Review: Martha Stewart Living Seeds/Bulbs

Martha Stewart Living Seeds/Bulbs

Rating: 8.5/10 (Bulbs) 3/10 (Seeds)
Price: $1.99 - $50.00

I've never tried any of Martha's plant products. She has an attractive selection of dormant bulbs and bare roots, sold in well designed packages, beautifully marketed and priced accordingly. She offers a limited variety of products, only sold at Home Depot in Canada and the USA. You can buy them in store or order online, and purchases over $45.00 include free shipping.

What I always say about free shipping is always spend what you need to get it. Why buy $30.00 worth or product and pay another $30.00 for shipping, it's like paying 2x over for your items and you might as well not shop online. If free shipping is $75.00 and up plan to spend $75.50 at that online nursery.

Martha's line is essentially picking the plants that are well designed for you, mixing specific colors and varieties for that modern magazine look. The most common examples would be lime green, white and pink tulips all in one bag, plant at random. No everyone likes to garden like that, so if you don't like colour mixes and pre-planned grab bags, her products aren't for you.

Blue Border Assortment
by Martha Stewart Living ($42.95 - 180 bulbs)

Hyacinth China Pink & Tulip Couleur Cardinal
by Martha Stewart Living ($26.88 - 48 bulbs)

She has many other assortments and plain packs of bulbs at which seem to be, very reasonable prices. The average price of her bulb packs is $25.00 for 15 - 35 bulbs depending on the species.

Examples of tulips available by Martha Stewart Living

She also has a limited number of seeds, they are a decent price online, but I've seen them be more expensive in store. There is nothing special about her seeds, and I might buy them on clearence or with a discount, they just don't seem that special. Her choices are basic heirloom and "pretty" no flowers, just veggies and herbs, water melon and cantaloupe.

Martha Stewart's Seed Collection 

She has other bulbs, non-spring bulbs like two varieties of lily, elephant ear, astillbe, peacock lilies, peonies and cana bulbs. They are fairly decent prices and I would consider buying them in store when the discounts roll around at the end of the season, not because I don't think they are worth the price they show now, I just think I'll save a lot by waiting and being a cheapo that I am. Clearance prices can show you how much the store actually bought them for, because they still think they can make profit from 80% off a regular price, home depot is an excellent discounter. For example one bag of 48 tulip bulbs is $30.00, thats 62 cents a bulb. When the bag of bulbs gets discounted 75% off, the price drops to $8.00, that's only 16 cents a bulb, wowza.

Other bulbs available. 

My final thoughts are, well done Martha Stewart Living plants, your seeds suck but your bulbs aren't that bad. Buy her product in your local Home Depot store and wait for the clearance prices at the end of  spring, yes, you may not have the best selection, but there should be some nice tulips to pick over, and they'll discount her other non-spring bulbs because box stores don't know the difference. I know I'll be checking out her products!

Chris and Jim's Poolside Garden

Take a look at Chris and Jim's poolside garden from my neighborhood. I did some dog-sitting and watered this garden while they were away. I just had to show off there amazing little garden and blooming choices. It has a cottage flair that I love, and so many busy blooms happening at once!

View from one end of the garden, towards the water-slide.

Mr. Sun and Echinacea

Light blushing pink Asiatic lilies, Lavender and Echinacea

Mallow, Monarda, Daisies, Annuals

The New Tulips

Here are the new tulips my dad found and placed in the "old barn foundation" garden. They are a medium height tulip with double/triple blossoms. I find the red and white particularly lovely due to the painted nature and detail in the foliage. They are very hardy and look like great multipliers.

In love with this variety... I think it's called 'Carnival de Nice' 

and the red variety is called 'Uncle Tom' or 'Redwood'.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh! (Happy St. Patrick's Day)

The Shamrock of Ireland

There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle, 'Twas St. Patrick himself sure that set it; And the sun on his labour with pleasure did smile, And with dew from his eye often wet it. It thrives through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland; And he called it the dear little shamrock of Ireland- The sweet little shamrock, the dear little shamrock, The sweet little, green little, shamrock of Ireland!

- Andrew Cherry, Irish Playwright (1762-1812)

The table before the party.

Skiddles and candy for my party!

St. Patrick's Day Morning Cup.

June 29th- Garden Update!

This spring has been super hot and wet. Bronwyn and I have been busy in the garden, planting, sowing and munching away. This photo to the left is one of the strawberries from the ongoing harvest of our backyard garden. Bronwyn is learning that it takes along time to plant things from seed and that some strawberries are smaller than others. She loves to check for new fruit at the end of each day, we eat and count up our bounty. So far we have picked 24 strawberries. Bronwyn is also learning about insects, soil and how bees help the garden. She is still working on conquering her fears or creepy crawlies. Other plants in the garden that we have been enjoying are Lettuce, Rainbow Chard, Spinach, Radishes, Nasturtium Flowers, Herbs, Calendula, Onions and Rhubarb! This photo is of an Herb bouquet I made for some friends.