I agree with Katob. Get as much rootball as you can. I have heavy soil which holds together nicely when lifting a group. I trowel away the top few inches to get the shovel deeper. Good luck.

Hi, would this be the same with tulip bulbs? I have some I want to move but I'm not sure when the right time to do that would be...before they bloom or after they bloom? Do I have to wait for the fall when you would typically plant bulbs? Thanks.

Just as a follow up, the landscaper who moved the tree dug them up in a clump, moved them to the side and then put them back in the same hole once the tree was moved. Three bulbs broke off so I planted them elsewhere. They were just starting to bloom. They look terrible, wilted and laying over, heads down on the ground. No blooms. The landscaper assured me they would be OK. They may be next year, but certainly not this year.

Sorry to hear they are not doing well. As long as he got the entire bulb and watered them in well, they should be fine for next year. I'm wondering if he dug a bit shallow and they are recovering their roots?

I moved some around for next year and took a picture. They are sulking in the sun but I expect them to perk up with the big drink of water I gave them. Ideally, you should have a big clump of dirt all around (not see the bulb like here, but I was digging his neighbor and dividing) so as not to disturb the roots.

Can you keep the sun off them til they recover? That seems to help for me.