Finding Beauty or Blunder in ‘Box Store’ Bulbs- Sourcing Bulbs for Cut Flowers
‘Florist Quality’ vs. ‘Box Store’- What’s the difference?
Tulip season is well underway here in the Northern Hemisphere. I’m seeing a lot of chatter in online flower-growing forums about the best place to source wholesale quantities of bulbs. Many growers are scooping up end of season “leftover” bulbs at box stores like Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot… often at deep discounts with the intention of growing these bulbs out for cut flowers. The growers are posting pictures of all of their baggies and boxes of bulbs showing off their “hauls.”
To be honest- I’m kind of guilty of this myself. I’m a sucker for grocery store plants, tubers, bulbs, you name it. I’ve grown a bunch of these deeply discounted grocery store bulbs myself… but now that I’ve been in the flower farming world for a few years now… I’m left scratching my head. Why are the professional growers doing this? There’s definitely a better way!
Little Farmhouse Flowers (the sister company to The Tulip Workshop) just got through the distribution of 2.5 million bulbs to growers all over the United States & Canada. With that being said, I think I’ve got a bit of a unique perspective on the bulb/flower growing industry as a whole.
BULB QUALITY
Florist-quality bulbs are often sourced from reputable growers and suppliers who prioritize the quality of their products. These bulbs are more likely to be disease-free, well-formed, and capable of producing healthy, vibrant plants. Before any bulbs leave The Netherlands, they are rigorously inspected and x-rayed to make sure that they are safe and healthy to bring into The United States. Additionally, florist-quality bulbs go through many governmental checks and inspections. These bulbs are rigorously checked before they’re even allowed to get into The United States. The bulb division of Little Farmhouse Flowers goes one step further- we hand inspect every single crate of bulbs before it leaves our facility. We remove the questionable bulbs and replace them with good bulbs. We want to make sure our customers receive only the very best products.
While some big box stores may offer good-quality bulbs, they oftentimes may not know the difference between a good bulb and bad bulb.
BULB size
Selecting the correct bulb size is essential for a successful cut flower business. Reputable bulb suppliers will only provide bulbs that yield a nice flower appropriate for use in a cut flower bouquet. Bulbs purchased in big box stores may be more suitable for the landscape. While these landscape flowers are incredibly beautiful, they are not as impressive as cut flowers grown from larger specialty bulbs.
Holding two Tahiti daffodil bulbs in each hand. The smaller bulbs are from our local grocery store. The larger bulbs are from Little Farmhouse Flowers wholesale bulb division.
vARIETY & sELECTION
Bulb growers know that farmers, florists, and their customers often want something different & unique. Our customers usually do not want to see the same yellow tulip week after week all season long… people like variety! Bulb distribution companies are constantly in contact with farmers and florists and adapting to the latest trends and most popular varieties. You can find huge double tulips, parrot varieties, fringe varieties, and sometimes super rare flame-type tulips through wholesale distribution companies.
Big box stores typically carry a more general selection of bulbs, focusing on popular and commonly grown varieties. While this may be suitable for many home gardeners, growers looking for specific or unique bulbs may find it beneficial to seek out the inventory of specialty bulb suppliers.
Handling & Storage
Specialized bulb suppliers often take extra care in handling and storing their bulbs to ensure they remain in optimal condition. Bulb suppliers are experts in temperature and humidity control, which are essential to proper flower growth and development.
Bulbs from big box stores may not always receive the same level of care during storage and handling. They might be exposed to less-than-ideal conditions, which could affect their viability and performance once planted. One particular scenario comes to mind when thinking about this… every season our local farm supply store keeps their tulip, daffodil, and amaryllis bulbs in the entryway. The bulbs are situated in cardboard packaging next to an electric motion-controlled door. The temperature inside the entryway is nice and warm, but the temperature outside this time of year can vary anywhere between -30-60*F. (Seriously. Our temperatures up here are wild.) The bulbs located right next to this door are constantly exposed to lots of different temperature and humidity conditions. This is not ideal for any flower bulb. Definitely not ideal for tulip bulbs.
Epertise & Advice
Specialty bulb suppliers often have knowledgeable staff who can provide advice on planting, care, and design. They may be able to offer more personalized guidance based on their expertise.
The focus of big box stores may be more on general gardening supplies, and it may be a tad more difficult to find someone who has extensive knowledge of tulips or other flowering bulbs to be of assistance or answer the types of questions one may have while bulb shopping.
It's important to note that some big box stores may have great bulbs! Some reputable garden centers may prioritize quality and offer a good selection of healthy bulbs. When purchasing bulbs, regardless of the source, it's a good practice to inspect them for signs of damage or disease and to choose bulbs that are firm, healthy, and free of blemishes.
Please let us know if you have any comments or questions below
Happy Growing!
Karissa
