Comments regarding Van Engelen, Inc.

There's a lot I like about Van Engelen...they have a lot of interesting bulbs and the the ones I've ordered have grown well for me. When I've specified when I'd liked the bulbs shipped (which I think is earlier than their typical shipping for this area), they've mostly been able to oblige (with the exception of a few bulbs which just weren't ready to send out when I would have liked to plant them).

But I am going to be hesitant to order from them again. For the second time, when ordering two bags of a particular bulb type, I've only received one bag instead of two. I don't think whoever packs their bulbs is very careful. There is no possibility that the mistake is mine. I thoroughly unpacked their boxes immediately after receiving them and laid them out in an uncluttered area to ensure there were no "hidden" bags of bulbs. When I notified them of the first error, they eventually sent the missing bulbs. This year, I contacted them about the missing bulbs, and they said they will send out a second bag.

But having to deal with this shouldn't be a common part of the bulb ordering experience...

Well, I’ve done business w/this company for maybe 20 years or so, regularly submitting orders for high-end clients in the many $1,000’s of dollars. I admit to being a bit dismayed by their handling of shipping delays this year. I kept checking their website for updates (Colorblends had excellent communication & updates on delays, less than 2 weeks later than usual). Van Engelen kept kicking the can down the road by extolling the virtues of *late planting* of bulbs in cold weather on their website & that all orders would be fulfilled by Nov. 1, 2021. Unfortunately, in northern New England, the ground freezes & temperatures in the 20’s w/the wind blowing is not conducive to working outdoors. We usually receive our bulbs (often over 10,000 bulbs) by the 10th of October. I kept calling & getting scripted answers about the bulbs coming soon. Finally, I called in early November to CANCEL our order & they *assured* me they would be shipped “next week”. Customer Service stated that one variety in a collection was backordered. I asked “Well, if even SOME of the bulbs are ready to ship, can you ship them NOW & we’ll agree to pay for extra shipping charges??”. CS stated: “yes”. Ugh! The ‘thought’ that we could have been planting weeks earlier; crazy! I can only assume that (according to the news reports) that the bulbs were sitting on a barge off the New Jersey coastline waiting to be unloaded w/the shipping backlog, etc. Anyway, we *finally* got our bulbs. We were able to plant ‘most’ of them & did the rest in pots at a local greenhouse w/the hope we can transplant them into the gardens in the spring. We’ll see. I’d have preferred that they had weekly updates on their website to let customers know what was really going on. I suspect it was a CYA situation to avoid a flood of order cancellations & minimize their $$ losses. I used to keep track of rotten bulbs & ask for credits but the time involved didn’t justify the minimal compensation so I’ve skipped that in recent years & just tossed the rotten bulbs out. Overall, Van Engelen has been reliable w/good quality fall planted spring bulbs & excellent garden performance. I concur w/some of the Fritillaria quality comments from other clients of VE/Scheepers. Fritillaries are a bit of a crap shoot & the bulbs are tricky to keep in pristine condition between harvest & planting; they dry out fast. Haven’t noted too many issues w/Alliums. My only real reason for submitting a ‘Neutral’ rating is due to management decision to keep clients in the dark when more honest & up front weekly updates on their website would have been advantageous (& minimized the 30 minute wait times on their customer service lines; I felt bad for the CS reps who were stuck trying to console hundreds of upset & agitated customers). That could’ve been avoided especially w/worker shortages.

I bought a variety of bulbs in 2020 and I had good results with one exception. The fritillaria meleagris bulbs were of poor quality (dried, broken, and sort of spongey) and, as could have been predicted based on the quality, only about 10 of 50 came up. I admit that I did not contact the company to complain about those at the time or later during the growing season, so I cannot say anything about their customer service. But I was disappointed that they sent bulbs that were so clearly inferior. I've purchased these several times from other sources without any problem.

Nonetheless, if you want a lot of something, they have it in large quantities. And the selection is very good.

Their print catalog has NO color photos of any of the plants they're selling. It only has line drawings in blue. While the descriptions tell what colors are in the mixes, etc., there's nothing like actually seeing those colors to know what shades they're supposed to be. "Lavender" can be visualized as different tints of purple to different people, for example.

Therefore, while I receive this catalog every Spring, I have never ordered from it, and am hesitant to do so. I just can't be certain of what I'll be getting.

It says on their cover, "Wholesale Price List". Does that mean they won't sell to the average consumer, but only to nurseries or garden centers?

From what I've read here about their "It's not our problem" responses to those who've had problems, I can see a brilliant red flag.

So, no, I've not experienced this company, but am still posting because I think they should offer a COLOR catalog, and merit a neutral rating because they don't.

Theirs is the ONLY mail-order nursery I've ever seen whose catalog doesn't have color photos. In this digital day and age, there's no reason not to.

If they start publishing in full color, I MIGHT take a chance on them, depending on the reviews they consistently get here.

But, I'm NOT a wholesale nursery, so they shouldn't expect a large order from me, in that event.

Posted on November 4, 2015, updated November 4, 2015
Posted on November 18, 2013, updated November 4, 2015
Posted on October 25, 2011, updated November 18, 2013
First time order from Van Engelen, though I've ordered smaller quantities from their sister company John Scheepers for many years. But I needed large numbers of bulbs this year, and Van Engelen's prices are a little better in that case. As I expected, I received large, healthy, well packed bulbs, at excellent prices, and the experience was hassle free. These two companies remain my reliable standbys for fall bulbs, although I've occasionally ordered from others with good results.

Van Engelen provides a good product, if not quite as good as Colorblends. I found the packaging inconvenient (individual cardboard box for each variety or mix -- awkward to work with 100 bulbs packed this way). The prices were slightly higher than at Colorblends, and six bulbs of 100 in the viridiflora tulip mix were shrivelled and moldy. It didn't seem worth the trouble to request a refund of just a few dollars so I didn't follow up with the company. I do like their selection so will probably order from them again when there's something not offered by Colorblends.

I ordered 950 tulip bulbs from Van Engelen in the fall of 2003. I received some bulbs which did not look very healthy, and it took a few days, and a few phone calls for them to let me know whether these bulbs were acceptable for planting or if I should send them back. The owners daughter was the person who I spoke with, and was told that they should be alright, but that she would note my account so that if the tulips did not grow properly, they would know that I had called to notify them of this condition. All but 100 of the bulbs came up much as they were described in the catalog. On the whole, I was happy with the tulips, but I did receive several types which I did not order, though they were labeled with the names of the bulbs which I did order. My tulips peaked only a week ago, so I have not had a chance to call Van Engelen yet to discuss these two issues, but I do hope for a full refund for the "Beauty Queen" bulbs which did not come up. And, I am concerned that what you order, may not be what you get, as I am selling the tulips, and need to know what I am marketing before it blooms. I also noticed that there were not always 100 per box (of 100). I recommend counting the tulips carefully, so that you get what you paid for.

I ordered about 500 bulbs from them last year. While they came in a timely manner and in good condition, I wasn't happy with their "pleasing mix" of colors on my tulips. When they came up spring of 2002, I had the 80-90% of my Tulip Bouquet Mixture one "color" , a yellow and red tulip. Like the Tulip Colour Spectacle. Not what they showed in the pictures. (purples, pinks, yellows etc.)

Also, my "pleasing mix" of Tulip Single Late Majestic Mix was 75% Tulip Toyota, a sort of red with white stripes tulip, again not a "pleasing mix".

That said, the rest of my order which was specific in nature was great. they all came up and were absolutely beautiful. Even had cars slowing down as they drove by. Will definately order from them again, but have learned my lesson and will NOT be ordering any "Pleasing mixes"!

The company has a good reputation but poor customer service. The website says that you will get the bulbs at the appropriate planting time- which may not be what is good for your area. Choose your delivery date!! I called to ask when my bulbs were to arrive and was told they were on the way. I called a week later and was told that they had left the day before and not all of it was being shipped. I will be planting my lilies HOPEFULLY sometime in November. I sent an email to customer service with my complaint (and called). I received a form letter in return saying that my catalog was on its way!