Looking for good selection of bulbs...??

[Roberta Brinkman]

Looking for a wider assortment of tulip & iris bulbs than what many stores are now offering. Might even try peonies if I can find them. Any suggestions would be appreciated as to who has a good assortment in the Tarrant County area (Haltom City/Keller/NE Ft. Worth, etc.). Am wondering if going online to purchase might be the best way to get variety, although I'm a little concerned about what kind of quality I might get as well.

[Nadine]

From the October Newsletter published by "The Natural Gardener"I copied the following:
Here are just a few types of bulbs that can naturalize here:
Daffodils/Narcissus: "Carbineer," "Carlton," "Ceylon," "Delibes,"
"Earlicheer," "Fortune," "Grand Primo," "Ice Follies," "Mount Hood,"
"Paperwhites," "Rustom Pasha;" Hyacinthus orientalis var. albulus
(French-Roman hyacinth); Ipheion uniflorum (blue starflowers); Lycoris
squamigera (magic lily); Leucojum aestivum (summer snowflake); Muscari
neglectum (a.k.a. M. racemosum or M. atlanticum); Zephyranthes candida (rain
lily); and Zephyranthes drummondii (giant prairie lily).

Purchase (but don't plant yet) spring-blooming bulbs. Often, now is when
these flower bulbs are available in the nursery. However, planting them now
could cause them to start sprouting during a fall warm spell, only to be
frozen back the next day, losing the bloom for next spring. It's better to
plant them in November, when we - on average - begin to get more
consistently cool temperatures.
Put the non-naturalizing bulbs, like the classic Dutch tulip and Hyacinth,
for example, in the refrigerator now for planting or for forcing. Our
winters are not cold enough nor long enough for these bulbs to bloom
properly here, so we must supplement their winter cold period. Bulbs
require a particular cold spell, like fruit trees, in order to form their
flower bud.
For more information, consult Garden Bulbs for the South, by Scott Ogden, from which this information is taken.
I would not suggest mail order bulbs at all. Try Redenta's in Colleyville or Green Mama's in NRH.

[Roberta Brinkman]

Thanks VERY much for the info. Most helpful!