Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 4/15/2004

Question
Is it possible to move bulbs this time of year? We live in zone 5 and we need to move some existing flowers. The problem is that we are raising a flower bed by about 6 inches to provide better drainage and also for looks. We are adding a quality garden soil with lots of compost and rabbit manure. The flower bed has some flowers in it, irises, a tulip, a few daffodils and a few other bulbs. These bulbs come up with foliage every year, but rarely bloom, so I am not concerned about preventing them from blooming this year. What I want to know is if it's going to severly damage the plant's chances of blooming in the future. Would it be a better idea to just dig up what's there and just plant new bulbs next fall for the best results. I just need to know the way to best handle the situation.  

Answer
You can dig up and move all of the plants. In fact, they may bloom better after your change.

Irises, tulips and daffodils will have roots and flower stems. They can be replanted in at the same height they are growing today. You may want to dig a "large" root ball to avoid accidentially slicing the bulbs. The stems may "travel" under ground and therefore the position of the bulbs may not be logically right below the tops. Just dig a fair big swatch and go through the soil and gently find the bulbs. Wash them off and replant at proper dept.

Make sure you deadhead (e.g. remove spent flowers) each year and fertilize in fall, early spring (bulbs poke head above ground) and late spring (as flowering is about to commence). This will give enough power to the bulbs to bloom. Also consider relocating bulbs to places with full sun. When you dig the bulbs you may find smaller bulbs intermixed. these bulbs should be sorted and discarded. The larger bulbs can be replanted.

When fertilizing, I would recommend a good quality synthetic flower fertilizer like OSMOCOTE, PANSY BLOOM BOOSTER, or Miracle Grow. A lot of gardeners will use organic fertilizers (such as rabit manure) on the flower beds, but unfortunately this type of nitrogen is not readily available in cool soil and in my opinion, while I like organic fertilizers, I prefer to use synthetic quick release fertilizers in cold soil temperatures of fall and spring for best result.

The lilies you can also take up but watch these a bit more. especially asiatic lilies create adventitious roots along the stem of the plant. If you did lily bulbs make sure you remove clumps of soil around the stem also to avoid damage to these roots. When you lift the lily bulbs, you may find small bulbs along the stem. replant these. they will flower in 1-2 years. Again, fertilize lilies when they first poke their head above ground, and then again just as they are about to flower.

Bulbs are pretty hardy and you can move with with little problem. I am not sure which type of iris you have. if it is dutch iris (e.g. grow from a bulb) they are very sturdy and can be moved. If you have siberian iris they may not bloom 1-2 seasons after being distrubed, but should then flower again.