Transplanting

(also posted in lillies forum)

I have a question that involves lilies, irises, and other bulbs. My DH's grandmother passed away last year, and they are getting ready to sell the house. I am big on sentimental items, and have asked my MIL if I could take some of the plants (the house is unlivable unless they do MAJOR reconstruction) and she said that is fine. My question is that if I dig up the irises and lillies, will they die? I have created a garden of plants that I have taken from there so far outside my bedroom window so that my DH can always wake up and look outside and see his grandmother in a way. I know they won't bloom this year or next, but I hate to think they will be destroyed if they take down the house.

Any help or suggestions on how to go about transplanting them?

As for irises, I have heard many different places to plant them. I have heard they do best in full sun. Then my MIL swears they do best under trees. Which is true? I want to transplant them in the right area so that they will flourish. Please help!

Dig away. Pot them all up till you can plant them. I would leave the pots in the shade till planting so that roots don't cook in thesun
Good luck
Inanda

It depends on what type of irises you're talking about. Do you know if they are bearded? Or perhaps one of the beardless types? Do they grow from true bulbs or from rhizomes (irregularly shaped, potato-looking things that will be growing at or slightly below the soil surface)?

If you can determine the type of irises, we can offer you better advice.

Laurie

So far some of the ones I have dug up (from a couple of months ago) are rhizomes (potatoes lol). I belive they are bearded, but then again..I am still learning =(

IF they are bearded, they perform best in well-drained, friable soil in full sun. However, in your hot climate, they may do better with afternoon shade to protect them from intense sun during the hottest part of the day. Raised beds are particularly useful for beardeds, since they tend to rot if their surrounding soil retains too much moisture.

Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers, and take special care NOT to overwater them. Established irises don't require supplemental water unless you live in an arid, desert climate. If you mulch your beds, be careful to keep the mulch pushed well back away from the rhizomes.

You can read more about digging, dividing, and replanting bearded irises on my website at:

http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irisfaq.html

Laurie

Egad, then I definately need to push back the mulch I have around my current irises that I have planted. I will definately check your website out.

I think the thing to remember is that Nurseries sell blooming plants all of the time. I've even transplanted a Magnolia which you are never supposed to do, and 10 foot Camellias when the weren't dormant. Some transplant shock product might make you feel better, but I've never used it. The most important thing to remember is that when you transplant something it isn't "established" anymore. It needs more watching and care than the old ones that have been sitting around for awhile. In GA it probably won't be necessary to add H2O unless you have a period of hot dry weather. I do water my new ones two times a week for a short time in that case but I get no water in the summer. They can even survive here in the dry heat with two waterings in the summer, but they don't bloom well.

Even in here in Zone 9, they don't like much shade although they can tolerate some shade, I think that they need 8 hours. They'll bloom, but they'll lean in less than that. You'll have to stake early if you want to plant them in much shade. You might try something that tolerates more shade under the trees. Azaleas, Rhodies, Hostas, hardy Ferns........?

Thank you doss. I will move the ones that are in the shade to a new location. I have so many ideas but just no idea how to get started. I have a new flowerbed that I have created and I think that I will move the majority of the plants that I transplant to the flowerbed. I just wish I knew how to go about designing it. =(

Since it is raining today, and should be sunny tommorrow, would it be a good time to go get them tommorrow? I keep thinkning that might be the best way since the soil will be saturated with water. Easier to move plus, I won't have to dig hard to get them out of the ground.

Oh dear. I didn't mean PLANTING in the shade. I just meant putting ll potted up plants in the shade out of the sun till planted. Guess I had better shut up here, as have never grown iris in a hot southern climate.
Inanda

lol nono, don't shut up. I knew what you meant =D I have a bunch of liriope that I have under my breezeway right now until I can get it planted because of that reason. It only takes a couple of hours in the sun and anything dies =(

Any help is good help to me!

If Liriope is kicking the bucket then you DO have a problem. I didn't think that anything could kill it.

The way you learn to design a garden is by doing it. There are lots of good books at the library, and if you want to start a thread asking for help, I'll bet a lot of people would be happy to help you. But, back to transplanting again. Once you have the garden laid out the way you need it to function - shade, a place to eat, etc. it's a matter of trial and error. I have some 36" Iris for instance, that refuse to grow taller than about 24". They bloom like crazy, but they will get moved more toward the edge of the border this fall. And if you like to save money, there's always lift and divide and reorganize. Like your Lilirope or Ajuga, or Iris, or ............

The big BUT is that you have to have a plan about using your space and what kind of a garden you like. Then almost anything can work. I'd be happy to help you in any way I can.

I want to cry, they all have wilted. I moved them from there to here today, and they were standing pround and tall...

Now they look like this: (see image)

What can I do to save them?

Overlook the lawn and driveway. Its horrid looking. I have to get the edging this weekend. It is a work in progress needless to say.

Should I take them back out of the soil and place them in potting soil until the flowerbed dries out??

Oh, you should have cut their leaves back to about 6-8". Newly transplanted irises can't hold up the weight of all those leaves until they have a chance to root into their new location. They'll be fine as long as you don't overwater them. Just cut the leaves back.

Laurie

Will they be ok until I can get to them tommorrow to redo? Its already dark here =(

Do I need to use grass cutting scissors? Will that do?

They'll be fine until tomorrow. Quit worrying. You may have to replant ones that have tipped completely over, but there's no rush. I use regular household scissors to cut back leaves, but you can use whatever works.

Magwar, Inhale! Exhale! Relax! Gardening, while lots of work, is supposed to be fun. I love your idea of growing plants to remind you of someone. But its the memory that counts, not the plant itself exactly. I have some white and green hosta that came from plants my grandmother planted. Had they not successfully transplanted though, I would have bought some just like it to put in. I grow lily of the valley {which I bought here in MA} to remind me of someone else and every summer Nasturtiums to remind me of my other granny who planted them all the time down at her place in Oklahoma. Laurie is right. cut back the fans and make sure they are firmly planted in, not too deep and your iris will be just fine. They are pretty tough items.
Good luck!
Martha

*breathes* lol

I was just bummed out that when my husband came home from being over the road he would be greeted with limp reminders. Guess hes right lol I am a worry wart! I will redo them tommorrow then. I was just so worried that I screwed it up. Guess you could say that I am perfectionist. Which is not a good thing lol.

I will do that tommorrow on the fans. What about the soil? I noticed that the bed I planted it in likes to retain water...a bit. Is there any way to fix it? I already have it raised, and I am thinking I royally screwed up when I tilled it the other day to loosen the soil. (completely forgot that it was going to rain the next day....like cats and dogs)

You definitely do not want to plant bearded irises in a bed that retains water. If that's a problem in your bed, I suggest you add several more inches of soil to it to raise it even more and provide excellent drainage. Either that, or move the beardeds to a dry bed and plant beardless in the moisture retentive one.

Laurie

I just took another look at your photo. As long as you're going to redo things tomorrow, I have another suggestion. You planted those irises mighty close together. They'll be healthier and will be able to stay put longer if you give them more space between plants, say 18-24". Iris leaves are susceptible to fungal leaf spot infections, and those infections tend to be much worse in crowded beds where leaves don't get adequate air circulation. Also, a crowded bed needs to be dug and divided much more frequently ... maybe even every year. If you give them more space, you should be able to go 3 yrs before having to dig and divide again.

Laurie

Thank you guys for your suggestions, I took all the irises back up, cleaned them up, trimmed the leaves down, and replanted them. My husband brought me 4 scoopfuls of dirt, so I raised the bed even more. Once it gets light here I will post a picture. He says it looks a hundred times better (plus he cut the grass) lol

Here is the new improved flower bed:

What do you guys think? I am trying to think about what to put in front of the irises.

Oh yes, that looks VERY much better! You're going to be very pleased with that bed next year and even more pleased the year after that.

Good job!

Laurie

Thank you =) I really appreciate everything you guys helped me out with. I am getting to where I am starting to love my front yard again. (in 5 months we have cleared out 40 trees in the front, rented a backhoe twice, rented a stump grinder, bought seed, and so much mulch it aint even funny) And I wonder why I have lost 50+ lbs since my pregnancy. I didn't realize yardwork was a form of a diet =D