Moving Flower Bulbs
If the flower bulb is in a pot, you can move the pot at any time. (get it?)
If the bulb is in soil in the pot, then the best time to move the bulb out of the pot is after it has gone dormant. That is, grow it in full sunshine, feed and water it as per the instructions elsewhere on this site and when the leaves start to yellow, dig it up and replant elsewhere. Like outside. :-) You can dig it out of the pot and move it (see below) when the leaves are green but this is your second choice.
In the Garden
If the bulb is in the garden and you have an insane desire to move it (maybe you’re moving and want to take a few hundred tulips along for the ride) then the rules are slightly different. (By the way, you should check on your legal sales agreement before moving flowers, sometimes you can’t. If selling it is always a good idea to have it written into the agreement that you can move plants.)
Moving Spring Blooming
You can move spring-blooming flower bulbs immediately after they bloom if you do it 1) carefully and 2) replant them as soon as possible at the same depth as they were in the original planting spot. They won’t like it but if you replant at the same depth, they will likely survive. They may sulk for a year (not throw a flower the following spring) but will then recover for subsequent years.
Moving spring bulbs before they bloom is a tricky operation because the bulbs are actively growing buds at this time and they’re usually quicker off the mark than you are. You can do it but expect to lose more bulbs along with the flowers. I have moved just about every plant in my garden out of season at one time or other and if you do it carefully, without disturbing the roots too much you can try. Just understand that you may lose spring bulbs this way.
Moving Summer Flowering Bulbs
Moving flower bulbs like summer flowering lilies (or other summer flowering bulbs) follows the same guidelines. Dig them early enough in the spring. Again, they’re not pleased by this but they’ll survive and you’ll rarely lose a season’s bloom if you get them early. If actively growing above the ground, it is best to wait until after they finish flowering and the leaves start to fade.
But again, the same rules hold for the summer bulbs as the spring ones. Moving flower bulbs can be done if you’re careful and replant at the same depth. Just expect to lose a few.
Moving flower bulbs can be done if you want to.
Click here if you have a question about moving flower bulbs.
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