|
| We are doing a remodel to the back of our house and it will go right through my perennial garden. Work will probably commence in about a month. The climate here is variable during the winter, with many warm days in a row (50-55 high) then cold snaps (freezing and below)
I hate killing all of my plants but I also hate the thought of digging it all up and replanting it this time of year. I have tubers like iris and peonies, many lilies and other thick rooted plants like heuchera, toad lilies. Then there are thin rooted ones like rudbekia, coneflowers, oxalis, columbine, etc. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Jan 1, 12 at 16:45
| no need to replant ... dig them up with big clumps of soil.. and stack them all neatly on the other side of the yard.. and then cover them with a good amount of straw ... just nestle them close together ... huddle them ... no plastic to cover.. straw will allow flow of air.. plus water in .. and reduce sunlight ... all you need to do.. is keep them dampish and dormant ... replant in spring.. the hard part will be keeping labels straight.. if that is a concern of yours ... otherwise.. consider loss a part of the project budget.. and insist that some of the project budget include garden restoration ... ken |
|
| Well here's the thing... it doesn't hurt plants to dig them up in the cold, it only hurts them to plant them then, when it freezes before they can establish. So you could just dig them up and put them in open buckets or trash bags in the garage, or some other cool but slightly-above-frozen spot. You will likely only need to keep them there a couple weeks; March is a great time to plant perennials. As for the iris and peonies, those are very sturdy plants and I'd guess you can just re-plant them right away. They aren't actively rooting this time of year anyway. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 5, 12 at 9:16
| i always fear plastic .... handy and cheap.. yes ... in cold great ... but you cant have a plant in a closed bag when the heat starts rising ... plastic wont breath ... and it wont shed water either ... again when cold and dormant.. you need not water.. and not worry about it. .. but if and when they need water.. be very careful not to get them too wet ... get them dormant [they probably already are] .. and keep them dormant... and manage water properly.. and you should be all set ... with the few pots i mess with.. i put them in the barn.. and put a snowball on them [z5].. when it warms a bit.. it melts.. and the soil can deal with it ... and they dont need any water.. when its too cold that the snow wont melt ... ken |
|
- Posted by christie_sw_mo Z6 (My Page) on Sun, Jan 8, 12 at 9:29
| I dug dormant perennials one winter after an ice storm so we could pull out some stumps. I kept dirt around the roots and crammed them all in cardboard boxes, then put them in my unheated dark shed for two or three weeks, then replanted them. I think it was around early February. As far as I know, all of them lived. My only problem was knowing what was what. I used to know all the names of my hostas and huecheras but not after that. |
|
| Thank you all for your advice. Wish me luck! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Perennials Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.