I'll let the others have first say on what to do with your daff bulbs, etc--but--as to your NEW bed--have you tried posting your question about the pine bark over on the soil forum? They may have some additional insights!

melanie

I've dug up daffs and replanted them immediately in a holding area until I was ready for them, to allow the foliage to die down. Just make sure you keep them watered until it does.
Or, you can wait until the foliage yellows, dig up the bulbs, and dry them in a shady place, then store them in a cool dark place until fall and replant.
Or you can dig 'em up and chuck 'em, and plant new ones in the fall, but I hate to waste perfectly good plants.
As far as the other bed is concerned, I'd remove the bark mulch and set it aside, add more paper and compost or soil or whatever you have on top of the old paper, then reapply the mulch or use it elsewhere in the yard.
I don't think you need to dig up the things you already planted unless you will be changing the soil level considerably.
Why do you feel you need more paper, are the weeds coming thru? The pine bark will break down in the soil over time, and wouldn't do any harm, but may use up some nitrogen in the soil as it decomposes, so you might have to add some.
Jo

Agree with Jo re daffs and also adding nitrogen to soil if you work in the bark nuggets. For nitogen, blood meal was my former product of choice (not wild about this anymore b/c of mad cow disease possibility); now I use cottonseed meal.

Another possibility would be to place the soil right over top of the daffs, letting the top portion ripen while the botton 4-6" remains in the topdressing of soil you have applied. All that should do is hasten the ripening of the foliage b/c of additional moisture provided by the new soil depth. Plant your annuals where you want them amongst the daffs. I twist a bunch of daff foliage, tie in a knot, and bend it down for a neater look and to get it out of the way of annuals. You are not supposed to do this, but I have been doing it for years in clients' gardens to no ill effect whatsoever.

About the stone edging: a simple way to make smallish stone edging look more interesting is to place the stones vertically rather than horizontally. Takes more stone, but looks much more interesting and substantial. Experiment and you will see what I mean.

I am a self-confessed bulb abuser. I've thrown tulips, daffs, crocuses, and all manner of bulbs in a heap on the ground, forgotten them completely, and only remembered them later when I found them blooming there the following spring.

Daffodils actually seem to like this sort of abuse. Dig them up now, throw them in a heap, and don't worry about them. Don't cut off the foliage -- let it yellow on the dug-up daffs. Replant them when you're ready -- and if not before next spring, they'll bloom wherever you've heaped them.

Crocuses ditto. They'll be fine as long as you don't cut off their foliage.

Tulips are not as tolerant of abuse. They prefer to grow in the ground rather than in a heap. (Fancy that!)

Love,

Claudia

Thank you all for your advice! I'm relieved to hear that the daffs will probably survive; I don't know why I'm attached to these specific bulbs, but somehow I'd like to make sure that they make it through the transition with little loss.

As to the other bed, I think I have a handle on it. The reference to the lawn forum was a very good suggestion, I appreciate it.

I'll see if I can get moving for some before and after pictures.

Vicki