Hello ! I am new to gardening and hope my question is easy enough to get a quick answer from anyone. I am moving to a new house in May, 2 months from now, and I would like to move some of my favorite plants from the old house to our new house. They have survived the winter snow on the ground, and now I would like to transplant them to a pot/container to move to the new backyard/ house. Should I do this now or wait till April when all the leaves are already green and healthy???
I think one is a burning bush about 1.5 feet tall-still a shrub and the other ones are those
garden mums.
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I like to do my transplants in the Fall. It allows me to put in my bulbs, clean up a bit by moving my plants. I usually do it late all, before the end of Oct.
I have done that in B.C., Alberta, Quebec and now Ontario and never lost a plant. So..
Have fun whichever way you decide to go.
DBK
Thanks a whole lot.. That is very educational. I now have this as one of to do list and will do exactly as you've instructed. I will dig them up sometime in late April.
Tiffany - The best time to dig up and transplant most plants is when they're dormant. The ground, of course, can't be frozen. It'll be different for every region. You don't want to do it too early and have your plant's roots freeze in their temporary pots. At the other end of the scale, if you wait too long for some perennials and shrubs, you'll lose their new foliage from shock and root stress. [If it can't be helped, most foliage recovers fairly quickly early enough in spring.]
If you can, use professional potting soil [store-bought] to pot up your treasures. Find the largest pots possible and dig up as much rootball as you're able. Water in well after planting. Add slow release fertilizer [14-14-14] if they'll be in pots into June. A granular veggy food would be OK too [6-8-6], but needs to be applied every month.
You will have to check them often to ensure they receive adequate moisture. Keep them in a partly shady situation. Too much sun can be stressful and not enough leads to weak, spindly growth.
As your burning bush [euonymus alata] and your chrysanthemums are known for their fall color, you shouldn't have any problems transplanting them in spring. For your mums, cut back the plant before any new growth appears if it was evergreen this winter, and again about May/early June. This produces a sturdier, bushier plant with more blooms. Any cutting back should be before blooms begin to form [it'll differ by variety]. Good luck !