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Van Engelen is as good as it gets. They have been providing bulbs for me since I started gardening in 1992. All of these bulbs have naturalized amazingly,so much so that I can give some to friends in the neighborhood.
I also order over 100 amaryllis gift boxes every year as Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts to all the people who have helped us: doctors, dentists, friends, pharmacists, veterinaries, family and neighbors. They have been consistently wonderful every year and many recipients keep them going from year to year. Today I helped a friend plant one in a fancy pot and I was amazed at the size of the bulb; we could barely tuck it in. Van Engelen is excellent not only for the quality of the bulbs, but for the thoughtful and astute selection of the items they offer.
On Nov 24, 2009, stormyla Norristown, PA (Zone 6b) wrote:
This is a great company for bulbs. I've ordered from them several times. The communications and service have been quite good. Their prices are very attractive. Plants are shipped at the appropriate times for planting. The bulbs are large and healthy. The selection is always good. Add this company to your list of bulb sources!
On Nov 21, 2009, Badgertalk Nashville, TN (Zone 6a) wrote:
I ordered from their Fall end of season clearance sale. I primarily ordered daffodils, a few lilies, and other bulbs.
The bulbs were in very good shape. Since they came so late in the season and it was about to freeze, I paid a landscaper to help me get them all in quickly. He was amazed by how large the bulbs were. Everything bloomed and looked great.
The only negative was that the iris I ordered were not the color described – they were supposed to be rose and they were lavender.
On Oct 19, 2009, Blackbelt_Lizzy La Grange Park, IL wrote:
I have ordered from this company every fall for at least the last 7 years. The quality and size of the bulbs is excellent. The tulips and other bulbs that I have ordered bloom faithfully each spring. Service is always polite and helpful.
The only thing more fun than seeing this company's bulbs come up in your garden in the spring is to browse their terrific catalog listings. Makes me wish for a much larger garden...and, oh yeah, some hired help to dig the holes for me!! Van Engelen is a great source for all kinds of neat flower bulbs; I'm looking forward to placing another order with them this fall.
On May 22, 2009, ErinNH Concord, NH (Zone 5a) wrote:
I placed a large order last year, crocuses, daffodils, amaryllis and lilies. I planted about 500 bulbs from them last fall and was very pleased with my flowers this spring. Bulbs were good sized and healthy, my amaryllis did wonderfully forced over the winter. I've already ordered a few hundred more bulbs for this fall.
On Mar 21, 2009, botanica37 Oakton, VA (Zone 7a) wrote:
Great experience, ordered a lot of bulbs during their sale in Nov. 2008 and waited to see how the bulbs will bloom in the spring before posting a review. The bulbs were very good quality, well packaged and now starting to bloom...so I am really happy. I am especially thrilled with the snowdrops - I have ordered from several companies in the past and never had a single snowdrop come out. Van Engelen's snowdrops are all blooming! Would most definitely order from them again in the fall.
On Nov 7, 2008, geminitrv Marshall, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:
I have ordered from this company several times.
I really like that they don't charge my credit card until they are actually processing my order.
The bulbs I receive are always large, healthy and well packaged. Their customer service is courteous and has always answered my questions very promptly.
I highly recommend this company and wouldn't buy my bulbs anywhere else!
This is the first time I have ordered from Van Engelen, and it won't be the last! They provide great customer service from the initial order to the package on the doorstep. I was kept informed not only when my order was received, but also when it was to ship. Prices are very reasonable; bulbs are fat and healthy and were packaged securely. I can hardly wait until Thanksgiving to plant my bulbs! Thanks, Van Engelen, for "doing it right"!
We placed a small order with this company. This had been our first experience with them. The order was acknowledged immediately, the products were delivered on correct planting time; the packaging was excellent; and the quality and size of the bulbs were spectacular!
This year the Trumpet and Orientpet Lily bugs bit us. Because we are kind of new in mail orders, we placed orders with many different companies; some orders were small, some orders were large. Until now, we have received shipments from three companies (including the order from Van Engelen). So far, we are very satisfied with the services from two of these companies (Van Engelen being one of them) . We are not happy with one of the companies (the bulbs were small and kind of unhealthy-looking); but we have decided not to report about it until we see the results next Spring. We are expected to receive orders from five other companies, and we plan to report our experiences with them on the scoop.
I've been consistently impressed by the quality and value offered by Van Engelen. Their collections are often unbeatable deals, their selection is extensive, and they ship at appropriate times for planting. Customer service is a pleasure to deal with - this is a company that clearly takes pride in its product and reputation. I look forward to receiving my Van Engelen order every year.
On Jun 5, 2008, donmiller La Grange, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
The best value and selection for ornamental Allium I have found. They only sell "wholesale". All this means is a fifty dollar minimum purchase. Perhaps the best $50+ I spend in the garden each year.
I have never dealt with their customer service beyond the initial order. Every thing I have ordered was correct and the quality/size was excellent.
I have ordered bulbs from Van Engelen since 2005. I've always been pleased with the quality and size of the tulips. The red tulips were simply exceptional this year. Definitely will order from them again.
I ordered a collection of double amaryllis bulbs form them this year and the bulbs were huge. The flowers were unbelievably beautiful and 3 of the bulbs put out 3 stalks. The flowers lasted from before Christmas to the end of Feburary with the successive stalks coming up. I plan to order more for gifts next fall.
The camassia I ordered from them are up as well and looking great around my water garden.
I have been ordering tulips from Van Engelen for the past 3 years and i have never been dissapointed. I have never seen a more beautiful bulb anywhere. They are firm, white and huge. I won't buy bulbs from the garden stores anymore because in comparison they look old and dry. You can't beat the price and quality.
On Mar 16, 2008, fragrance1st Marietta, NY (Zone 5a) wrote:
I have ordered several hundreds of dollars worth of bulbs for several years. I get large healthy bulbs delivered quickly. I have even planted thier bulbs as late as January ( in zone 5) and they came up in spring. Very few problems with them and they were resolved promptly. Biggest problem I had was when I ordered 300 fragrant breeze daffodils and I discovered that they were not fragrant breeze when they flowered. I called the company and they sent replacements free that fall with no problem.
I have been ordering from Van Engelen for the past 7- 8 years. Mostly tulips, but also hyacinths, daffodils, and a few others. I have never had bulbs that failed to bloom. The bulbs always arrive in excellent condition. Shipments always arrive by mid-October, giving plenty of time for the six weeks of refrigeration necessary in my Southern California climate. (Even when I have waited until early October to place my order.) I have no complaints at all about their service. And, as far as I can tell, no other mail order companies offer tulips at the prices Van Engelen does.
I just got my fall bulbs in the ground this week as the first snow of the year was falling (it has been an unseasonably warm fall in MA this year).
I must say, these are the most impressive bulbs I have ever planted. Every daffodil bulb was doubled -- the smaller of the pair being the average size of bulbs I see at local markets. The bulbs were firm and smooth and beautiful.
The crocus bulbs were also robust and all the bulbs were priced inexpensively and packaged very well with clear instructions on how to store until planting time.
On Oct 29, 2007, aphroditeslaugh Seattle, WA wrote:
The website was very easy to use, and intuitive. Everything happened in a very straight-forward manner. I received my bulbs at a good time to plant, and they looked great. There were a couple of tulips which appeared dead (crumbly), but that was true of the ones I saved from last year's crop as well, and a smaller number than I was prepared to accept due to how large my order was. The bulbs were all of good size, mostly larger than the ones I purchased last year (impulse buy at a hardware store). I had a very good experience with this company and will recommend them to others as well as return when I find more room in which to plant things.
On Oct 14, 2007, dragonfly53 (Terri) South Boston, VA (Zone 7a) wrote:
I ran a co-op for their new line of Peonies. They were very co-operative in giving the group discounts for quantities that were higher than those posted in the catalog. The roots were shipped a week later than they originally said they wold be but I believe them when they said their supplier was late in shipping to them. The roots were beautifully packed in groups of 3 inside a plastic perforated bag, then 2 bags packed inside a liner box and then the liner boxes packed inside larger cartons. It was a little bit of overkill, and some of the roots did have a little white coating from the high humidity in the bags I think, but they were all healthy and putting out hair roots. The roots varied in size from 1 ounce to 8 ounces in some cases but all had at leat 3 eyes.
On Oct 11, 2007, GingerMA West Springfield, MA wrote:
Have purchased tulip and lilies from Van Engelen for the last 3 years. Great prices and huge tulip bulbs. The collections are great deals. It is definitely the place to shop if one is looking for exceptional spring and summer bulbs.
I have ordered bulbs from this company for several years. They have the best bulbs at the BEST price. All my neighbors envy my spring flowers. The service and speed of shipping is also the best. I highly reccomend this company.
On Mar 15, 2007, PetitPois Charlottesville, VA wrote:
Huge bulbs, excellent quality. Everything is coming up beautifully. I love the large quantities--I have a big yard, and I'd like to cover more of it with bulbs.
Van Engelen is EXCELLENT! I ordered from them when they were Top 20 (then 30)-- more folks should comment on their great service & products to get them back into that elite group!
They ship fast! I've received my orders each time I've ordered within 5 days -- with both email and snail mail acknowledgements beforehand!
Sturdy packaging with items clearly identified -- and the bulbs -- healthy, ready to plant, plus -- they have probably the best overall prices and even more remarkable prices at their end-of-season sale. If the quantities seem daunting -- 100 or 50 make a real showing compared to 10 or 20 of the same kind from a discount or hardware or grocery store (and the flowers are so much prettier)!
There are SO many varieties to choose -- all with specifics as to zone, habit, etc (online and print catalogs) that help a beginner a lot! I had marginal success with dutch irises but that was more than compensated for by the flourishing and multiplying 3 different alliums and the lilies!
I particularly recommend their 100 naturalizing lilies which were nice the first year and amazing the second year -- I can't wait to see what they'll do this year!
On Dec 14, 2006, 1900House Saint Joseph, IL (Zone 5b) wrote:
I got the John Scheepers catalog, then the Van Engelen catalog. They are the same folks, so using the photos in the JS catalog, I ordered the larger quantities at lower prices from the VE catalog. I ordered online, then got email and print confirmations. My 1,100 bulbs (narcissus, muscari, scilla) arrived at the right time for my zone 5 planting. Some of the scilla bulbs were not good, and a phone call to a friendly VE person took care of that with a credit. Otherwise, the bulbs were all of good size and condition. I'm anxious for the bulbs to emerge in the spring, adding color to my busy street! I will surely order more from VE in the future.
On Dec 1, 2006, ladyisle Bohemia, NY (Zone 7a) wrote:
I ordered from their end of season sale-mostly lilies, and an order of Fritillaria Raddeana (sp?). All bulbs are healthy and large. Thanks for being in my Top 10 for a reliable bulb supplier. Much better than in Dave's Top 40, (or whatever), 'TOUCH OF NATURE'.
Your bulbs being BIGGER, and your shipping much quicker!
And order communication superlative. You have another faithful customer.
Farhana
On December 1st, 2006, ladyisle added the following:
Ordered many bulbs from the fall catalog and was happy with the size of the bulbs and the shipping time. Ordered more when they had the end of season sale and was equally pleased.
On Dec 1, 2006, fpgill lexington, MA (Zone 6a) wrote:
I work for a not-for-profit conservation district; twice a year we hold plant sales to raise money for our programs. We ordered from Van Engelen for our fall 06 sale. Great quality, low shipping rates, responsive to emails, very good customer service. Highly recommended!
On Oct 25, 2006, bbrookrd nantucket, MA (Zone 7a) wrote:
In May I placed an order with Van Engelen for a fall bulb order. A few days ago I received a cancellation notice for one item and today I decided to check on the status of the remaining $200 plus order. Within minutes I had a cordial, sussinct reply that the 2 boxes should be arriving today. Well, as promised, the boxes arrived in fabulous fashion as if on cue a few minutes later! Great packaging, in fact, so good I am saving the boxes to store my gladiolus in for next winter. All the bulbs are top notch. I am extremely please. Thanks to Sharon Doty in customer service, who actually knows what it means to really service the customer. She left me her number and extension, if I wished to speak to her. What a pleasure. Patti
Have ordered there for the last 6 or 7 years. Always get rather large bulbs, shipped in very nice containers that make it easy for me to stick them in the fridge (I live in California and need to chill the bulbs before planting).
My only complaint is that many of the items only come in 100 bulb quantities--limits how many different types I can order, as I don't want to be planting 500 bulbs each season. Would be nice if more came in 25 or 50 count.
But they all grow very well. I am always impressed with the quality.
I've ordered over 1000 bulbs in the last two years. They arrived timely, healthy, and in a generous count, with one exception that was replaced immediately without any hassle.
My bulbs arrived promptly and were gorgeous! I quickly ordered more. Service, quality and value are all superior at Van Engelen. I routinely order from some other companies that I think are excellent also, but Van Engelen had the best prices I've seen for the parrot tulips I wanted.
On July 20th, 2007, veejay added the following:
I had a big display of Blue Parrots this spring and they were stunning! People stopped, slackjawed, to look at them. Thank you for the quality bulbs!
