| This spring I planted purple coneflowers from seed in a circular flowerbed. All of the plant are coming up in one area, though. Should I (a) let nature run it's course and try to fill in next year using more seed or (b) dig up and transplant some of the existing seedlings, trying to create more even spacing between plants? I'm more in favor of "a" if you think that's best. |
| You can do either one. You can certainly transplant them with no problem, simply water them well the day before, then dig them up with a generous rootball (enough soil to take all the roots plus some extra) and replant immediately. Water in and you're done, they probably won't even know they've been moved, expecially if you can do it right before a rainy spell. You could also divide them next spring when they are a bit larger and increase your stock that way. It might be useful to figure out why they only came up in one spot, though. If there is a soil or other problem in the other parts of that area you should address that before you transplant or replant seed. |
