Moving Plants...

[David Shaw]

Sorry I can't help with a sensible answere, Kristl. I imagine that it would be a very unusual occurrence for a gardener wanting to move mature plants. I have just planted three seedings from seed collected in the Pirin about five years ago and they are still very small. I am saying that they are Gentian lutea, they looked very like although they are outwith the normal range for this species?

[gote]

Gentana lute IS difficult. Not only are the roots riveted on the other side of the globe   The plant is sensitive to root disturbance. My sucess has been 50% or less and with considerable weakening. By all means do try and if you see some smaller side-root with bud. Separate it It has a better chanse on its own. I would also thin out the new shoots to 50%.
Göte

[Kristl Walek]

Gentana lute IS difficult. Not only are the roots riveted on the other side of the globe   The plant is sensitive to root disturbance. My sucess has been 50% or less and with considerable weakening. By all means do try and if you see some smaller side-root with bud. Separate it It has a better chanse on its own. I would also thin out the new shoots to 50%.

Thank you, Gote...

[Lesley Cox]

I have moved G. lutea, but only young plants, about 6-8 years old. One had flowered once. It was still a very heavy digging job. It survived a trip in the car though.

[Kristl Walek]

Although the nights are still mostly below freezing, daytime temperatures suddenly went from winter to summer (as is the trend in this part of the world).

And thus the potting has started for my move. And even though I am starting 3 months before I leave and had intended only to take the precious plants, this is a monumental task. After two days of it I was already so weary and discouraged, that I have decided to leave more and more species behind. Even at that, it will still be overwhelming.

I started with the alpines, bulbs and succulents, setting myself up with wheelbarrow and soil outside, near the areas where I was digging. The empty plunge bed will become my holding area for the sun-loving plants; where they are already getting lined up. There are sample pots to prepare of over 300+ semps alone. The Jovibarba, Orostachys, Rosularia, Delosperma and Rhodiola are finished.

Next came the barrel cacti---with the usual amount of winter catastrophes.

The recommended "three-way cut" has been made of many of the cherished Daphne --picture is of D. arbuscula.

In the greenhouse, pots and flats of saxifrage, lewisia, androsace, gentians and others sit for the time being.

The Clematis hirsutissima nearly broke my heart, as the plants were tightly wedged in between large limestone rocks and nearly impossible to dig out without extensive root damage. Luckily they mostly had good lateral root shoots, and are, thus far, still alive and continuing to send up top growth. (I never ultimately judge life or death for 10-14 days).

[Kristl Walek]

The Vitaliana primulifolia I had years ago learned should be taken before it comes into growth---and this was done while there was still snow outside---and the half dozen large divisions I took seem to have rooted well, and are now starting to bloom.

Arenarias were also potted, although here in the greenhouse they are now lax and open, unlike the ones still outdoors, growing on tufa. These will not require potting, as I intend to dismantle the tufa pieces and move them intact with their treasures growing on them (many of the Kabschia saxes are growing thus).

The rockery primula are all potted--marginata, allionii etc. and some of the auriculas are also in bud.

Some of the overwintered bulbs seedlings are ready to go and being protected from the chipmunks. A pot of Gagea minima is flowering in that bunch.

Stay tuned for next series...

[Paul T]

Only just opened this topic for the first time..... can't get past that Glaucidium palmatum on the first page.  Definitely going to have to grow that at some point.  Wow! 

[Kristl Walek]

My determination has been to have all the plants potted by the end of May. The only thing that will then leave is the 300+ semp species & cultivars and the Opuntia, which can be done anytime up to my departure.

With early extreme heat (+30C last week, -1C tonight) pushing everything out of the ground, I have had to work triple-time to keep up with the digging and to stay on schedule.

On days when there is help (usually my ex, who is the only one aside from myself who knows the garden well) I get much accomplished. We have a good system of Eddie digging and me potting.

The plants arrive at my potting station in boxes, trays, pots, wheelbarrows and arthritic fingers work as fast as possible putting treasures into appropriate containers so that they might survive until late summer in pots. The woodland species get piled up in a shady corner under the white pines.

Some clumps are so large that they go into huge tree pots (Paeonia tenuifolia, Veratrums, Cardiocrinums, Aconitums, Gentiana lutea---yes I have dug 4 out of 15 plants in the garden, and all seem alive at this point).

And yes, Glaucidium palmatum, lifted as they were just coming into active growth and shoots showing above the soil.  All intact clumps are alive; in fact, all separate divisions that detached during the digging are alive---and are in fact beginning to bloom in their pots. If they are still alive in one week, I will consider the digging a success.

[Kristl Walek]

The sun lovers get piled in the exposed plunge bed area, and I am getting to watch many of them blooming in their pots.

Many species have had to be dug before I have ever seen them bloom--such as the choice Iris zenaidae grown from seed from Janis Ruksans, now 3 years old.

And the Clematis collection is still being dug, as they show signs of life and the pots  piled up on one of the benches --- I was very happy to see my pet C. hirsutissima, making progress in the pots.

[Paul T]

You've got a heck of a job, haven't you Kristl.  Hopefully everything you attempt is successful. 

[Lesley Cox]

That's great news about the glaucidiums etc all being happy with the digging. Obviously you aren't moving to a little 1/4 acre plot.

[Kristl Walek]

Leslie,
As I don't yet have a clue what my new property will be like, or how large; I am proceeding not with any common sense about the space I might have, but by whether I can stand to be without certain plants.

It's a good way to come to terms with the plants you love most.

[Kristl Walek]

Today I had the help of my friend Robert (who is also a forum member here-"Robert G"), who is young and strong....and thus the perfect helper for partially dismantling my rock garden to extricate the pieces of tufa that I want to take along.

Some pieces were quite large and surprisingly heavier than I remember---and there is the additional benefit of not having to pot up some of the species that are already happily growing on the tufa.

This done, and all the alpines I want to take already potted, the rock garden is now the first area finished for the move.

[Lesley Cox]

An incredible leap of faith then. I've moved house, garden and nursery several times but always knew where I was moving to, before I started to do it. Always potted well in advance but still knew what ground I'd have available.

[nicheplanthead]

Moving Daphe's

They are tap rotted so if you go to close the stem and sever the tap you are out of luck, so start far away and dig down a few feet and then feel inward to find the roots.
I bought a carol mackie and the nursery people potted it far up the stem so I guess they root when buried from the stem.

What Reginald Farrer did was tightly pack unearthered plants in a wooden box and shipped it back and he said he had little problems with survival. If weight is going to be costly then get the living part of dried spagham moss and soak it well then wash off the roots of the plants and wrap then in the moss sealing  then in plastic wrap.

Some large plants can be divided into smaller offsets which might be better.