I Need to Move some Tulips & Daffodils - now...

[frontrangeannie]

So my husband approached me with his plan to put in the new shed - right where I have a flower bed. While I am fine with him taking out this particular garden I do want to keep my Daffodil and Tulip bulbs. The problem is he's decided to do the demolition this weekend. Is it absolutely necessary for the flowers to be done for the year before I can dig them up and put them in pots?

[Kisal]

You might lose any actual flowers that are present right now, but if you can keep the leaves alive long enough so that they can replenish the food supply in the bulbs, in preparation for next years blooms, then you can at least salvage the bulbs, themselves.

It might be a good thing to sacrifice the current flowers. It might enhance the possibilities of there being sufficient food in the bulb for next year. I don't know that for a fact, though.

I have found tulip and daffodil bulbs to be pretty tough, as a rule. I've abused them terribly a couple of times, even leaving them lie exposed on the surface of the ground through the entire summer. When I eventually replanted them, they grew just fine ... much to my everlasting surprise!

[frontrangeannie]

Thanks Kisal! I put them into some pots yesterday. I guess we'll just wait and see what happens.

[mtmickey]

Pots should be okay for the time being, but be sure to get them in the ground this fall, for better results next year.

[organicgardenerswife]

Hi, I am new here, but I thought I would share my recent experience with another kind of flower bulb, the lily.

My husband and I, on the spur of the moment, decided to dig out and move some of my lily bulbs, right before their buds opened into a bloom.

I did not know if the blooms would open after we transplanted them at such a critical stage. Surprisingly, the plants showed no signs of stress, and the lilies bloomed like usual I do think bulbs are pretty tough!