Tranplanting Established Plants

I know! What a boring title...but it is what it is.

I've transplanted a lot of things with no real adherence to any sort of rule and have never had any problem (*crosses fingers*). I was reading stuff recently about "making sure you transplant plants in the late afternoon to reduce shock" and some other rules I have never heard of. You may as well tell me to make sure you light candles and massage it to make the transition easier because Ms. Lazy is sooooooo not doing that. Besides by the "late afternoon" the only things I feel like doing are drinking wine and chasing the ice cream truck down the street (not necessarily in that order but it does make it more fun.)

Needless to say I didn't heed any of that advice.

However I do think there are some very basic things you should keep in mind with any transplant or new planting for that matter.

1. Try and look ahead to your local weather forcast. It probably isn't the best idea to be transplanting stuff on the hottest day of the year (for you OR the plant!)...look for a milder day. The day I transplanted this stuff was in the low eighties with little humidity. Of course the best time to transplant anything is in the spring or fall but Nature will not contain ME within those parameters. HAHA!

2. Make sure the area you are moving the plant to has the same amount of light/needs as the old home.

3. Prepare the new home for the plant first. No point in digging up the plant and having it sit out for an extended period of time while you are digging away. Besides it might start to mock your digging technique and then you might want to hit it with a shovel...what? plants don't talk to you? Hmmmmm...shame....


I HATE tearing up the ground. It's a HUGE pain in the butt and makes me wonder why I even bother. The best way I have found is to use an edging tool and make a grid pattern in the area you want to remove (not a great picture...sorry)and take out the grass in patches. This little area took me several hours to tear out to give you an idea of the time commitment. I wish I had people to do it for me...sigh...

Another tip that I have found useful is to get a large plastic tarp to put your refuse on. Also in the event that you don't get a chance to clean it up that day and it rains you can pull the tarp over it so it doesn't get wet. Because while clumps of grass and dirt suck, nothing sucks worse than WET clumps of grass.

Dig your hole to about 2 times as wide and deep as the root. Yeah, I realize you don't know the exact size of the root because it's still in the ground. So what are you waiting for? Go dig it up now!! Digging a hole won't take you that long.



4. Give yourself plenty of room to dig around the root/bulb of the plant so as not to damage the root/bulb. I kind of use a 6 inch rule from the root of something this size.




Dude, that mofo was HEAVY!! Heavier than my almost one year old son! I almost fell over when I tried to pick it up!!

5. Water that sucker like there is no tomorrow after you plant it! I would also recommend mulching but then again I am a mulch whore...I freaking love the stuff for making everything look "finished" plus it helps keep weeds down and holds moisture in....which reminds me...I need to go get more!!

Moving on up...to the next yard!! (sing The Jefferson's theme in your head)

I was assessing my little yard today and the flowers that I have planted and have come to the conclusion that for some reason I may have been stricken with a dab of color-blindness this year. I have WAAAAAYYY too many different colors going on flower-wise, as you can see...it looks like a psychedelic circus and not the good kind (Is there a good kind? you ask. Yes! I answer.) Plus the one torch lily I have is HUGE and needs some room to breathe.

The photos don't actually look that bad...trust me...it's too much


The Monster Torch Lily


So what do I do?

My lovely neighbor, who is an overworked and underpaid police officer in this fabulous city is allowing me to take over her yard and plant some of my stuff! YAY! As an added bonus I am moving the flowers that have a tendency to be the ones the mysteriously "disappear" (read: picked by jerks) on a routine basis near the sidewalk.

The Blank Canvas


Here is what I am planning on transplanting into her yard and some basic info on each of the plants.

Asiatic Lily (the orange ones)

Light Exposure: Full to Partial Sun
Type: Perennial, Multiply over time
Bloom Time: June
Colors: white, red, orange, pink, yellow
Best Uses: Cut Flowers, Interesting foliage
Water: 1 inch per week.
Water at the root and not at the top of the flower to reduce rot.
When to plant: Spring

Torch Lilies (aka Red Hot Poker or Kniphofia)

Light Exposure: Full Sun
Type: Perennial, spreads to 3 feet over time
Bloom time: Different types bloom May to October
Colors: Red, orange, yellow, cream
Best Uses: attracts hummingbirds & bees, interesting foliage after flowers die, very unique flower, can be divided
When to plant: Spring or Fall




Tools Needed for Project:
Gardening gloves
Spade (Shovel with pointed end)
Edging tool
Tarp
Heavy duty garden refuse bags (get them at Home Depot or Lowes)

This Ain't the Summer of Love!

Asiatic Lilies


Hydrangeas

I have been sick for the past week and haven't had much time to devote to the garden. A big shout-out thank you to Mother Nature for providing us with regular rain because God knows I haven't been doing it!

The summer flowers are starting to bloom! Yay!! Hopefully no one walking by picks them (which they are wont to do)....funny I don't remember planting a public garden or posting a sign that says "Free Flowers--Pick at Will!"

Grow your own. Jerks.

I'm Melting....melting..... aka "Tulip Bondage"

Ok, not really melting but DYING a slow and horribly ugly death.

Of course I am talking about all the foliage from your spring bulbs...tulips, daffodils, you name it! Your neighbors are pointing and laughing at your pathetic little brown patch of flowers when 3-4 weeks ago they were swooning over the color and beauty. I say "screw them" regardless for letting their little darlings tromp all over your newly planted grass but I digress....

Options
Yank them out of the ground? No.
Cut them down to the ground? Not yet!
Plant other stuff around them so they will eventually be covered? Yes, but that comes with time!

Don't worry my nature challenged kiddos, this post is all about WHAT to do when faced with this dilemma!

There are actual reasons why you don't want to yank or cut the foliage down just yet. It's all scientific and crap so here is the short story: The withering foliage produces food for the bulb which helps produce more flowers next year. (Side Note: Tulips sometimes are a pain and don't necessarily appear after several years of blooming beautifully. Why? No idea. I haven't had this problem so I haven't looked it up yet. Will I? Don't hold your breath.)

Now if you have a huge yard you can probably disregard this advice because you can't see your flowerbeds beyond the moat, carriage house and orchards so who cares? But in my little yard several brown dying things stand out and that will not be tolerated. Bow to my will, Nature!

Alright enough drollness...to work!

Tools you will need:
Gardening gloves
Rubber bands or string

Step One

Identify browned foliage. Duh.


Step Two

Approach said foliage gently...it is very sensitive about how it looks. Laugh at how ridiculous you look tiptoeing over to the tulips--HA! (Insert groan here.)

Step Three

Starting at the top fold the flower stem down a little at a time until you have a nice little bundle. They should be pretty pliable but if you encounter any that start to break you may want to stop bending at that point and just bundle it there. Incorporate any leaves into the bundle as well.




Step Four

Using either rubber bands or string, loosely tie them around bundle.




Step Five

Leave it alone. In a couple of weeks you will notice that the foliage (stem and leaves) will lose all of it's green/pink color and become even more brown and withered. At this point you can actually pull the foliage out of the ground without ANY resistence (if you get resistence--stop pulling!) or you can cut it to the ground and throw it away. Your bulbs should be ready for next spring!

Wicked Witch image courtesy of allposters.com

We have Seedlings!! (and lots of bird poo)

Some of the seeds I planted are starting to emerge! How do I know they aren't weeds? I don't, but I can dream--so BACK OFF! Whew! Too much caffeine this morning.

I am assuming that is what they are because they don't look like the normal weeds I am used to cursing at and removing with vigor and vengence.

I must say I have not had to put that much work into them and they are growing (my kind of plant(s)!) It also helps that we have been having regular rain and I have not had to water as much, which I love because sometimes (read: most of the time) I like to be lazy.

Here are some pics of the progress. I'd like to thank the birds for taking a big fat crap all over them and ruining the picture. Could I have taken the time to wash them off prior to shooting them? Yes. Did I? No. Why? Lazy. Plus it's going to rain later. Trying to be green, people. Al Gore would be proud.

Peonies

I love peonies!

I know I'm probably going to start a lot of posts that same way!

"I love (insert flower/plant here)!"

I bought a pink peony last year in honor of my husband's grandmother, Granny G. She loved roses and pink....pink I can deal with, roses not so much.

I thought I had killed it last year because I didn't pay as much attention to it after I planted it. That's not even true, I paid NO ATTENTION to it AT ALL! In my defense, I was in the last trimester of my pregnancy and was more content to sit on my couch in the air conditioning with my swollen feet up. So when it browned and shriveled, I was upset about it but I just figured I would buy a new one! However I didn't dig it up just because I hadn't decided if I wanted to plant a new one or plant something else. Imagine my surprise when I started seeing little green shoots popping up in the spring! So the lesson is...don't pull it up until you are absolutely sure it's dead!!!

Basic Info
Light Exposure: Full Sun
(zones 8 and 9 would benefit from partial shade)
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time: Spring/early summer (Typically May 1 to May 30th)
Colors: White, Range of Pink, red, lilac,
Best Uses : Cutting flowers, Interesting foliage
When to plant: Fall

Peonies should be fed a half a cup of low nitrogen fertilizer in early spring and again halfway through the growing season.

Make sure you regularly water your Peony during the dry summer months.

Peonies are VERY top heavy. They need to be staked. You can find peony rings at most garden centers designed specifically for this and they are typically less than $5.00.

Remove the flowers as soon as they fade to prevent seed development, which will use up needed food reserves, and effect next years bloom.

In the fall, after the foliage browns and dies, cut the stems back to three inches. Trimming and disposing of the cuttings helps to prevent disease in peonies. You should also place mulch around the plant to help protect it during the winter.

During the early spring you will start to see green shoots coming from the base of the plant.

Flowers for an Arbor or Fence

I just planted a bunch of annual seeds to trail over my arbor(Morning Glory, Moonflower, Mini Lobata and Nasturtium). I planted them mainly to act as an anchor because it falls over all the time in a strong wind and the hubs won't let me cement it into the ground (something about it being permanent and me changing my mind all the time...whatever).

I have never had much luck with seeds. I planted poppy seeds last year thinking I was going to have a bumper crop of poppies this year...I didn't and finally wound up pulling up the weeds I thought were my poppies when they didn't flower. I tried planting herbs from seed the year before and they never materialized. So we will see how this works out...I will probably have a patch of dirt for the summer that I will have to then find a new plant for. Oh, poor me!

If I get any results I will publish a basic "How To" for planting seeds and of course pictures....if I don't get anything, I have some planting seed homework to do myself!