About Us

About the Lily Pad Bulb Farm

We are a family-owned and operated farm, based in Olympia, Washington for the past 21 years. We began our operation as cut flower growers and have expanded into bulb and root production for nation-wide distribution. To a lesser extent we are also importers of fine bulbs and plants, new or rare to the domestic market. We trial everything that we buy in order to determine its quality and garden-worthiness and provide insight and pertinent first-hand details to our .customers. Part of our imported stock becomes planting stock for perpetuation of worthy varieties in our domestic fields. We have entered into contractual terms with certain other West Coast growers to grow some of our bulbs for us. We provide the stock and they provide the labor, land, and technological expertise. This is done partly to boost our capacity and partly to ensure against crop failure. So to summarize, the majority of our bulbs are domestically produced, even those originating in Holland and the Orient. We do honor plant patent rights and buy directly from authorized growers when dealing with patent-protected varieties.

Why do business with us?

New and better varieties

Tired of chain-store and garden-center “same old” varieties? We specialize in items you can’t find in stores. We are well-connected in the industry and stay alert to recent exciting developments, and new and improved characteristics.

Bigger bulbs

We are dedicated to providing top-size bulbs, generally 18-20 cm for Oriental, Orienpet, and Trumpet lilies. .(Take a look at our BULB-ZILLA™ product category, which provides an opportunity to obtain even bigger bulbs than routinely provided). Big bulbs produce more flowers their very first year, and of course will continue to grow larger in your garden every year. By doing business with us, you short-cut your waiting period and enjoy instant gratification in your garden. (Note: some types of bulbs are, by nature, small, and bloom well from small sizes). We will always specify bulb size and provide the largest size obtainable for those)

Guaranteed Product Identity and Quality

In an industry where lack of accountability and impersonal treatment prevails, we, as a small dealer, are able to stand behind our product. We maintain tight control over quality issues and are in a good position to promptly replace or refund anything which meets with your disapproval. With a coherent claim, we pledge to replace or refund your purchase. Just contact us with details of your experience. Our guarantee is good for one year, unless otherwise stipulated.

Customer Service

We believe in “Real Person” customer service. We are actually happy to hear from you. Our phone staff and email staff is knowledgeable about all aspects of growing and care, and can provide prompt response to your concerns. Our voicemail is answered on a regular basis should you encounter busy line or voicemail greeting. Email is always acknowledged by a “real person” .Our service also extends to state-of-the-art storage, packaging, and shipping of product, something that our larger competitors often fail to provide.

Best Prices for Comparable Varieties

Considering the size and quality of our stock, the ready service we provide, and our guarantee, we believe you are getting top value for your money, by doing business with THE LILY PAD.

Rumor Control

Some of you have reported verbal rumors directed against us. As the story goes, an unnamed competitor has been misinforming you, apparently to discredit the source and quality of our bulbs. Let us reassure you that these concerns are without basis.

  1. The quality of our product has spoken for itself for the past 21 years, We’ve attracted and retained thousands of enthusiastic customers, brimming with positive testimonial. We welcome you to read their comments. You may also be interested in viewing our ratings with Dave’s Garden Watchdog. (Just Goggle Dave’s Garden Watchdog, The Lily Pad) We are secure in our reputation, without needing to discredit our competition. We hope you will consider the source when confronted with negative rhetoric. Are you sure you’re getting objective and authoritative information about us from our competitors?
  2. We are totally forthright about the source, condition and size of our bulbs. If you want to know, just ask!. The source of our bulbs is mainly domestic, much of it from our own fields. As described at the top of this page, we do pursue opportunities to add new varieties and patented varieties by importing certain things from reputable sources that we know and trust. Pursuant to that we examine and test everything that we buy. Strict quality control standards are in force here. We find that because of strict federal agricultural inspection, the imported bulbs tend to be exceptionally high quality, or they would never make it into the country. Let us summarize all this controversy about source, by saying that the real quality issue is not source, but MANAGEMENT of the bulbs. This is where some of the larger impersonal mail-order companies seem to be failing their customers. We do not deserve to be put in the same category with those dealers, as our critics are trying with futility to do.
  3. "Frozen bulbs" The real scoop: This designation has been invoked, almost as a dirty word, by some of our detractors attempting to point the finger on this issue (even though they themselves market such goods at times). A more proper term for this is “Pre-cooled” bulbs, which means the bulbs are carefully maintained at 29 degrees Fahrenheit to inhibit pre-mature sprouting and to assure more uniform growth at the proper time.

Fact: We never import or pre-cool our Fall-harvested bulbs

(to de-bunk the kinds of things you may hear from the other camp). All Fall-dug bulbs are domestically produced by us or by our Northwest Associates, and shipped fresh from the harvest. They don’t need pre-cooling as long as you plant them right away and don’t try to force them right off the bat.

Some of the bulbs we sell in the Spring are from Holland, which arrive here pre-cooled. Temperature is gradually raised to thaw and package the bulbs, after which they go into our temperature and humidity-controlled cooler (NOT freezer). Bulbs are withdrawn as needed for our shipping activities and for our planting stock. There is absolutely no adverse effect on quality or performance. In fact most domestic cut flowers growers PREFER Dutch pre-cooled bulbs. Commercial flower growers are as picky as they come, when it comes to bulb quality.

Think about this from a realistic standpoint. A temperature of 29 degrees F. is barely below the freezing point. For the short duration of time our bulbs are held at this temperature, there is no big deviation from natural outdoor Winter temperature in many people’s gardens. In essence, pre-cooling is quite natural.

We hope this clears up some of the scare-stories that may have been circulating. Our focus will continue to be, not on diminishing the competition, but in optimizing our own product and service, giving out correct information, and de-bunking myths, on behalf of our wonderful and deserving customers.