The center monitors what kinds of bulbs are popular. This fall, there is more demand for bulbs with blue or purple flowers, bulbs with smaller flowers, fragrant bulbs and for alliums, says Sally Ferguson, director of the Flower Bulb Information Center. Supplies of alliums, which are popular because they bloom between other spring bulbs and the peonies and roses of June, may run short, she says, because of spring weather in the Netherlands and higher demand this year. Another trend involves how bulbs are sold. Buyers get a big visual reward without having to do their own research on when certain tulips flower.
Some local retailers are also pre-selecting bulbs for specific color schemes.
English Gardens this fall is offering a Pretty in Pink selection with various bulbs that will produce pink, cream and lavender blooms. It has other selections in oranges and blues, as well as rock garden bulbs and bulbs that can be planted for a successive 100 days of flowers. Among experienced gardeners, there always has been an appetite for the more unusual bulbs, notes Denny Snell, garden store manager at Bordine Nursery, which carries more than 150 tulips every year. Although the selection varies each season, he concentrates on breadth, such as offering 12 kinds of alliums. Snell says many customers have grown disenchanted with the larger tulips, which tend to decline after the first year.