Find Your Ask the Expert: Pre-flower identification and transplant
Indiana, moved in last Aug. Beginning of flowers coming up, no flowers yet. Need to identify plant whose leaves look like a Daffodil but twice as big. Also have crocus, daffodils, tulips growing in areas to be leveled. Is it okay to transplant them now? Andrea
Reply:
Without seeing the bloom it is hard to say. It could be one of these early blooming spring flowers:
Glory Of the Snow (Chinondoxia sardensis)
Dwarf Iris (Iris danfordiea or Iris reticulata)
Snowdrops (Galanthus sp) ***this is what I think it is***
Star Flower (Ipheion uniflorium)
Striped Squill (Puschkinia scilloides)
It will be hard to tell until we see the bloom.
I normally transplant my existing bulbs after they have bloomed when the foliage starts to die back. However if you need to moved them now, try to move the whole clump without disturbing the individual bulbs. You can also move the individual bulbs; just be sure to plant them at the exact depth as they were. You will need to fertilize them when you move them. Good luck and keep me posted. When they bloom upload a photo and we’ll make a definitive identification.
The flowers with only leaves coming up in spring that look like Easter flowers but bigger are surprise lilies/ naked ladies. The leaves will completely die and in late July or whereabouts, beautiful pink lilies will magically appear…without any leaves… I have many….
I think that snowdrops and irises are some of the first bloomers in spring all around the world, not only in Indiana. These flowers are lovely and I love it when they pop up in my garden, especially the snowdrops.
Regards, Allison from Landscaping London, UK