New to Bulbs?

Bulbs are easy to grow, and heirloom bulbs are some of the easiest!

Our Samplers Are a Simple Way to Start

These are collections of some of our favorite bulbs. See them all at Fall-Planted Samplers and Spring-Planted Samplers.

Or Try a Few of Our Bestsellers

Our Customer Favorites tend to be some of our easiest, most reliable — and wonderful — bulbs.

Or Use Our Easy, Awesome Advanced Search

It’s easy to find exactly what you’re looking for with our simple Advanced Bulb Search. To get to it, click the word Advanced by any search box.

Planting and Care

You’ll find complete instructions stapled to every bag of bulbs we deliver, as well as in our Planting & Care info online. You’re always welcome to call or email us with questions, too!

Sun and Soil

Most bulbs prefer full sun and well-drained soil, although exceptions are noted throughout our site. Many will thrive in pots and other containers. If you garden in clay soil, check out the Soil and Drainage section of our Planting & Care info, or choose “clay or heavy soil” in the Soil Type section of our Advanced Search.

Hardiness & Zones

In each of our bulb descriptions — or at the beginning of the section — you’ll find a recommended range of winter hardiness zones for that bulb. In these, “a” refers to the cooler, northern half of each zone, while “b” refers to the warmer, southern half of each. “WC” in our recommendations refers to West Coast where milder summers allow some bulbs to thrive beyond the zones we advise for the Southeast and Southwest.

For a list of bulbs we recommend for your zone, use our easy Advanced Search.

Spring-Planted Bulbs

These bulbs bloom in the summer. Many are grown as annuals except in the warmest parts of the country, or you can dig and store them in winter. Both choices are perfectly honorable! We’ll send easy instructions.

Two Good Books

For basic but expert guidance, check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s lively handbooks, Spring-Blooming Bulbs and Summer-Blooming Bulbs. Any library can get these for you via inter-library loan.

For Local Advice

Gardeners love to share what they’ve learned, so ask friends, neighbors, and relatives, especially older ones who may be more familiar with heirlooms. The Cooperative Extension Office in your county can help, too. For its phone number, go to www.npic.orst.edu/mlr.html and click on your state and then county.

Learn More With Our eNewsletter

Every month, thousands of gardeners just like you look forward to the entertaining mix of tips, news, history, links, and special offers in our “Friends of Old Bulbs Gazette.” You might also like to follow us on Facebook and Pinterest.

Our Goal for You

We aim to treat you as well as our good customer Karen Knab of Arlington, Virginia, who wrote, “I have ordered from a lot of catalogs, gardening and not. The care you showed with my first Old House Gardens order was outstanding. You’d think we lived next door, it was so attentive, personal, and generous.”

For hundreds of other glowing reviews of our bulbs and service, see GardenWatchdog.com.

The Next Step

Please use the navigation bars below to explore our site. Have fun, and we’ll look forward to serving you!