Go on and mulch. Your bulbs will find their way right up through it without any trouble at all.

If the bulbs are planted throughout, you will want to take some care as you dig and transplant shrubs to try not to injure too many bulbs. The only way you can be sure of doing that is to wait to transplant until the bulbs are all up. In your part of the world that will work just fine. I do alot of transplanting and moving during the winter months. It's cool and easy to work and it's easier on the plants. If you work very carefully, you can even transplant any bulbs that need to move then too.

I'm sure you know, but just in case, be sure to dig some good soil amendments into the holes as you transplant, and do any pruning out of dead wood and re-shaping that might be needed. This is your chance to give them a new lease on life.

Most shrubs will like a winter pruning. Common exceptions in the south are mophead hydrangeas, gardenias, camellias, and azaleas. Wait to prune them until right after they bloom.

One other thought, if she has perennials mixed in with her shrub plantings, you should mark the perennial's places before they go dormant. That way, you'll not destroy them during your transplanting.

Aren't you all wonderful to do this for her! It will do her a world of good to be able to think about and share this process with you. I don't think a gardener ever loses interest in plants and design.

Donna ~

Thanks for the tips. I'm in the Dallas area, and although we are technically both in 8a, my alkalinic black-gumbo-clay soils make my gardening a completely different experience.

My aunt told me that we mostly have narcissus, amaryllis and lilies.

I'm going out this weekend to create a butterfly/hummingbird garden using a couple of existing but neglected beds (no bulbs in those). We'll do the big shuffle in the fall.

Marking her plants is another thing I've been thinking about. My grandmother, granddad, and aunt are starting to forget plant names, so we're probably going to be marking/labeling plants before too long. I hadn't thought of using that to mark dormant perennials, though.

I moved in with my grandparents after my mother died of cancer, so they're more like parents than grandparents. Hadn't thought of this as wonderful, just what needed to be done.

~ Amy

If you have a camera you could take photos while the plants are up and active. If you were to perhaps put an easy to read label in each bed it would make recognition a little easier when you start digging and moving.

Another way is to draw the various beds and do labels to indicate where each plant roughly is. It's a lot of work initially and it saves a huge amount of frustration further on. Just keep all the maplets in a ring binder or clear plastic envelopes so you can review them at need.

As far as you can - use the 'real' name as well as the popular name. It takes you straight to the one plant in all the world with that title when you need to know about taking care of it.

If you're dealing with a clay-type soil then the more you can 'open' it up the better plants can access the moisture reserves. The plants you mention have either got seriously sturdy roots, or root mats that perch over the clay, mostly. So a mulch that actually breaks down and builds the soil rather than one that just suppresses weeds would be the way to go, IMO.

Raw sawdust/shavings mixed with an azalea-friendly fertiliser would be fine, so long as you stir up the crust that forms. You can also mix it with grass clippings - and stir the crust away.

Bark chips can be good. I'd go for the 'nuggets' less than two inches wide or the cambium strippings because they both break down well over time. The larger chunks aren't so good with bulbs.

I'd give weedmat a miss - unless it was organic rather than plastic. Sheep wool mats can also add some nutrient to the plants and rot down well.

Old hay or straw can be handy for adding humus, although they can also add interesting weeds you never wanted to encounter. Can be worth it on hungry areas needing a boost, though. Worms tend to enjoy the damp, rotting material - more than one variety, too.