Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 4/23/2005

Question
We have tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths in the front of our house which do very well. They border a very large bed we have.  We are now in the process of redesigning this area.  What do we do with these bulbs?  We have many bulbs so we were wondering if some of these could be planted in a large pot?  Should we dig them up and replant them now or wait until the fall?  Also, we want to put the netting down around new plants we put there.  Do we save a space for the bulbs and not put the netting there?   The bulbs won't come up throught that will it?  We live in southern Illinois.

Answer
You can dig bulbs at any time. If you dig them with foliage, replant immediately and continue to water and fertilize the lilies. without the foliage being left on the bulbs to conduct photosynthesis (convert sun energy into plant energy) the bulbs wont rebloom next year.

You can plant in large planters, but it is best if you can move the planters to a protected place in winter such as an unheated but attached garage. Temperatures must be below 40F in winter, but not much below freezing.

I am not sure what you mean by netting, but if you are talking about weed fabric, then no bulbs wont push through. Instead of weed fabric, consider adding a 2-3 inch layer of mulch (shredded hardwood mulch, etc). With this layer of mulch, weeds will be surpressed, and bulbs and other plants can push through. If you insist on the weed fabric, you need cut slits (X's) over the planted bulbs to allow them to push through.