Once on a trip to England, I saw how the gardeners handled this at the
'Stately Homes'. The Lord and Lady of the Manor were much too refined to
have look at the spring bulbs getting yellow and tatty so the gardeners
whisked them off - after the blooming was over - and re-planted them in
fresh dug rows behind the greenhouses so they would be out of sight and
yet still be able to finish their cycle.

They did not want to throw them out and get replacements the next year
as these bulbs had 'been on the estate for a hundred years'. Plus they
get bigger and multiply.

I would imagine you could pot these up, keeping as much dirt and root as
possible around the roots. Or if you had the space, dig a row and 'heel
them in' like the 'Stately' gardeners do.

Sterling

Richard wrote:
The bulb bed in my front yard has to go to make way for some new
hardscaping. The crocus and tulips have all died back and were dug, but I
still have a patch of poeticus narcissus that are still green, they are the
latest to bloom and the last to die down.

I have to have the bulbs out by this weekend. The area I was planning to
move them to will not be ready anytime soon due to the work going on in the
yard. Should I even try to save the bulbs, or should I break down and spend
a few bucks this fall to replace them? And if I try to save them, how
should I treat them until I plant them?

Richard
USDA Zone 5 (Southeast Nebraska)