Dave is looking to plant a bunch of daff bulbs.

Any ideas on where the best place to buy in quantity??

I really like Van Engelen and eflowergarden/Touch of Nature for quantities and good prices (and great quality too- I'm cheap, but picky, LOL). Brent&Becky's is one of my favorites for selection, but I use them to obtain smaller quantities of more choice varieties, especially when they have their 50% off sale (which works out really well for southerners who don't have frozen soil to worry about). B&B also is a great guide for which varieties are best suited to southern zones.

If you're interested in Daffs for naturalizing, I'm going to be digging a bunch of Narcissus pseudonarcissus, the little yellow heirloom trumpet Daff that is naturalized throughout much of the southeast. The little bulbs are easy to plant and multiply like mad. I'm anticipating having lots of extras, and would be happy to share.

Thanks for the lead, Neal! I'd be happy to help you out if/when you have extras- just let me know when the time comes, and we'll work something out.

I'm also excited to get into your cottage garden cubit! We've been working on getting the bones of our landscaping in this spring, but I can't wait to get started on my cottage garden that's going in on the side!!

You're most welcome! I'm sure to have plenty of those Daffs, and they're such a reliable early bloomer, its a shame more vendors don't sell them. They're not going to win any ribbons on the show bench, but they're one of the best for growing through sod and naturalizing. Nowadays the only source I know for them is Old House Gardens, an excellent source, but rather pricey. Brent&Becky's used to offer them, but they're not in the current catalog.

And so glad you're exploring the Cottage Garden Cubit, and your own Cottage Garden! I love allowing plants to do their own thing, to sprawl, reseed, and co-mingle as nature would dictate, so the Cottage Garden style really "speaks" to me. Looking forward to reports of your developing new cottage garden!

trish,can i urge you to buy quality,not quantity.the best miniature daffs are bred here in Tasmania,below Australia''Glenbrook Bulb Farm'',but quarentine costs are a 'killer',Australia to America.Rod Barwick ,the owner has dedicated his life to breeding miniatures,and is renowned throughout the world..some are only about 2'' tall.,.,check out the''Claremont Flower Show''site,for a sample,Anthony

Neal & Trish, I always find Ebay to be a great source for large quantities of Daffodils.

There are 2 typical sources on there. One are home gardeners that have tons of bulbs that are overcrowded. These folks often sell them in 100's or box lots. A lot of times these are from much older plantings, even before the home's current owner. I've gotten some nice pricey, hard to find Heirlooms very cheaply this way. Many are fragrant.

Another is that Landscapers often buy their bulbs by the multiple thousands to get them as cheaply as possible. They will often order many more than they need and will move the rest out on Ebay. These folks usually sell in quantities of 250+.

If you peruse B & B's catalogue for which varieties will thrive in your area, then you can do an Ebay search for those varieties.

Ahhh- good tip, Stormy! Thank you!!

Dave really wants Daffs as an important part of his permaculture in the orchard area.

Neal- I'm sad to say that landscaping anything got pushed back to the very back of the line this year. We have a "food first, then fun" rule of thumb, and I barely helped out on the food part! I am working on slowly building my beds back where I want to do my cottage garden, so at least I am still working on it. So many goals, so little time. Next year will be the year of the flowers!!!

Anthony, I was thinking about bulb sources and just realized that bulbs from your side of the globe wouldn't be an option for us in this hemisphere, even if the quarantine costs weren't so high- they would be available at the wrong time of year for us. Planting time here is September through November, or even December in the south, I suppose planting time for you would be around March?

some of the 'boutique'collectors,beg to differ-the bulbs tend to 'right themselves'-over a period of time..,in this case,the bulbs were dormant and mailed in 'june'-kept cool and then they will be hit with the big degrees,to spur them to life,...i've found daff bulbs to be very forgiving and remain dormant for 18 months in a cool dark place,then fire into life when beckoned.,.interesting,i was reading an article on 'Van Sion',one of my div 13 daffs,and it dates back to the 1600's,yet still carries the characteristics on for 400 years of ,'not 1 bloom is the same as the other'-,so true!

Ah, I wouldn't have imagined! Have you planted bulbs from the northern hemisphere?

i've spoken to people,who have .it takes a full season for the bulb to right itself.,,.i dont know whether you have seen those[stupid]'twice flowering' liliums for sale,but it works on that basis-you buy an ex-programmed bulb,[ex cut-flower stock] it flowers in winter,then flowers again in summer..'then more than likely departs life'---i think they are sold as a novelty.,..a lot of famous lilium bulbs as long as 20 years ago,were sent here from USA and are now responsible for some of our great hybridising feats.i knew an old lady[now departed this life] who recieved a novelty drink mug ,every christmas,from a friend in Oregan.There was always an interesting subject,packed safely inside.