The time is upon me when I must start digging up my gardens to take what I want with me to our new house. We are talking around 300 daylilies plus the hosta, the lilium, the peonies, the ferns and more......................I have been gardening for a long time. The plants will not be able to be planted for about a month as we have to also concentrate on moving out of a house we've been in for 18 years. Everything needs to be done before Sept. 17th.

There is just not enough time in the day nor would my back hold out to pot everything up so I'm thinking that plants are going to get dug and put in plastic shopping bags and kept in the shade until they can be planted.

Any hints, suggestions etc. would be appreciated!

I did think of one way to get rid of some of the excess............the Lily Auction

Off to start cutting things back....................Karin

Ugh. I have to do this next spring/summer. Not looking forward to it. Luckily I think I have convinced my mother to play surrogate to my daylilies until I get settled.

Karin, I took about 50 daylilies to my Dad last October. I had potted them up first, and then realized I had no room for all the pots. So, I took them out of the pots, shook off most of the dirt, and put them in plastic grocery bags. I then put a bunch of the plastic grocery bags into large garbage bags, making it easier to move a lot of them at once. They sat like that for a few days. I then gave them to my Dad, who is out of state. It took him at least two weeks to get them planted, and they are blooming like crazy this year! He didn't lose even one of them, and he's in a much colder zone than we are. I can't speak for the rest of the plants, but the daylilies did fine for me that way.

If you are moving Coral Bells, maybe you can just take starts off of them instead of digging out the whole plant. If they aren't tiny, break off some of the outside shoots. I accidentally tripped over a huge Coral Bells here a couple of weeks ago, and broke off about 8 big chunks. I put the chunks in potting soil, and within a few days, they were growing new leaves. I didn't realize how tough they are!

I think on the rest, you have to decide how much you spent, and if they are worth moving. I've heard that Peonies are picky, and I only have one that has survived, so maybe that's true? I know that they will live forever though, and many people have a sentimental reason for having them. Maybe you can take a start off of that too, but I'm not sure. As for the hosta, those can be expensive to buy, so it's worth trying! I was told recently that it's okay to move ferns this time of year, so I'd give it a try. I'm going to move some over at my Mom's house next week, even though it's really hot. Supposedly, they do well. I have no personal knowledge of that though!

Last but not least, good luck!

Hi Karen Where you moving to ? Im going from Va to RI I have started my digging also,I have a bunch potted up and working
on the others little by little I figure most of my plants will learn what a WalMart bag is This is how they moved the first three
times , I bagged everything from daylilies to Iris to peonies and they did great Some of the iris stayed in bags a while
and did fine when planted

My lily bulbs are the ones worring me. Im not sure how to store them


Good Luck with your move

I think I would store lily bulbs in a paper bag, not plastic, as they may rot, or even some emply onion bags where the bulbs can breathe.

I've moved huge chunks of hosta and have also split clumps down to small pieces during drought and high temps without losing them...the bigger clumps barely even noticed once they were watered in. The smaller ones should probably get back into the ground the soonest, however, because their thinner bases won't hold water as long.

Daylilies should be fairly easy to move safely. I've dug them for transplanting and left them lay (unintentionally, of course ), covered in moist compost for up to two weeks before replanting and they were fine.

Transplanted peonies here usually take about three years to re-establish and produce blooms.

I think I'd pack lily bulbs in dry but not dusty peat, inside paper lunch sacks marked with the variety name and leave the tops open a bit - then, if you have a bunch of them perhaps place the marked individual bags inside a cardboard box with holes. If you need to trim off this year's growth yet, I'd let those bulbs dry a day or so before placing them in the peat.

Good luck!

How exciting for both of you!

I'm all for those plastic bags. They have handles and they hold small am'ts of water.

As for daylilies, heck the old method was to wash off dirt, cut off tops, and dry them out in the sun and store them even (some do that now!). If they were meant to be, they'll be their old hardy selves.

Right time of years for peonies to move too. Sept/Oct

Lilies, I'd do the bulbs only.

Let us know how you both make out. Best of luck.

For the lilies I would do as Chelle described. I have recieved orders of lilies packed similar to that....Betty

Chelle, were you moving the Hosta in the Spring before it was growing, or was it later? I really need to move a few Hosta over to my Mom's, 2 blocks away, and don't want to wait until Spring to do it! They are smaller ones that haven't done good where they are, and I can probably get enough dirt around them so that I won't disturb the roots much. Well, depending on the roots, I guess, since I have no idea what they look like. I know that Hosta are sold bare root, in those onion bags, and they are usually dried up terribly when I see them. Mom bought some a few years ago, and it took a couple of years for them to get going, but they are doing good.

Natalie,

I halved and moved those big ones in June - not long before some of them bloomed, and in very, very hot and dry conditions. So, yes, they were in full growth. These were massive clumps tho' - I had to drag 'em over to the new spot riding on the shovel. No way could I actually lift them!

When I split hostas for moving I don't worry much about digging big around - for me they do great if I get a deep and slender, plug of ground. 'Course we have that heavy clay and I'd bet that helps.

I'd say, go for it - just water them in really good.

Thanks for the info on the lilies. Most are still green hopefully they will wilt soon :)

Karen I bet your hard at work It's amazing how much "Stuff" you have after all the years and I bet
as your packing memories are coming back also That's what slow's me down

Thanks for the info Chelle! I divided a few of them for the first time this year, to share with a friend, but they were just peaking their little heads out of the ground. I dug deep, but not very far away from the plant. I'm so happy to know what to do, and that I don't have to dig a foot out to get them!

Hostas are tuff...I move 'em around more than I do our furniture.

Very good to know! I never move our furniture, but plants hardly ever stay in one spot more than a couple of years! I just haven't had to move any hostas because of where they are, and I was smart when I planted them, giving them plenty of room to grow. Wish I could say that same for my other gardens!

Mine took that *plenty of room to grow*...and then quite a bit more! Funny thing is, these giants started out as the tiniest little things...looked like tiny mouse ears - barely above the soil surface last year (I think). Came in those dried out little bags, too. I keep thinking that I'll try to figure out which name they're supposed to carry, but haven't yet.

I moved hosta in the middle of summer last year, and most took off in their new location right away. I did lose a few, but not many.

Hosta are pretty tough - before I could afford to spend extra money on plants, I used to check out the end of season plants at the big box stores. I would buy a pot or two of wilted hosta for a buck, then come home and split them so I could spread them out along a shady west wall of my garage. They took off, even when I had to replant them after the dogs dug them up.

I have a friend that had to dig up her gardens a couple of weeks ago for a remodeling project. All of her daylilies and iris are in plastic bags in a corner of her garage and will be there for another month yet. I think as long as they are kept out of direct sunlight, however you store them will probably be OK for the majority. ~Jan