for planting, and all the bulbs were huge and healthy. Many of them had so many offsets it was like getting 2 or 3 bulbs in one. They all came up in the spring, even the ones the dog replanted, and bloomed fiercely. I'm very pleased and will definitely order again.

Bulbs received several weeks ago (late April) and as always they are large, healthy, and appear ready to grow. I have never been unhappy with an order from Brent & Becky's.

I ordered dicentra - alba and dodecatheon - media from Brent and Becky's Bulbs and both are sprouting beautifully. I can't wait to watch them continue to grow this season. I would recommend this company.

Posted on November 14, 2015, updated May 1, 2016
Posted on May 8, 2015, updated November 14, 2015
Posted on April 8, 2015, updated May 8, 2015
Posted on April 29, 2014, updated April 8, 2015
As in years past, Brent & Becky's exceeds expectations. For Easter, I had ordered some cut flowers from B&B, to be delivered via overnight service on Friday 4/18. I saw by the tracking number that the delivery was going to be delayed due to UPS's error. The flowers arrived on Saturday 4/19, most in decent shape but some the worse for wear. I didn't plan on complaining to B&B since it wasn't their error. But no sooner had I put the flowers in water than a B&B representative called me, asking about the flowers and their condition. I told her that most were in pretty good shape but some were not; she asked me to hold, then after a moment came back on to tell me that she had spoken to Becky and that B&B would send me a new bouquet, free of charge. And indeed they did! The flowers arrived today and are gorgeous, and fresh.

Mind you, all this happened *without* complaint from me. This company truly stands behind their products and provides top-notch service.

I've been a customer for many years (gong back to the Daffodil Mart days) and will continue to be so.

"On May 8, 2015 10:57 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

Thanks for your kind post, MollyBlooms! We really do appreciate your business! We look forward to serving you further in the future! Happy Gardening!"

This is my second year of ordering bulbs from Brent and Beckys. Last years dahlia bulbs arrived when requested and were in excellent shape. I started them indoors about six weeks before the set out date (requested delivery date was met). The dahlias sprouted and grew beautifully. I was so impressed that I ordered from them again this year. The bulbs are planted and sprouted. I again requested a specific delivery date since we would be out of state. We had severe local weather while we were gone. I came home to messages on my recorder and an email stating that they did not want to send the bulbs due to the chance they would freeze on the truck! A new delivery date was stated and met. Great service!

Posted on January 6, 2016, updated January 6, 2016
Posted on February 18, 2015, updated January 6, 2016
Ordered over 5 thousands total bulbs for a Trial Garden in Zone 8b Texas for Spring 2015. Primarily Tulips, Daffodils, Crocus, Muscari, Hyacinthus, and Amaryllis. Companies ordered from included: (Brent And Beckys, Colorblends, Van Engelen, Devroomen, Abbott-Ipco,Tulips.com, Long-field Gardens, Netherland Bulb Company, Holland Bulb Company, White Flower Farm, John Scheepers, K Van Bourgondien and etc... Some came prechilled in limited weeks and others were prechilled personally. While it is too early for Results. I have a semi-positive outlook in regards to the bulbs. They do not offer prechilling of most of their bulbs. However, they were packaged In loose netting ( as opposed to boxes or paper bags which helped ventilate the bulbs moreso than others. This might not be the best company to order from if you want a large display and live in an area that requires prechilling of bulbs on your own ( placed in a cooler for several weeks). While the bulbs have not been vigorous or mostly emerged, I am still somewhat hopeful. I did place one order for prechlled muscari Blue Magic and 25 of a small tulip. The muscari look good, but the Tulips are tiny ( 2 inch molted leaves) and have not flowered. I will update in mid spring.

First time purchaser but won't be the last. All the bulbs looked high quality. Pricing was fair for size and quality. Excellent selection. Very pleased.

I have been gardening for 40 years and I agree with the post below ! Got my beautifull packed order and will plant tomorrow . Will comment again in the spring . Also first time order from this company !!!

I received my Brent and Becky order today and I simply can't PRAISE them enough!!
I have never received a more BEAUTIFULLY packaged order, from anybody, in my 50+ years of gardening!! ~ and I have ordered from a lot of companies, over those 50+ years.
Not only are the bulbs HUGE and HEALTHY, but each variety is individually packaged, in breathable mesh bags and neatly zip-tied into a beautiful, heavy-duty black, plastic tray, which allows air circulation, while super-protecting the bulbs. The tray will also be so handy to use, in the garden, in the future.
This was my first order with Brent and Becky, but they will now be MY ONLY BULB SOURCE!

"On Oct 17, 2015 2:30 PM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

Holy cow! We are incredibly honored to have you, such an avid gardener, take the time to write such kind words! And after 50+ years, welcome to the Brent and Becky's experience! This is what we strive to achieve each and every day. If you ever need help or have a question, you can reach us toll-free at 877-661-2852 (877-NO1-BULB)

Thanks again for making our day - no - our week! Smiles are on every face around here today!

Sincerely,

Jay Hutchins
General Manager
Brent and Becky's "

I've never ordered from them before so I placed a small order to test them out (around $110 or so) I ordered a mix of bulbs and live plants. Everything was wrapped individually with a plastic marker so I knew exactly what each thing was and where I planted it in the garden. Unfortunately the 2 milkweeds I ordered were DOA but I called them a couple weeks later when I was sure they were dead and they said they would refund me for the 2 plants with no hassle. All the other live plants are doing great, and so far all 20 liatris and all 20 lily bulbs have emerged. I'm only at 1 out of 30 crocosmia bulbs emerged so hopefully they're just waiting for warmer weather, but overall this company seems like they really care about their customers.

"On Jun 9, 2015 8:56 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you very much for taking the time to wright such nice things about us! We really do care about the results our customers get from our products and we will always take the time to chat and figure out how to avoid any difficulties, if there are any, in the future. Let us know if we can help you in any way and we look forward to helping you beautify the world in the future! "

Always a good experience with these people. Very healthy plants and reasonable prices. Can't say enough about how pleased I have been with everything I've gotten from them. Thanks Brent and Becky!

"On Jun 5, 2015 1:24 PM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

You are VERY welcome! Thank you so much for your business! It really means the world to us, and you've just made it more beautiful!"

As usual, my bulb order came well-packed and with healthy bulbs. Never any reason to complain with this company!

Posted on November 1, 2014, updated May 15, 2015
In mid-October I ordered several daffodil varieties and a few minor bulbs (muscari, "tommies" crocus, winter aconite). The order arrived in 10 days and the bulbs were in excellent condition, matching the described size (quite large for each species), and looked healthy.

"On May 15, 2015 7:24 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

That's wonderful to hear! Ours did the exact same as, in all honesty, once established, those bulbs really do like a long hard cold period. They seem to thrive the next Spring! We're so happy that you've had such success in your gardens, and we're hoping to hear more good news in the future! If not, we're here to help!"

Posted on March 17, 2011, updated November 6, 2014
Fantastic bulbs. All the bulbs I received were large and healthy, and many were doubles. All of the bulbs I bought have come up and are blooming beautifully except for some crocus bulbs that have completely disappeared, possibly eaten by moles.

I ordered Erythronium bulbs from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. Last year I ordered them from a different supplier and was extremely disappointed when I received small, dried up little things that were clearly DOA. I planted them anyway, but as I expected, no plants came up in the spring.

The bulbs from Brent and Becky's arrived today, and they are the biggest Erythronium bulbs I have ever seen! This entire transaction with B and B has been a positive experience. Thanks to e-mail messages from them I knew exactly when the bulbs were coming.

BTW, the bad bulbs I received in 2013 were from another company now listed in the Watchdog 30, so I recommend ordering from Watchdog 30 companies only with the highest positive to negative ratios.

This is my third year gardening. . .and the third year I've ordered from BnB.
I ordered daffodils the first two years and was very happy with the size and quality of the bulbs: they were large, most with a daughter bulb attached, and have come up every year.
The first year, I also ordered some Asiatic and Oriental lilies but did not perform; after emailing and mailing some off-colored dried petals, Becky promptly gave me store credit - which I happily used the next year to expand the number of daffodil varieties I had planted!
So this year, I had no hesitation ordering more Asiastic lilies as replacements for my lily flower bed. I can't wait til next spring to see those gorgeous blooms!!!

I was ready to leave a NEGATIVE rating after I opened my order; however I did a little bit of research and changed it to positive.

My order came extremely quickly and the bulbs are in good condition.

The only reason I'm using the word NEGATIVE in this review is due to lack of a small bit of information (at least I don't see it on their website), which I needed due to my own ignorance.

I was very disappointed that some of the bulbs were so small. The 2-2.5cm (diameter) crocosmia and lilium lankongense were not what I expected to see, and the lilium Muscadet was a bit disappointing at 5-6 cm. The crocosmia was advertised as 6+ cm bulbs and the lilium at 18-24cm.

Finally, I figured out that these measurements are of the circumference of the bulb and it's my fault for not knowing that. I only wish it were stated more clearly. Am I the only person who doesn't know this is how bulb measurements are given?

As I said at the start, this is basically a POSITIVE review.

Posted on April 13, 2010, updated June 8, 2014
AMAZING!! There's really no other way to describe it!

Let me start by explaining that, although I'm not a new gardener, I'm pretty new at bulb planting, having planted my first spring bulbs in autumn of 2008. I discovered Brent & Becky's Bulbs through Dave's Garden (another new discovery) in Spring of '09. I had already ordered some bulbs from another mail order company (not on The Garden Watchdog's top 30).

I immediately began choosing bulbs to order from Brent & Becky's, not an easy task since they are all so beautiful. Eventually I settled on quite a few varieties ordering only 10 of each so I could see how they performed & which ones I liked better. I also ordered ten of a variety I had ordered from the other nursery so I could compare the quality (N. "Tahiti").

Now to the "AMAZING" part. Yes, the bulbs were huge & healthy & neatly separated in net bags with labeled plant stakes attached. Yes they are now blooming beautifully. Yes their "N. Tahiti" flowers are bigger, brighter & healthier than the "other" "N. Tahiti" bulbs I had ordered. But the really amazing part is that several of the Daffodils have MULTIPLIED, IN FACT, MORE THAN DOUBLED, THEIR VERY FIRST YEAR!!! You read it right. 10 "N. Tahitis" have become 24. Ten "N. Delibes" have become 19 & so on.

In the same time the "other" "N. Tahitis", while pretty, have not multiplied at all, are not as large or as brightly colored.

I've also found Brent & Becky's customer service people to be friendly & helpful with very short wait times on "hold". And by the way, you can't go wrong by ordering bulbs they have marked with a "heart", ones they consider "extra-special".

Now the only problem I'm going to have is choosing this year's order. I'm definitely getting more of the same bulbs I ordered last year, but I also want to try so many more of their wonderful varieties. Decisions, decisions, decisions............

I ordered Begonia, Gladiolus, Lilys and Polianthes tuberosa.
The bulbs were all firm and good sized and some of the Begonias have actually started sending up stalks which is fast for them.
the one disappointment was that I ordered in January and requested early shipment to start the bulbs inside but they were not shipped until the end of April.

Posted on June 6, 2010, updated May 10, 2014
Posted on April 29, 2010, updated June 6, 2010
I received my order of cannas from Brent and Beckys yesterday. The potted cannas were all between one and one and one half feet tall looking as healthy as could be desired with two to three shoots coming up. The rhizomes are also quite large. I am so pleased that today I placed another order with them. They are one of the few vendors that will guarantee that their cannas are disease free. I will definately be buying addtional bulbs of many different types from them in the future. A+ is an understatement.

I've ordered from Brent and Becky's Bulbs several times over the years. They are the best online retail bulb seller I know, by far. Their selection is excellent, as is their communication, and their bulbs arrive in good shape.

I am brand new to buying and growing bulbs so I appreciate all the great information that Brent and Becky's Bulbs provides. I studied their website and figured out the bulbs that would do best in my area and ordered them. I was ordering right before the end of the planting season and was worried the company might hold on to my order, thinking it was too late to plant. But they sent them promptly and well-packaged and included an excellent booklet of information to guide me in planting. I got several varieties of narcissus bulbs along with snowflake and Spanish bluebell bulbs--all healthy. I am very much looking forward to seeing them bloom in the spring. I am completely confident that they will do well!

I just received my fall shipment of bulbs and was pleasantly surprised with the bulbs all around. A++++ for this company. Keep up the great work!!

"On Oct 25, 2013 8:35 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you, Patty! It's SOOOO nice when someone takes the time to say "thanks" and give a pat on the back. You're happiness is what we strive for every day! Mission accomplished! "

Posted on December 1, 2004, updated October 23, 2013
I placed an order from the end-of-season sale. The bulbs are in excellent condition (better even than Van Engelen's end of season sale bulbs), and of good size. The order was processed quickly, and shipped equally promptly. If I were to offer up one complaint, it's that Brent and Becky's Bulbs didn't include any magic weather-changer in the package, and I'll have to wait until this snow finishes melting to plant!

First time order from them. Bulbs (hyacinth) arrived nice and firm and as scheduled. No issue. I expect them to grow well.

Placed my first order and am please with what I received, of course next spring will tell the whole story. Very, very prompt and friendly communication and rapid delivery. The bulbs I have planted so far seemed robust with a few duds in a 50 count bag of Katherine Hodgkins dwarf iris, not enough to worry about. I have tulip bulbs for forcing and alliums for underplanting with hostas. Brent and Becky's will be my go to choice for my next order.

Posted on July 29, 2013, updated July 30, 2013
It is with great regret that I write this negative review. I've purchased fall bulbs from B&B in the past and was very satisfied--but my recent spring purchase has been just terrible. First, I purchased two live plants, an altroemeria and iris cristata. Both were tiny, scrawny plugs less than 2 inches high and with barely any roots. I contacted them and they said wait and see how they perform. Well both struggled and died within 2 months. I then sent an email to B&B but got no response. I also bought Lilium formosum bulbs. I was surprised to get bulbs the size of marbles. They have grown about 9 inches tall and for a lily that is supposed to reach 6 feet tall, I wonder how long that will take!
I also ordered several dahlias from them and those tubers all looked great and have grown well in my garden. Unfortunately, at least 3 of the five of them are the wrong variety (I am still waiting for one to bloom). After the first wrong one bloomed (it was supposed to be Karma Corona) I contacted them (reminding them of my earlier complaint) and still did not hear anything. Last week I got a postcard from them sent to all the purchasers of the Bishop of Llandalf variety saying they had received complaints about the it turning out not to be the right variety. I called, confirming mine were the wrong ones and left a message but have received no response yet. I am an experienced, award-winning gardener and I do not quickly accuse my suppliers for plants that don't make it. Several of the items mentioned above were not cheap and I remain flabbergasted that the vast majority of this order has turned out so badly.

"On Jul 30, 2013 9:51 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

We're so sorry you've had so much difficulty reaching us. Maybe you hadn't gotten our emails or maybe they got bumped into the SPAM folder. You'd think technology like email would be more reliable, huh? :) But, the good part of email is that it keeps records.

Like the time Becky replied on 4/17/13 at 12:04pm to the email you sent us a few days before regarding your Iris and Alstromeria. She mentioned to give them time to make sure they weren't just delayed by the cool weather and possibly still in their dormancy. She read your comment on the size of the bulbs and how you though that planting them at the "standard lily depth would just kill them". In her reply she mentioned that this was indeed a smaller plant and they did produce small bulbs and to only plant them "4 times their height deep" and agreed that typical planting depths would not be good for them.

The Becky replied on 6/27/13 at 8:27am to your email from the day before regarding how you weren't satisfied with the performance of the bulbs from your previous email. She mentioned how sorry she was and that she was surprised that they didn't grow well, especially for someone like you. She wrote that we had checked ours and they were doing very well, but she would be very happy to issue a credit for you. She also mentioned giving you a credit for the Bishop of Llandaff Dahlia, which we were sure that it wouldn't bloom true to name, even before you had mentioned it. We had just heard from so many others, we just assumed yours would do the same and issued the credit automatically.

Then you left a voicemail regarding the credit and wondering where it was. On July 26th at 9:12am, our Office Manager, Cindy, emailed you and said: "I received your phone message, and I have done some research. It looks like Becky emailed you a few times, and a credit is already on the account. The credit was for Alsromeria, L. formosanum, iris cristata and Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff and the total amount is ($$.$$). This credit was done on 6-27-13. I hope that this information is helpful, and I thank you so much for your business."

So, I'm not sure why our emails haven't reached you. And if there is a way that we can take what we think is fairly good customer service and make it even better, we would love to hear back from you. Since emails aren't working well for us, maybe posting here would be best. I always get messages from here and this way we can share our improvements that you've suggested with other avid gardeners.

Thanks so much for your feedback! We appreciate it!

Very beefy canna bulbs. virus-free, beautiful. Shipping was fast and affordable. Great company.

"On Jul 22, 2013 8:53 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

Thank you very much! It's nice that you took the time to comment so favorably, when most people only speak up when there's an issue. Thanks for being the "one-in-a-million" type!"

Posted on April 22, 2011, updated May 16, 2013
Posted on April 28, 2009, updated April 22, 2011
This was my maiden voyage (so to speak) with Brent and Becky's. I have gone into ordering with a friend of mine, and have split orders with him, but he's always been the one that has ordered...and everything has always been stellar! This order included 5 dahlias (all of the dahlias have dark leaves) and 10 lily bulbs, 5 of 2 different kinds. The dahlia clumps were huge! I think, without exaggerating that 1 of the clumps weighed almost a pound! The lily bulbs were all huge, about the size of a medium sized lemon/lime!

I will most definitely be ordering from B&B again!

"On Jul 22, 2013 8:56 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

You rock our horticultural world! HUGE thanks!"

I ordered from B&B for the first time. The service was great, telling me when I would receive my shipment to the exact day. The bulbs were the biggest, heaviest, healthiest looking plants I have ever seen. Every single one I planted is flourished wonderfully. I just found my new favorite bulb source - Thanks Garden Watchdog!

"On Jul 22, 2013 8:57 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

The thanks goes to you! We appreciate your business and your comments more than you know!"

I received the most healthy spring delivered species lilium bulbs I have ever had. Most spring bulbs are rootless and dried out.These have good roots and are ready to grow.

"On Jul 22, 2013 9:00 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

Weird huh!? You'd think that's the way they'd ALL be. But, we try to send the best. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!"

I have been buying bulbs from Brent and Becky's bulbs for many years. I find them to be the very best in every single aspect of selling bulbs. They always stand behind their product and take care of their customers. I just ordered many bulbs during their end of season closing sale. The box was so heavy I could barely carry it. I will continue to buy from this company, because I know that they stand behind their product. They are first rate and they answer all your questions!!!

Posted on September 17, 2012, updated November 22, 2012
Posted on September 20, 2007, updated September 17, 2012
I enjoy receiving the catalog; my problem is with the shipping charges. I recently sent in an order, including the shipping charge with my payment. I then received a phone call saying I owed another charge because part of the order had to be shipped early. (This I understand, and I don't have a problem with it, though it would have been nice to know that up front. ) This week, I received a letter stating that I owed ANOTHER shipping charge. As it stands right now, the shipping charges exceed the price of the bulbs I ordered. If I had known I was going to have to pay triple shipping, I probably would not have ordered from them. Next time, I'll know better!

Order came in timely manner, fall bulbs were really fresh, no mold, well packed, nice size tulip bulbs compared to many I've received. Prices seem a little higher than some online but you get what you pay for. Just because 5 companies sell a variety of tulips at 5 dif. prices doesn't mean one is a bargain, you want BIG healthy bulbs and I am so happy with my trial order I placed a second one and next year I'm going to go crazy. For all the work of planting bulbs, who wants crap flowers to come up, you want impressive healthy flowers but that takes top quality bulbs.

I've ordered from Brent and Becky's for as long as they've been around and have always been very pleased. Their bulbs are large and healthy. They grow exceptionally well. I love their daffodils.
There is a marked difference between the growth of their lily bulbs and other companies.
When I've ordered lilies from their half price sale, they sometimes are sprouted a little, but that's ok. They are alive and getting planted right away being spring is in full swing.

I have ordered from B and B for years and always have trusted that they really know what they are talking about when they write descriptions in their catalog or give you advice over the phone, via email or on their call in radio podcast "Tete a Tete". Brent has always been happy to help with a culture question or to help me choose a particular bulb, especially their amazing selection of narcissus!
I feel that I can really trust them to ship bulbs at the right time, even though they often ship much later than other companies, but I think their decades of experience always prove that they know when it is best to plant. IE they ship very late to CA since we often have hot dry weather in fall which is bad for planting.

"On Jun 8, 2012 8:09 AM, Brent & Becky's Bulbs responded with:

Thanks, FiremanDave! We appreciate your trust in us! It means more than we can express.

By the way, if you haven't already listened to yesterday's "Tete-a-Tete", we're no longer live. It became more difficult to justify changing our schedules to be there live when, honestly, most of our audience listens to the recorded post. So yesterday's show with my wife, Denise, was the first of our pre-recorded shows. But we're still hear to answer your questions!

Thanks again for your kind words!

Jay Hutchins
GM, Brent and Becky's Bulbs"

For bulbs and especially daffs this is my favorite source. They ship large size bulbs for the money and include a nice indestructible green tag with each.

Posted on May 26, 2012, updated May 26, 2012
Posted on May 29, 2010, updated May 26, 2012
Posted on May 24, 2006, updated May 29, 2010
Impulse purchase of 1/2 price summer bulbs/tubers. Ordered on Sunday and had package by Wednesday afternoon. Easy to use webstore. Lily bulbs are large and have a great weight to them, NONE of them have started to sprout in the bags, which is usually the case with late season bulbs. The dahlia tubers are generous and plump, some have tiny eyes beginning.
First time purchasing from this company after having enjoyed their catalog for many years. I will definitely be returning.
Thank you!

I placed a small order with Brent and Becky's which was shipped out promptly. The bulbs were well packed and labeled and all are growing well.