My daughter is moving to a new house and would like to take her tulips with
her if possible. When can the bulbs be dug up? Should she replant right
away or wait until fall?
Thank you in advance for any information
Stell

--
"Are you going to come quietly or do I have to use ear plugs?"

In article oQdna.474583$3D1.255351@sccrnsc01, "Estelle Evans"
wrote:

My daughter is moving to a new house and would like to take her tulips with
her if possible. When can the bulbs be dug up? Should she replant right
away or wait until fall?
Thank you in advance for any information
Stell

Moving doesn't often permit perfect timing for moving bulbs, alas, but if
there is a time frame to do it right: Tulips dislike being dug up, but if
timed just right, no harm is done. Wait until finished blooming, then wait
a little longer until the foliage is starting to turn yellow & brown & die
back. At that moment they'll be very sleepy & you can dig them up, harvest
any offsets if they're wanted separately, & then get the tulip IMMEDIATELY
back in a hole. This method should result in a 100% success rate.

Additional Notes:
Lifting, drying, & storing until autumn planting is not nearly as safe
though it also works.
The ideal moment won't be the same week for all tulips, as those that
bloom early season, mid-season, & late, will also have different weeks
when the foliage begins to die back.
They CAN all be lifted all at one time later in summer when even the
latest bloomers are at rest, or at any time before autumn's first frosts.
But if it isn't done when the foliage is in the process of fading away,
then the bulb locations will not be obvious; more soil will have to be
taken, a soil sieve being helpful, & expect to accidentally slice through
some of the bulbs, & fail to find others.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/