Planting flower bulbs is a fantastic way to see results quickly through your gardening efforts, something that you will appreciate whether you are a newbie gardener or a seasoned professional. While it's possible to find bulbs in local gardening centers, sometimes it's far more convenient to buy flower bulbs online.
Despite this convenience, you’ll want to confirm the timeframe of when you want the bulbs to bloom before shopping. You won’t be able to plant flower bulbs all year-round unless you are looking to plant perennial bulbs that bloom and grow for two years or more—otherwise, look for annual flower bulbs that bloom at certain times throughout the year. You'll want to ensure you are timing the delivery for when your particular bulb is ready for planting.
You'll also need to consider your region's Hardiness Zone. "[These are ] geographic areas that are determined based on the average minimum temperature that climate experiences annually," says Kaylyn Hewitt, lead floral designer with The Bouqs Co. For example, areas in the Northeast that hit below zero temperatures need to ensure their bulb of choice can withstand those temperatures. You can find your area's Hardiness Zone by entering your zip code in the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
When researching retailers, we chose ones with quality bulbs available online and had plenty of unique options that could interest gardeners of all skill levels. We also considered their customer service availability, ensuring that it's straightforward to get in touch with them with any particular questions. Finally, we also identified ones with cost-effective shipping rates and convenient delivery times.
The Home Depot
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Convenient, fast shipping and pickup
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Wide variety of bulb options
Return window of 90 days
No easy filtering by Hardiness Zone
If you want to meet your planting and gardening needs at one location, start with The Home Depot. They offer hundreds of bulb selections that you can quickly narrow down to preferences, such as level of sun tolerance, drought tolerance, watering requirements, and more. You'll also find a wide range of flower seeds if you prefer.
Their pricing is budget-friendly, too, allowing you to buy in bulk from packs of 10 up to 100 or more. Fast and free home delivery is available; however, you can also pick up yours at your local store if you want to take advantage of your current planting season sooner rather than later.
Plus, you'll find how-to guides and planting advice on each bulb's page. Unfortunately, it's not easy to narrow down your picks by Hardiness Zone or specific planting and blooming season, so you'll need to do some advanced research before purchasing. Fortunately, they allow for returns up to 90 days, relieving some of the online shopping stress.
Brent & Becky’s
Filters by Hardiness Zone
Indicates if it's a pollinator
Extensive gardening resources
Limited return policy
Based out of their family farm in West Virginia, Brent & Becky's have been around since the early 1900s. When navigating their website to find your flower bulbs, you can narrow your picks by Hardiness Zone, thanks to their convenient filtering.
If you aren't sure what yours is, they prompt you for your zip code, making the entire process smooth and easy for less experienced shoppers. Plus, they have many gardening tips through their online blog and e-mail newsletter.
You'll find an extensive supply of flower bulbs and can buy in batches of 10 up to 500. In addition to filtering by Hardiness Zone, you can select the area in your outdoor space where you are planting yours, bloom season timing, color, cutting and picking (perfect if you love arranging flowers), and more. Their site guarantees that your bulbs will arrive in good condition, but you only have seven days to let them know to initiate a refund. Their limited return policy was the only major downside of shopping there for your bulbs.
Van Engelen
Plant-specific horticulture tips
Ships in time for planting
Frequent specials
No convenient filtering
If you are interested in buying flower bulbs in bulk, Van Engelen is one of the best places to purchase flower bulbs online. You'll find great pricing on bulbs in ranges of 100 to 500 and some with smaller increments of 5 to 20, although not as commonly available. Pricing is reasonable, and they have frequent specials available throughout the year.
We appreciate that you can find species-specific horticulture tips to help you start planting your bulbs and ensuring their blooming success. You'll also find extensive tips to get you started. This is especially ideal if you haven't planted flower bulbs before and need extra guidance.
However, one drawback of purchasing with Van Engelen is that they don't have any way of filtering selections by Hardiness Zone or specific preferences, such as your garden's sun exposure or your preferred color types. So, you will want to do some research in advance. Fortunately, they make their customer service team available by phone and email to address any questions while shopping.
Swan Island Dahlias
Farm-grown flowers
Gardening supplies available
Flexible return policy
Shipment based on planting season timeframe
Only dahlias available
Canby, Oregon farm Swan Island Dahlias specializes in dahlia flowers. You can purchase dahlia tubers (similar to bulbs, but more thin-skinned, as they instruct those new to this flower variety). You can only plant this type of flower in the spring, although the timing can vary according to your region, which they consider before sending you the tubers.
You'll find clear and easy-to-follow guidelines on planting this particular type of flower in your garden. Plus, you can purchase gardening equipment, such as garden gloves, clippers, and even how-to booklets. Unlike some of our other picks, Swan Island Dahlias has a purchase guarantee and a flexible return policy, so you can send yours back if it hasn't bloomed during the season, and you'll receive a replacement.
Eden Brothers
Extensive bulb selection
Details about each bulb
Clear site navigation
Not a flexible return policy
Eden Brothers offers the widest variety of bulb selections for your garden and includes an abundance of seed selections, making them one of the best places to buy flower seeds and bulbs online. You can easily navigate their site, picking your selections based on planting season, plant characteristics, and more through their plant finder resource.
When you select your particular bulb type, Eden Brothers clearly lays out must-know information to help you determine if it's the right one for your needs. On their website, you'll also find garden care tips for each bulb type.
You can purchase bulbs of various species, even rare and unusual flowers. You'll also benefit from their bulk pricing, as you'd typically see with most online flower bulb retailers. Unfortunately, their return policy is limited, and they don't offer refunds if you accidentally purchase the wrong product or don't want it after all (this policy is specifically for bulbs; seeds they will accept for a refund).
Longfield Gardens
Indoor bulb options available
Frequent specials and discounts
Free shipping over $50
No filtering by Hardiness Zone
Longfield Gardens is known for its high-quality bulbs and smooth shipping process. You'll find numerous bulbs based on planting season easy to find on their website. Their shopping site is uncluttered and straightforward to navigate to find the appropriate flower bulb for your garden. We especially liked that they shared indoor bulb options, suggested gardening tools for some flowers, and provided additional planting information.
Not only can you buy in bulk, but also after the $50 price point, you'll get free shipping. Plus, you can take advantage of numerous specials to reduce the cost of your flower bulb purchase. You won't be able to navigate by Hardiness Zone, so you'll either have to research in advance or click around to find the appropriate option. You'll find some helpful guidelines for gardening with their flower bulbs, and their team is available for questions, although that's limited to regular business hours on the East Coast.
Colorblends
High quality
Online bulb calculator
Clear planting instructions
Not the largest bulb variety
Colorblends is a family-owned wholesale flower bulb company that has stayed in business for over 100 years. You'll find many daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and other varieties within your Hardiness Zone. Most of their bulb options are blends of a particular variety; unfortunately, they do not share the details of those varieties. Still, they are well known for the quality of their bulbs, making them a top choice among gardeners.
We appreciate that their site offers straightforward navigation and clear planting guidelines for each flower. Plus, when you select a particular bulb, you'll find an online bulb calculator so you know just how much to purchase based on the square footage of your planting. You will need to buy at least $60 on their site, which may not be ideal if you don't need many bulbs. However, that shouldn't be hard to hit the minimum of, especially if you need gardening equipment (of which they actually guarantee their quality).
Bluestone Perennials
100% quality guarantee
Farm-grown flowers
Shop by solution
Perennials only
If you are interested in planting perennials—meaning your flowers will bloom year after year for at least several years—you'll find plentiful options at Bluestone Perennials. This family-run farm specializes in these bulbs, making them an excellent place to buy flower bulbs online. We appreciate their 100 percent quality guarantee, and if you are unhappy, they will work with you to issue a refund or a replacement option. You'll also find they plant their blooms in their nursery rather than import plants from outside sources.
You can peruse their site by Hardiness Zone and narrow your picks by solution, whether you want potted plant options, deer-resistant bulbs, wet site tolerant, and more. You can shop their pre-planned gardens if you want to take out the complications of what to plant in your new garden. While only having perennials can limit your choices, you will benefit from a plant that reblooms for years and a company that offers top-quality customer service in return.
White Flower Farm
Small quantities available
Variety of gardening supplies
Extensive details on bulbs
Non-plant items shipped with plants
White Flower Farm provides extensive options for gardening novices and pros alike. You'll find everything you need, from seeds to bulbs to gardening equipment for the current planting season. They have a wide selection of bulbs, whether you want tulips, daffodils, peonies, or even hard-to-find options.
While they don't have the most flexible satisfaction guarantee, they stand by their bulbs, and if you receive anything of poor quality, you can let them know to receive a refund or product exchange. They have an abundance of gardening equipment available, too. While you won't find the latest novelty tool, you will find much-needed gardening gloves, watering cans, bulb planters, and more. Unfortunately, they ship these non-plant items along with your plants, so you may want to purchase your supplies later.
The Lily Garden
Specialty lily and crocosmia bulbs
All blooms grown on their farm
100% quality guarantee
Not the smoothest site navigation
No Hardiness Zone details
While Washington-based company The Lily Garden may not have the most robust-looking site, their flower bulb options are some of the best of its kind. Each bulb is grown on their farm, and they stand by a 100 percent guarantee that they will grow and bloom, giving you great peace of mind about your bulb selections. They specifically offer lily and crocosmia bulbs, so you will find more specialty options that you may not discover elsewhere.
You won't find Hardiness Zone details, so you will need to do some research in advance. However, they provide guidelines on how to plant your bulbs on their website, so you will have the help you need to make yours grow. Plus, they have high-quality customer service and will lend a hand if you need extra help with your blooms or if your order isn't the quality you were expecting.
TN Nursery
Farm grown flowers
One year warranty
Very visual website
Store credit refunds only
The Tennessee-based farm TN Nursery plants and ships flower bulbs from their own farm. We appreciate that it's easy to shop directly by Hardiness Zone, and in fact, it's detected automatically based on where you live. You'll find clear visuals on the bulb selections, even seeing an example of what you will receive in the mail and simple guidelines for taking care of your bulb upon receipt.
We appreciate their clear planting guidelines and gardening tips. This nursery will send out bare-root plants, meaning the roots are exposed when they arrive. You'll have to plant yours right away, so keep an eye on the shipping date to ensure you are ready for its arrival. One stand-out feature of this nursery is that they provide a one-year warranty on their plants, including their flower bulbs. If yours do not bloom, you can file a claim for credits to use on their site, but not for a cash refund.
How We Picked the Flower Bulb Retailers
To select the best places to buy flower bulbs online, we researched various online store options, selecting ones known for their quality bulbs and extensive effort to ensure the shopper had everything they need to start planting upon receiving their delivery.
We prioritized retailers that made essential information, such as Hardiness Zone, readily available on their website. However, for those who didn't have that information available, we ensured they had strong quality guarantees and flexible returns.
What to Look for When Shopping for Flower Bulbs Online
Overall Selection of Bulbs
When selecting the online store to purchase your flower bulbs, it's essential to verify how they are sourced and if they are appropriate for your region. Certain flower bulbs stores plant them on their own farm, making you more likely to receive quality bulbs. "Try to order from a grower, you always seem to get better quality and fresher products buying grower direct," says Tammy Sons, a licensed horticulturist and founder of TN Nursery.
Many of the picks on our list are either sourced from their own farm or reputable sources. Quite a few also had guarantees with their bulbs, ensuring you receive the best quality.
You also want to verify that the retailer has the amount you need to buy. Those who want to buy in bulk will want to take advantage of bulk pricing. The retailers we picked met various needs, whether you wished to plant seeds (as well as bulbs), need gardening equipment, or want to shop by Hardiness Zone.
Overall, while it can be ideal to shop for your bulbs in person, you'll want to make sure you are shipping from reputable sites. The condition your bulb is in before your plant is a main indicator of whether or not it will bloom.
Shipping and Delivery Options
You need to keep in mind the planting season when you are shopping. Many of our list's online flower bulb retailers ship according to the planting season and your specific region's Hardiness Zone. For example, colder zones mean you'll need to plant in early September or late April, depending on your region. Warmer areas will receive their deliveries by late September or early March. If yours does not ship based on that timing, you'll need to plan ahead and research the types of bulbs you want to plant based on your current season, your Hardiness Zone, and the ideal time of their arrival. If you can't plant yours once it's sent, follow any care tips provided in your delivery.
Most, but not all, retailers on our list had zone maps available, so be sure you know yours before shopping to streamline the process. Scheduling deliveries may be possible for some retailers, but most work with standard shipping companies and may not be able to adhere to a certain requested delivery date.
Customer Service Options
Accessing help, whether planting bulbs or anticipating their bloom, is paramount. All of our picks have made themselves available by phone or email. The best places to buy flower bulbs online also have robust resources on their website detailing how to care for your plants and ways to troubleshoot any issues that arise. Many also share the detailed tips per plant species, making it easy to follow any unique guidelines your bulb needs for ideal growth.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Nicole Pyles is a freelance writer for The Spruce and extensively researched the top-quality online flower bulb stores to identify the best picks available. She spent time exploring the unique qualities of bulbs and how to find the right retailer for each gardener's needs. Pules has a background in writing commerce articles and researching the best products for consumers, including home, kitchen, and garden topics.
Our Experts:
- Kaylyn Hewitt, lead floral designer at The Bouqs Co.
- Tammy Sons, licensed horticulturist and founder of TN Nursery