I have a bed (my small rock garden area) that needs to have the foundation
replentished as the dirt and rock have settled. I guess this is normal.

Do I just pick up the plants and put them aside while adding more rocks and dirt to the area? Some are well settled and I hate to do it but If I just add more dirt/rocks I am afraid the ones in there will be buried and ..........

Marilyn, I had to do this once to my entire semp bed. I just used a hand weeder (like a hand crow bar) and lifted the semp heads gently and shoved dirt under them to elevate them. This is probably not as thorough a job as pulling everything out and making sure that your elevation is neat, level and thoroughly packed but if you don't want to pull the more established plants out, you can resort to this.

If you do pull stuff out, just make sure to get a big chunk of the dirt under and around the plants too so as to minimize disturbing the roots.
Good luck!

I had a bed of semps that the raccoons dug up in the winter. When I discovered what a mess they made I took a pitch fork and lifted each clump, washing as much soil off the rosettes as I could but keeping the soil ball that came with the plants. Because the bed had soil that was shot out over the lawn, I put down some more soil to raise the level higher and then put the clumps back on top. It made for an uneven bed but I'm sure the plants would have died had I not unearthed them.

The good news is that the addition of the new soil and the movement of the plants seems to have made them even happier campers. The bed looks very good now.

GOOD LUCK!

Kevin

Thanks, Kevin, I very much appreciate your input. I will try to do it gently.

I agree with Kevin. Just dig each colony/clump up carefully and add soil to to the bed. They soil should be nice and fluffy from the working. After all the soil is added just make a depression for the colony and put it in place. I did all those raised beds that way last year. Once the new bed was ready I dug up a colony at a type and moved it into the new bed with it's name tag. Like Kevin said, mine all seemed to take of in a burst of growing.

glad I read this thread. Had started lifting and filling in and really didn't know if I was doing it wrong. Did use hand spade to lift whole clump, even though some were small. I have some clumps that look like they are trying to bury themselves, so I'm lifting. Thanks fellow sempester's.
Keep telling my dau-n-law to join here to learn more about her plants. She has also turned into a semp & sedum addict

Tell her to join, we love hearing from more people, and we will encourage/enable her addiction.
A good thing.
And the experts here never make you feel dumb for asking a basic question.

Enablers / encouragers All I know is hubby better be glad I'm not a shoe addict, semps are a whole lot cheaper

Or purses.

Marilyn sounds like you have a project on your hands!! I noticed for me it is something that seems like it has to be done every couple of years...I use the chicken grit as top dressing so when things settle in, I tend to reapply the chicken grit - they just seem to love that!! I think its because it is an easy medium for the offsets to root in!