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Received my order today and was really pleased with the size and quality of the bulbs. The dafs "little gem" were all very large and all were double nosed. What a surprise!
McClure and Zimmerman are probably my FAVORITE company to order bulbs from. They deal in wholesale quantities, so I frequently order and then split with my gardening buddies.
I find their prices extremely reasonable, their bulbs have always been top quality and in good condition. I have never had a problem finding out when things are going to come, but I also have never had to deal with their customer service people because I send an order, they acknowledge it and tell me when it will come, it comes and I plant it.
I have over 80 varieties of daffodils, hundreds of crocuses in my lawn, snow drops, oriental lilies, species tulips, asiatic lilies, turks cap lilies, iris reticulata, hyacinths -- all from M&Z, all returning year after year. The miniature daffodils and species tulips I ordered last year are up now, the early tulips are blooming.
I couldn't be happier with this company and have turned several people on to them.
On March 12th, 2009, EllieSmith added the following:
Oh, I forgot to mention that I have also ordered colchicums and autumn blooming crocuses from them that were beautiful when they arrived and performed fabulously.
I've ordered many times over the years from this company without problem. I tend to order bulbs rather than bare root plants and typically order fall bulbs rather than spring bulbs. However, I've been thrilled to find a number of Pleione species through the years and all have arrived while dormant (best time to ship Pleiones) and have increased well over the years. Thanks McClure & Zimmerman!
On Jun 8, 2008, lakesidecallas Dandridge, TN (Zone 6a) wrote:
McClure and Zimmerman is another bulb resource I use every year. This year I ordered some Callas and 2 Monkey Puzzle trees. They were shipped on time for my area, and the trees were in wonderful, healthy shape. Out of the many bulbs, one was a little moldy, which usually isn't a problem, but it was also very soft.
I meant to email them right away (you should let a company know of any problems immediately), but a week or two slipped by until I finally emailed them. I received a quick apologetic email, and a fresh bulb shipped to me the next day. Great customer service in my book!
McClure and Zimmerman have a very good selection, often offering bulbs and plants no one else carries.
I recommend them strongly. I also recommend that you follow their advice on shipping- it's best if they ship the plants or bulbs to you when it is time to plant in your area. Don't try to jump the gun regarding the planting season!
McClure and Zimmerman has been a great company to deal with. I have been pleased with their bulbs. This past fall (07) I was missing a bulb in one package and another package had a rotten bulb. I called the company and they quickly replaced the bulbs. I will definitely order from them again
On Oct 24, 2007, soapwort243 South Milwaukee, WI wrote:
I love this company. They have beautiful bulbs. I had alot of trouble with getting on their website this year.--I don't know if it was on my end or theirs. I finally was able to and I placed on order, and in 3 days, I received my bulbs!! I could hardly beleive it !! They are all beautiful bulbs- top grade!!
On Oct 22, 2007, DeborahLink New Canaan, CT wrote:
I have ordered a lot from McClure and Zimmerman for five years or more. Each set of bulbs has come and been fruitful. Since I share my garden with a woodchuck family and roaming deer I have turned seriously to the Allium family of plants. This catalogue has a wide variety and is responsible ecologically about its sources. My garden is a (very local -- to my street) allium showplace. I recommend this source tops. I personally, like the hand drawn pictures of the flowers -- in fact I leave the catalogue in my office waiting room.
On Oct 22, 2006, gdionelli Huntington, WV (Zone 6a) wrote:
I have ordered small quantities of bulbs several times from McClure & Zimmerman. The bulbs have always been good quality. I recently ordered tulip bulbs to be shipped to my mother in another state. She just called to say that they had arrived and that the bulbs are enormous and healthy.
On Oct 21, 2006, soapwortcrazy South Milwaukee, WI wrote:
I ordered alot of WONDERFUL looking tulips and lilies. All the bulbs received are large and healthy looking. I even got a great free gift, which was tulips that I almost ordered. All is planted and I am SO excited for next year !!!! (They had the Rembrandt tulips that I had been looking for.) Their catalog is very interesting and different.
I will have been at my "new" house for 11 years this summer and I have ordered bulbs from them every fall but 1!!
My daffs have been specatular - both when received and when they bloomed!
And I think I have 20 or more bulbs of almost every species tulip they carry - and I can't see where even 1 bulb planted has failed to delight!
There have been very few mishaps - with 1000 or better ordered, I have called with a problem only 3 times. One of which was my fault(put in the wrong item #!) and when I called to order the correct item - they insisted on sending it at no charge!!
Can't ask for better than that ..............:)
In fact, I'm going to put a wish list together NOW for this fall!!!
I purchased some dinnerplate dahlias from this company and another. M&Z was less expensive, allowed me to choose the colors I wanted, and sent larger, healthier looking tubers. I did have less luck with some other varieties I purchased (tuberose, peruvian daffodil, and a couple of colors of spiderlily), but I cannot be sure that the company was at fault, because I waited too long to plant those, and also, Florida is tough on bulbs. In any case, the dahlias were so stunning in the yard this fall that it more than made up for those that were smaller than I would have liked or didn't come up.
I've ordered from McClure & Zimmerman for several years now, starting back in the late 90s when I had an extra fridge available to force species tulips and muscari for indoor bloom.
More recently I've ordered bulbs both in the spring and fall for container gardening and have had no problems with customer service or the shipments I received.
I've had occasional disappointments (bulbs here and there don't perform as expected), but overall the quality is consistently high. I always receive what I ordered or a refund for unavailable bulbs, since I specify 'no substitutions' on the comment line.
On the one occasion that I asked for a refund (one of my Eucharis amazonia bulbs did not sprout) they refunded money for the single bulb and apologized.
Amaryllis bulbs from M&Z are champs and consistently bloom twice a year, once after the dormant winter period and again in summer in a sunny location.
Last year I ordered four begonias and all of them overwintered and have put up new shoots for this summer.
I'm very satisfied with my experience and now that I'm moving to a house with a yard, I look forward to planting bulbs that require conditions my apartment wasn't able to provide.
My mail-order experience with this company has, I feel, set the standard by which all others will be judged. Two orders of lilies were sent quickly (within a week) and well packaged. Of 18 bulbs ordered, two were unusable. I contacted Customer Service and was promptly told replacements would be shipped as soon as possible. They, too, arrived within a week, were larger and more plump than the bulbs I had ordered previously. I even had a stowaway bulb that wanted to live in my garden! Cheerful, friendly staff, excellent quality product, followed by quick delivery goes a long way in building a loyal clientele. I will definitely be ordering from McClure and Zimmerman in the future.
I just received my bulb order and impressed with the quality of bulbs I received. I will be ordering from McClure & Zimmerman Quality Flowerbulb Brokers in the future.
On Oct 27, 2003, nevadagdn Sparks, NV (Zone 7a) wrote:
I've been ordering from McClure and Zimmerman for a few years now, and the vast majority of plant failures I've experienced have been my own danged fault (putting my bulbs in the garage and forgetting about them until March--that kind of stupidity). The most recent shipment was received about when I would expect to receive it, and the bulbs were of good quality and in good condition with the exception of one daffodil bulb which had rotted. Since I let the entire shipment sit in its original box for two weeks prior to planting/discovery and the rot wasn't far advanced, I can't fault the company for that either.
I keep going back to McClure and Zimmerman mostly for the selection, and the ability to purchase small quantities of bulbs. Prices are okay, not excessive and not wonderfully inexpensive.
On October 23rd, 2007, nevadagdn added the following:
I placed a web order for some bulbs tonight. I know it's late in the season, and I can only hope that the bulbs will be delivered soon and in decent condition. On October 26th, 2007, nevadagdn added the following:
The bulbs arrived today, in good condition and of decent quality to begin with. Included was a nice bonus of 6 'Baby Moon' daffodils.
Great place to find heirloom and unusual bulbs. Purchased many from them and they shipped quickly. All were large and healthy and are growing well. Good prices too. The catalog is for people that know plants - which is OK with me. Will buy from again. A+++
I've been ordering bulbs from McClure & Zimmerman for 2 years and have been more than pleased with every order. This is a professional company. I highly recommend them.
On Apr 6, 2003, mngardenaddict Minneapolis, MN wrote:
I ordered several amaryllis from this company and was very happy with my purchase. They offered many singles and doubles and the prices were very reasonable. The bulb sizes were very large. They were shipped quickly and all bloomed well. I'll definitely be back for more.
On April 30th, 2004, mngardenaddict added the following:
I ordered fall bulbs that were good size and shape. One of the packages was a little short of the 25 bulb amount so I contacted customer service. They were very friendly, understanding, and immediately sent me another whole pack of 25.
I again purchased bulbs for Christmas of 2003. They are even larger than my original purchase. One of the 6 was a little mushy so I again called customer service. They quickly sent me another in replacement. I will continue to order because they are willing to quickly resolve any problems and offer such good merchandise at a reasonable price.
McClure & Zimmerman has a great selection of bulbs: common and rare and Heirloom. Their prices are quite good (a lot better than many places who also have poorer selections, Brent $ Beckys Bulbs prices tend to be better but you must order larger quanities). The largish order I placed arrived in excellant time and the bulbs were all good size and good quality (a couple were soft, I called them and received repkacenents in less thana week!). They are professional and seem to be a very good outfit.
This is my second time ordering from them. I was happy with my first order. This time I'm ordering lily bulbs. The varieties I ordered are usually very expensive when I've been able to find them. Price has kept me from ordering them from other companies. Their prices were very reasonable. I'll have to wait and see how the bulbs arrive and grow.
Great place to order those hard-to-find bulbs, especially natives, some of which sell out quickly. Most of my bulbs didn't show up the first summer and I called them. They said to be patient as most natives take up to 2 years to start growth. This spring WOW, what a show. Worth the wait. Trilliums I ordered for this spring came right up as did the Virginia Bluebells (w/o flowers, which is to be expected).
I've ordered from McClure & Zimmerman over the years, and though I've generally liked what I've gotten, they can be unreliable and sloppy. One year I ordered ""Roman hyacinth,"" but instead they sent me regular Dutch hyacinth bulbs that had been split so that they would produce multiple stalks. Twice I have ordered Achimenes, both times they have failed to grow. And another year I ordered 6 mixed Early Spring tulips, but what I got appeared to be 2 Mentons (Single Late) and 4 Golden Apeldoorns - nice, but not what I ordered. When I've complained to them, they tell me they don't grow the product, they just sell it. But despite the problems, I keep ordering from them, off and on, because they have such a great variety of interesting varieties, and they sell small quantities at reasonable prices. I think that John Scheepers actually has the best prices, but they require a $35 minimum order, and I don't always need that much. That's when I order from M&Z.
I ordered Lily of the Valley late this spring when most mail-order companies were already sold out. McClure & Zimmerman filled my order with smaller than usual pips but gave me a discount for the reduced size. Every one of the 96 plants I received has flourished despite the late planting, and one even bloomed - in late June! I am more than pleased with their plants and service.
I placed an order for the first time last Fall. My eremurus and iris are coming up now right on schedule. This is a bare bones catalog in that it is black and white paper with only random sketches of plants.
This is not the catalog to go to if you are unfamiliar with botanical names or need a picture to identify the plant. However, you will receive great descriptions of plants and their requirements. You'll also see lower prices than other companies! Your order will be shipped at proper planting time, too. I'd rather know what I'm shopping for, find it in a catalog and then pay a lower price for a quality product from a trustworthy company.
In the fall of 1999, I ordered a variety of bulbs from McClure & Zimmerman. The bulbs I promptly received were large, fresh and well-packaged to protect from shipping damage. Although I still don't have the results of the bulbs I planted, those that I forced produced lush, fragrant blooms.
Another one of my favorite catalogs--a wide variety of unusual bulbs, many of which I can't order from other bulb catalogs at the proper planting time (many spring-planted bulbs are planted in the fall here in my zone 9 Gulf Coast garden). The bulbs I've received have performed beautifully, arrived at the proper planting time and were reasonably priced. The customer service staff couldn't be nicer or have a better sense of humor (I called back four times after my initial order to add to it.) Great catalog, great company, order from McClure & Zimmerman if you've never tried them.
I recently ordered in excess of $400.00 from McCLure & Zimmerman and I couldn't be more satisfied. Not only do they have a beautiful, well-organized catalog, but their service can't be beat. When I had questions about which bulbs I could force indoors the operator almost gave me too much customer support! (I'm fairly sure I was speaking to a master gardener.) Although my order has not yet arrived, I have heard the praises of McClure & Zimmerman from many friends and family, I can't wait for my order to arrive.
When I made the decision to make only one bulb order each Fall, I choose McClure & Zimmerman. Although there are no color pictures, they include detailed plant descriptions, good zone information and excellent cultivation instructions. I find this last point unusual where bulbs are concerned. There are many things which wont grow well where the soil doesn't drain in the winter and you will find this information in the M&Z catalog. The bulbs are top size and I have had mostly good results from things I planted. In addition they offer many items that you won't see elsewhere.
