For tulips it probably is better to dig them up. They don’t perennialise well. For things like daffodils I’d just plant the annuals over the top and ignore the bulbs.

Digging tulips up is too much work for me! I’ve never had a problem with tulips not ‘naturalizing’, largely because I planted ones that are more likely to do so and planted them at least the minimum depth of 6”. Peonies are great for hiding dying tulip foliage but any vigorous/bushy perennial of 18+” tall will do. And you get used to tuning a ‘blind eye’ to any dying foliage that is still visible :-)

The foliage doesn't last long, it decays pretty rapidly after yellowing. Just overplant it with something and ignore it.

Yes, let the foliage die down, but don't forget to fertilize if you want them to last longer than 2 or 3 years.

And many of the species tulips are more successfully perennial than the well known hybrids. Though fosteriana, greggii, and darwin hybrids have all done well in returning for at least a few years for me too. Also, as a general rule, tulips require excellent drainage and a drier summer rest.

Species tulips do perennialise better than hybrids and the old fashioned Darwins do too. But for the most part, in my cool damp summer climate anyway, tulips are unreliable returners. I have a few praestans and Darwin that come back but mostly they dwindle and disappear. I don’t dig my tulips because I’m lazy but my mil always did and kept them going for years that way. So I was giving a council of perfection, not what I do.

(FWIW, the tulips in question are "Angel's Wish" AW and "Sky High Scarlet" SHS)

As long as you have good drainage there, I think you will have them for some time. I still have a red single late, forgot the name, that comes back every year since 2010 at least. And as I said, you have to let the foliage die down naturally, so the eye sore will be there anyway. If you dig them up prematurely, they will dwindle away too over time.

I never dig up my Tulips and they multiply and are getting more vigorous each year. Could be that one or two cultivars didn't last long, that's ok, others did. I have them growing together with other perennials, so the spent foliage becomes invisible among the other plants. I spread some organic legume meal on the beds very late in the fall and mulch the beds with Black Locust leaves. That's all. Digging up Tulips! I have better things to do!

Windberry, what zone do you live in?

Haha, nevermind... In the very next post I read, you said you live in 5a.

I sure wish my tulips would come back year after year...

IME, whether tulips perennialize depends on some combo of growing conditions, critter munching, and variety. Some bulb catalogs make suggestions as to which ones are likely to perennialize, with the ones bred for the cut flower market being the least likely to perennialize in regular garden useage.

If you plan to dig them, they need to be planted somewhere that the digging won’t disturb other plants, so it works best when they have a dedicated spot that will be filled with annuals for the summer rather than intermingled with shrubs or perennials.

Tulips do brilliantly well on my allotmen (both species and a surprisingl diverse assortment of garden hybridst...but only because I can replicate their natural conditions to near perfection. Totally free draining, sandy soil and a completely open summer baking in my semi-arid climate. The main reason for loss is viral...while doubles, fancies and a few in the Triumph group are also problematic.

This would not work 350 miles on the opposite side of the country at all...but I would go for sinking pots of bulbs in the ground and moving them rather than digging them up (I do this with lilies...don't even bother to sink them, just stuff them behind another shorter plant.

And when you dig up the pots, how do you care for them if you want to reuse them?