Early spring when the ground is thawed, is a good time to move your perennials. Before they get too big because this is hard on the plant. This year I plan on not waiting until they get ‘toooo’ big and it stresses the plants. Some times just moving them a few feet can mean the difference in how they will preform in the future. Perhaps they received too much sun or not enough.

Another reason to relocate is too many plants in one area, or we just want to change the garden around. I have a bed the construction of the bed is not working, so I need to move everything and find a new home until the bed can be re done.

Try not to plant too many plants in one location, give them room to grow. I know a fuller bed looks nice but when it comes to herbs they have a tendency to get happy as one of friends like to say of spreading plants.

Plants like to have room and dividing them makes the plant healthy and happy. Not the same kind of happy as the above comment. It may take a year for the plants to bloom, but next year the blooms will be better than ever.

Some plants can have the bloom period extended by cutting back. Try cutting back half of your purple cone flower (Echnicea) and or yarrow, some will boom now and some will bloom later. Zinnias, even through they are annuals work great using this method of cutting half back to bloom at a later time.

If you have a garden tour plan for late summer, cutting back will give you booms that might not otherwise be present. Be sure and do this before they bloom for the summer. Most perennials will only bloom once a year. Now their are exceptions to every rule and Stella De Ora will sometimes bloom both in the early spring and throughout the summer if it is not too dry.

To relocate a plant, dip it up carefully, try not to disturbed the roots too much. Some can take it more than others. Dig a hole slightly larger than the clump. Water the hole before planting and allow to drain completely, and fill again to make sure the hole is thoroughly watered. This will help the ground from wicking the water away from the plant. Carefully place the roots the same way there were growing and at the same depth as before.

Now an exception to the above rule about not disturbing the roots. Purple cone flower can have the dirt mostly removed and replanted. In fact I usually cut off some of the roots if the plant is at least three years old, and use the roots in a tincture. Be sure the plant is old enough because you can loose the plant if not careful. I usually don’t take all the dirt off the plant unless I want it for a tincture.

Some herbs are hard to kill as I mentioned in a previous post, I just want to restate be sure you plant it where you want it, because even a small root can spread.

Happy Gardening SK