Thanks, Jeanie. Will keep that advice in mind while planting today.

I'm sure others have their own methods too, Karen. I often don't do things "right", but if something works, I don't fix it

Jeanie, what are your favorite garden centers in your area??

The only Crocosmia I leave in the ground is Lucifer. The others I grow in pots and bring in for the winter and store in the basement.

Karen, I really go anywhere but only occasionally to big box stores. I go to both the Friends School plant sale and the Hennepin County Master Gardener's plant sale every year. I often visit a seasonal vendor called Untiedt's. They have two locations with about 5 miles of me. For nurseries/stores I like Bachman's, Wagner's, and Tonkadale. For specialty or unusual things I like Venero Gardens, but this will be their last year in business. If you have never gone there, you should go to see it. It's in Excelsior and they have the most stunning gardens I have ever seen. Maybe once a year I make the trek to Mickman Brothers. And of course my neighborhood annual plant sale. Insanely low prices, stuff that is local so you know it will work. If you are interested, let me know and I will email you with the particulars. You probably need more plants

Wes - all potted crocosmias are just sitting there, not growing at all. Those in the ground, Emily Mackenzie, are fine.

Karen - I'm with Jeanie. The bottoms on anything in cell packs gets cut off with a garden scissors. The poor plants are almost tortured so their roots can spread out and grow. When I do get a plant with nice loose roots, in good soil, I know I'll return to that nursery and yet many nurseries have several suppliers so it's always taking a chance. I've known of some people who will remove a plant from a pot before they buy it just to check the soil/roots. By the time the July 4th sales are in full swing, you can bet you'll find more masses of roots that need untangling.

I always loosen the roots unless they look actually undeveloped. And yep, I'm not a root coddler either. If I can't claw them into some looseness with my fingers, I take a knife or a trowel to them, stab and slice and generally commit mayhem upon that contstricted shape!

I was taught this by someone early on, can't remember who or where, but the message was to always loosen the roots and even though you think you may be hurting the plant, the plant will thank you. (I remember that last part word for word actually though who said it is gone with the winds of time! )

As for the potting medium? I usually just dump it out on the ground somewhere and figure it will be corrected in good time by my excellent living soil.

@wes and @ge1836, I'm in zone 7a, and the crocosmia in a very warm, full-sun, south-facing bed just popped up only a couple of weeks ago. So yours may be showing up soon as well!

@cookies4kids, if I'm replanting in another pot, I remove as much of the soil as possible with a strong spray of water. That's because I use a home-made peat-free or low-peat potting mix, and having two very different mixes in the same pot messes up the drainage.

If I'm planting in the ground, I take a saw and slice the roots.

University extension services have done research studies on this, and apparently, slicing the roots before planting leads to better tree health: "Instead of growing almost exclusively from the bottom of the root ball, slicing encouraged root regeneration along the slices from the top to the bottom of the ball. This could help establish the plant quicker by allowing the roots to quickly explore a larger volume of backfill soil."

http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody...

The study was with trees, but I'm now ruthless with (most) root-bound perennials as well.

Thanks for the great info. I am looking forward to much healthier plants this year.

Ruthless for the win!

Just a side note here: I buy sometimes from Bluestone (who have wonderful plants, this is not a complaint in any way whatsoever) and they send their plants in coir pots that are meant to be planted whole and then decompose as the roots grow. They send along detailed instructions about this.

Well, I don't do that, leave the coir planter, because it just doesn't feel like it would work. But recently I bought three chrysanthemums and decided to give it a try. I did note that two of the three had hardened areas on part of their coir pots and I couldn't resist puncturing those (I think I may have opened one up a bit too.) The third didn't so I left it undisturbed as recommended.

That plant wilted badly one day in hot sun, when there was PLENTY of water in the surrounding soil as I had just watered the previous day, and the soil still felt quite moist. I thought, well, I'll leave it and maybe it will perk back up as it gets shaded later in the day.

Nope.Got worse. And the bottom leaves felt totally limp. Then was when I recalled that was the one I had planted in an undisturbed coir pot. (I was on the verge of deciding I needed to contact Bluestone for a replacement.) So I poured some water right at the base of the plant, so it could get inside that sucker, and the leaves responded quickly by perking back up. Since then, no problems.

Just sharing this for information.....

ssgardener, Thanks,thats what I was hoping for.

When I get my Bluestone plants I always take that coir pot off gently..I just can't get them to do well with that thing on it..If you don't get it way below the soil line it just sucks up the moisture in the lip of the coir and the plants do without..I love the packaging that Bluestone uses and have thought about letting them know I don't like those coir things but so far I haven't told them. they are awfully proud of those pots so I just use my method and go on about my business.
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Veronica, Coire is a 100% improvement from the last pakaging they used. Peanuts poured over the plants so you had to unpack the delivery over a garbage can.
When they introduced coire there weren't many cheers. I expect they heard from dozens of gardeners about the wicking of water.
I also remove the plant unless the roots are so invaded in the coir .If that is the case I slit the sides and cut off the bottom.

I like Bluestone but agree I don't care for the coir pots. The plants are good and I get rid of the pots. The major problem is keeping the plants in good shape if you can't plant them immediately...they dry out very fast.
Jo Ann, you are right about the peanuts. They were a mess, and good riddance.

Those peanuts were the worst idea ever. The person who came up with that bit of brilliance should have to clean up (and run after them) the mess.

I agree. Those peanuts are horrible. I have tried putting them in the bottom of pots but if you dump them out in fall they go flying all over the country!!!!

I am rally fond of the way Bluestone packages their plants. Those boxes are really neat.

I put false bottoms in planters, into a plastic bag so the peanuts are contained. I didnt use them much because of posts on ATP that werent encouraging.

I have a really deep planter and at the bottom I turned a plastic plant pot upside down figuring it would take up space and still provide drainage because of the holes in the bottom. First year I have had this deep planter...hope this idea will work.
Also a disappointment....after our terrible winter before last when my pfitzer junipers on the hillside suffered so terribly, I pruned them way back and thought they would recover/regrow. So far they are not doing so.

Morning Jeanie. I checked on the bleeding heart yesterday and it is the pink flower. I just assumed seeing the foliage that that was the one and only. Sorry about that!! I should have bought myself one but refrained for now!!
If I ever get done planting the main gardens my next big project is lifting and resetting my Hostas that aren't doing well. I am sure they are massively root bound and need cleaning up. After lots of research, they also need some fertilizer attention so that will keep me busy for awhile. Wish I could accomplish all that before the rain comes, but not possible.