moving Eremurus

For a couple of years, someone has been eating the flowering stalk of one of our foxtail lilies. I thought these bulbs were resistant to critters because of their bitter taste, and I can only speculate that it’s an intrepid squirrel climbing the rose that overhangs the stalk, and nibbling the developing flower like corn-on-the-cob. I’d like to save it from being eaten every spring. Can the plant be moved, and when would be the best time to do it?

You are correct that Eremurus is generally considered unappetizing to deer, rabbits, and other creatures. If you have acrobatic squirrels, then placing the foxtail lily in a more open spot (with nothing overhanging it) that also has excellent drainage and ample sun might help. However, these bulbs are sensitive to transplanting and their shallow but widely spreading roots are fragile. It is best to wait until the leaves have died back and the plant is entering dormancy (late summer to early fall). Have a new planting hole ready to accommodate the roots, which are octopus- or starfish-shaped. According to Chicago Botanic Garden, the hole should be about 15 inches wide and six inches deep with a shallow mound in the middle over which you can drape the roots.

Bulbs, Eremurus, Squirrels, Transplanting

Tree transplant tolerance

Can you direct me to information available on the transplant tolerances of different tree species?

There is a table on Ease of Transplanting from Principles and Practice of Planting Trees and Shrubs by Watson and Himelick (International Society of Arboriculture, 1997). It is the longest list of any I have found that covers this topic.

Transplanting, Trees

Hellebores won’t flower

One of my hellebores did not flower this year. I think the spot became too sunny with removal of a bush. When can I transplant it?

Hellebores should not have a problem with sun. They will do fine with a certain amount of shade in the summer, but according to C. Colston Burrell and Judith Knott Tyler’s book, Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide (Timber Press, 2006), “the more sun hellebores receive, especially in spring while the foliage is expanding, the fuller the plants grow and the more prolifically they bloom. Light to partial shade is best for most species and hybrids. The stemmed species such as Corsican hellebore are likely to flop in shade, and they tolerate full sun.” The authors also say that it takes 2 to 3 years for plants to bloom at full capacity, so if these are new Hellebores, perhaps they are still getting settled. After 2-3 years, the number of flowering stems should increase.

Have you removed last year’s leafy growth? Perhaps if you do this, the plants will invest their energy in the flower stalks. The Burrell and Tyler book says that the winter foliage can cause problems if it becomes entangled with emerging flower scapes. Winter foliage can also attract aphids, which will drain the plant’s energy as well. Be careful when removing the old leaves, as the sap can cause skin irritation.

If you wish to move the plants, I would suggest waiting until summer or fall when they are dormant. Moving them might mean you won’t get flowers for a while, until the plants settle into new surroundings.

When transplanting, Burrell and Taylor indicate that “Small plants that are not root-bound recover from transplanting fairly rapidly.
Once planted, sparse to moderate blooming occurs the following season. It takes
two to three years for plants to reach full steam.” p. 162.

Also, be sure that if you move it you replant it at the same depth it was growing at before, since deep planting can prevent flowering:

“Hellebores buried with their crowns in
the soil exhibit inferor flowering, if they bloom at all, though they continue
to produce foliage. The crowns produce short vegetative stems that raise the
leaf buds up to the soil surface, but in our experience, when buried alive
seldom flower.” p.167

It is always hard to know the precise reason a plant fails to produce flowers, as there are many possible causes. I recommend removing the winter leaves, and waiting to see if the flowers return next year. I would not move the plants just yet, unless the site has become scorchingly hot.

Failure to flower, Helleborus, Transplanting

Transplanting roses

I have a rose bush in the back yard, under a tree, it seems to be thriving but no one can see it blooming. I want to move it to a more prominent place in our yard. What is the best time of year for transplanting this rose?

Moving your rose out from under the tree is probably a good idea. Roses: 1001 Gardening Questions Answered by the editors of Garden Way Publishing (1989), says that the best time to transplant it to its new location is early spring or late fall. Before moving it, prune it, leaving three to four canes. Prepare the new hole in the ground (and) give it some extra attention after it is planted. This resource says that spring transplanting is preferred, because with warm weather on the way, the rose will have a better chance of starting new growth. When digging up your rose, dig a circular trench one foot away from the crown of the plant, removing the soil around the plant with your shovel. Loosen the root ball, and then take hold of the crown and push it back and forth to loosen it. Then lift it out of the hole. Dig a deep hole in the new location. Add two inches of compost, build a mound of soil, and spread the roots over it. Fill in with topsoil, make a ridge of soil around the base of the plant, and water well. Afterwards, water carefully, neither too much nor too little.

Rosa, Transplanting

Transplanting Yuccas

I have a number of large Yucca plants in my yard that I would like to dig up and transplant. I am not entirely familiar with this type of plant, but have noticed that, likely due to the age of these plants, several trunks have sprouted from the mother plant and have begun growing as what appear to be separate plants. However, these extensions are easily lifted from the ground and show no evidence of independent root development. Can I cut the new plants from the original plant and get these to take root elsewhere?

Following is some information that may help you in transplanting your Yuccas.

TRANSPLANTING

From Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants: A Gardener’s Guide by Mary & Gary Irish (2000, pages 65-68):
“In mild winter climates that have hot summers, particularly hot and dry summers, fall planting is best, so that root systems establish through the mild winter before the onset of the stressful summer season. If planted in early spring, plants must be carefully watered and shaded from the sun during the summer to prevent sunburn and debilitating heat stress. When planting agaves [or yuccas], regardless of the soil type, raise the center of the hole slightly, just an inch or so, and plant the center of the plant at the top. The crown of the agave [or yucca] particularly is susceptible to infections, and when the soil inevitably subsides after planting, the crown can sink below the soil line. The practice of raising the center of the planting hole slightly is helpful in all the stemless members of both families to prevent crown rots.

“For all plants, begin by digging a shallow hole no more than the depth of the root system. Backfill the planting hole without soil amendments or with a very small amount of compost. Tamp the soil lightly as it is backfilled to prevent excessive settling later…

“Moving mature arborescent plants, such as some members of Beaucarnea, Furcraea, Nolina or Yucca, is more difficult. These large plants are sensitive to root and stem disturbance, and wounds of the basal growing platform in Yucca can introduce a host of infectious agents into the plant. If possible, it is much more advisable to move such plants when they are young and nearly stemless.”

PLANTING TOES AND SUCKERS

From American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation by Alan Toogood (1999, p. 145)

“In spring, carefully uncover the base of a sucker. Cut it off at the base where it joins the parent rhizome. Dust the wounds with fungicide. Pot the sucker singly in a free-draining medium, such as equal parts soilless potting mix and fine grit. Keep at 70 degrees F until rooted (12 weeks).”

Propagation, Rooting, Transplanting, Yucca

Transplanting snowberry shrubs

I need to move some established snowberry shrubs forward about 8 feet to make room for a large 7′ propane tank. I’m hoping to salvage the snowberry shrubs which are currently in a mostly shady location and would continue to be in shade after I move them. (I’m hoping they will block the view of the propane tank. Do you have any tips on transplanting this type of shrub? Or is it too difficult to do once they have reached 5+’ tall? Am I better off starting with smaller snowberry that are only 3′ in height?

According to the following information from University of Connecticut’s Plant
Database, snowberry or Symphoricarpos albus, is easily transplanted.

From an Olympia nursery catalog, Sound Native Plants:

Symphoricarpos albus – Snowberry
Exposure: full sun to shade
Soil moisture: very moist to dry
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: deciduous shrub to 2-6 feet; fibrous, shallow root system, spreads
vigorously by suckers

Snowberry is an incredible survivor, flourishing in situations that would slay a
lesser plant. It transplants well, tolerates sun or shade, withstands drought
and/or occasional flooding, and spreads quickly even in poor soil or on steep
hillsides. Another plus for snowberry is that it is one of the few native shrubs
that stays small–it averages three or four feet tall–and thus is a good choice
for areas where view corridors are important. Hooray snowberry!

If it makes it easier for you to move the plants, you can prune them back (this
is usually done in spring). If individual plants have grown into a dense mass of
stems, you can also dig up each whole plant and only replant smaller pieces of
it.

Symphoricarpos albus, Transplanting

On transplanting rhododendrons

Can I move my rhododendrons now, in late winter to early spring?

According to A Plantsman’s Guide to Rhododendrons by Kenneth Cox (Ward Lock Ltd., 1989), “rhododendrons are generally quite easily moved, most even in full flower and at considerable age. […] Size is really no problem, provided you have the means to do the digging and the moving. Obviously, the more rootball you can take with the plant the better, but usually you can reduce it considerably without too much harm being done. If you end up with a disproportionately small rootball, you can reduce the size of the top somewhat to compensate. The roots of a rhododendron generally extend to about 50% of the plant’s foliage diameter […] it can be far more or much less. The roots are usually less than 18 inches deep, even on a very large plant. To move a large plant, start digging […] quite far out from the stem, and continue towards it until you meet roots. Then dig all round underneath the rootball […] gently rocking the plant to ease the rootball from the soil. Watch out when lifting a plant by its main stem; it may not be strong enough to carry the weight of the rootball. The root can best be reduced by prising soil from it with a fork. […] A rhododendron can remain out of the ground for considerable periods if you keep frost and sun from the roots, and ensure that it receives regular watering. Heeling it into the ground, or covering the roots […] usually gives adequate protection. Although rhododendrons can be moved during the growing season, they will require extra watering after transplanting.”

In addition, you may find the Royal Horticultural Society’s directions on moving a mature tree or shrub helpful.

Moving and dividing hydrangeas

I have a very large hydrangea that has been in the ground at least 15 years. I’d like to move it, and have heard that it can be divided into several bushes. Are there any special details I should consider when performing this task?

I found a reference to the technique you describe in Hydrangeas: A Gardener’s Guide by Toni Lawson-Hall and Brian Rothera: “DIVISION. Sometimes, when moving a large H. macrophylla cultivar, the plant falls apart during the operation. It has been found that, provided each section has good roots, planting the separate pieces is totally successful.” This is similar to the process of layering, where branches are nicked and then pinned down into the soil to allow roots to form, and then severed from the parent plant with a sharp shovel six months to a year later. The small plants will be genetically identical to the original plant.

transplanting Schizachyrium scoparium

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) seems to me to be difficult to transplant. They die on me when moved. What could I be doing wrong? The time of year? Adequately watered?

According to the Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, Schizachyrium scoparium requires full sun, prefers good drainage or sloping ground, does not persist on highly fertile soils or in excessively moist conditions, and suffers if the crowns are crowded by mulch.

Propagate by seed or by division in spring.

Grasses are sensitive to soil level, especially when young. Ideally, the crown of the grass should sit just slightly above the soil surface. Planting too low can rot grasses and planting too high can cause them to dry out and die.

Mulch of all sorts can be an efficient method of controlling weeds and conserving soil moisture. Many species, such as Schizachyrium scoparium, cannot tolerate having mulch pushed up around their crowns, a practice that often promotes rot and disease at the base of the plant.

Source: Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, by R. Darke, 1999, pp. 121, 276.

dividing Trilliums

My native trilliums (the beautiful white ones that have now faded to purple) are thriving in my woodland garden. I would like to know when the best time is to dig up a clump to share with a friend.

According to Michael Leigh’s Grow Your Own Native Landscape (Olympia, WA: Native Plant Salvage Project, 1999), dividing Trillium is difficult because you must “dig deeply to ensure minimal damage to roots and rhizomes, take special care not to break the stems, and transplants may die back before reappearing the following spring.” According to April Pettinger’s Native Plants in the Coastal Garden (Whitecap, 2002), “Trilliums do not like to be transplanted, so if you decide to move them to another site, be prepared for them to take several years to flower again.” My personal experience suggests that taking as much of the soil around those rhizomes as possible will give the plant the best chance of success, and I think early fall is the best time, although I don’t find any source that specifies a time of year. Right after bloom may be fine too, as it is the recommended time for division according to the American Horticultural Society’s Plant Propagation (DK Publishing, 1999).