Changing Your Landscaping
Q. “I’m a bit overwhelmed by the landscaping at the house we just bought. I’m not sure what to do with the annuals, perennials, or when to tend the trees and shrubs. How to I move things I don’t want in certain places? Any advice?”
I don’t know about you but about this time of year I get the urge to start changing things; furniture, clothes, even plants in the yard. Let’s stick with the plants for now.
It’s important to remember that before ANY transplanting is done, there needs to be adequate moisture in the soil. If there’s no rain, water the area well, the night before you plan to dig. Roots will come up easier and transplants will take off quicker. Don’t forget that watering will be essential to success for at least the first year.
Annuals will, for the most part, “burn” themselves out, maybe reseeding for next year. Collect and dry those seed-heads in the colors you want to repeat. If the plants are still green and flowering, let ‘em keep going until frost. I’ve even had annuals die down to the ground and come back next year, so don’t get in a hurry to pull them up. If they’re lanky, cut them back and feed and water a little. You have about 6 – 8 weeks of flower power left. If they’re DONE, pull ‘em up and decide whether to replace or not, and don’t feel like you HAVE to replace, just because someone else did.
Perennials and friends…the workers in my garden (along with my trees and shrubs, of course)! If the plants have been in place for a number of years, check for crowding when you clean up summer debris. Iris will continue to work outward from the center and the blooms will come from the outer rhizomes. Other perennials, etc; that need separating: daylilies, mondo/liriope/monkey grass, phlox, hosta, most bulbs/rhizomes/tubers, and more.
How about shrubs? Young shrubs, from seeds, suckers, or layering will be easy to lift and move. Some of them may need to be put in pots for a time, so they can get established. They may even need to be wintered over in a sheltered spot. Most young shrubs are easy to lift and transplant. Older shrubs may be moved as well but it should start with root pruning a month before the planned transplant, with adequate watering during the transitional time.
Trees? How long have they been growing in their “spot”? What species are they? Some will transplant with little problem while others are almost impossible to move after they get to a certain size. There are others that are just as hard to move because of long taproots. Seedlings are great, they’re free, and they really do “turn it on” the first few years. Many of my trees are transplanted seedlings. I’ll bet you have friends who have seedlings they’d be glad for you to have. Don’t be afraid to ask that friend with a beautiful Smoke Tree if she has a seedling somewhere.
Learn a bit about the plants’ requirements before moving it and it’ll save you much frustration later. Impulses usually get one in hot water…think, learn, ask, act.
Sherrie Ottinger, The Tennessee Dirtgirl
