Grandma do that to have space, Leo? Otherwise, I think understand why she would lift the tulips.

Sins,

Dig up the tulips when the foliage is starting to fade so you still know where they are. Dig deep and wide around the clumps to try to avoid actually slicing into them. Once out of the ground, remove the soil from around the bulbs. Clean up the bed, replant the tulips, being sure to get them deep enough, and add bone meal to the planting holes. Mark where you planted them with sticks or something so that you don't dig them up again by accident when adding other plants to the bed.

No suggestions about what to plant for spring and summer color. My southern garden experience doesn't translate very well to Maine - especially when it comes to flowers and bloom times. Heat tolerance and length of season vs your longer summer daylight hours make for significant differences.   maeve would be a good one to consult.