Any chance that you can get your landlord to agree IN WRITING that you could come back after the bulbs bloom and dig them out? I'm guessing you want them to bloom at your new house (who wouldn't) so I don't know if my idea is what you are hoping for. We sold a house in Dec and wrote into the purchase agreement that I could come back in the spring and dig out perennials from my ex-yard. My husband helped me even though he kept saying that he felt like a thief! Oh well, at least there was minimal disruption to the plants...and that's what counts!!

You can dig and replant bulbs if the ground isn't frozen -- they may not bloom this year, or may not bloom as well, but at least you'd have the bulbs for future years. It may take them a few years to recover fully, too, but bulbs, depending on what you planted, are tough. I personally wouldn't bother with most tulips because they often begin to decline after a few years anyway. Daffs, muscari, crocuses, snowdrops, and many others will do fine.

You must have a big dose of gardening fever if you planted 600 bulbs at a rental place! Good luck, and congrats on the new house!!

April,

Congrats on the new house. What part of the city did you end up?

I agree that digging them now and planting them at the new place could really hamper them from future blooms. On the other hand, it beats buying new ones. I suspect the landlord is not going to let you come back and dig up the bulds after somebody else is living in the house. I'd do it before I moved out.

We're in Waldo now, and we're going to be moving to Overland Park.

If you've got any suggestions for local nurseries and such, please let me know.

hi april...i'm in op too. though i like to visit both family tree locations, i find the best plants at the most reasonable price at suburban lawn and garden...105th and roe. nice selection, helpful folks.

April,

I am also in Overland Park. Several of the nurseries I like to visit include Suburban (for trees), Soil Service (small trees and shrubs), Family Tree Nursery (unique items), Heartland (unique items but cheaper than FTN), Blue Ridge Nursery (hostas and Japanese Maples), and one I just heard about called Red Cedar that I'm going to try this spring.

Welcome to KC and feel free to send me an email if you need any additional information.

P.S. Overland Park has a compost program where you can get 'unlimited' compost for only $3 a month. Email me if you want more info or check out opkansas.org

I have found Longview Gardens (on Bannister Rd west of Highway 50) to be one of the best places for annuals, herbs and especially perennials. I can find annuals and perennial varieties I cannot find anywhere else. Family owned and knowledgeably staffed, they are truely gardeners before being they are "sales" people. They have many more unique varieties/cultivars of perennial to choose from than anyone else. It may not be fancy looking like Heartland or Suburban but well worth the drive. It's not that far away from Heartland Nursery (take View High Dr North from I470 to Bannister, true right and go about 1 mile[on the right]).

http://www.longviewgardens.com/

I like to buy my vegetable starts at the brookside farmer's market (Sat AM's at 63rd Wornall) as several growers there have great selections of heirloom vegetable varieties you wont find even at Family (money) Tree.

I plant plants for a living. I dont care for suburban's potting soil mix for the plants the sale which seems to favor lots of pine bark soil conditioner (this is especially true of their perennials). It may make it easier for them to grow (drains well) and look good in their displays but I find their roots have a harder time adjusting to new soils. They are ok for new installs where one has worked up an entire bed though.

I also dont care for their compost. It often has trash, smells of ammonia and if left out in the sun for any length of time usually starts to form salt deposits at it's edges.

I know this sounds terriable, but When I went through my divorce. I took my Grandmother's Iris's. I dug those up in July and transplanted them and the following spring, they came back beautiful. I would think that you could, because dont you see plants of tuplis and the other sping pretties for sale at wal-Mart in a pot . If you try it and it dont work, what have you lost.