curran@barnum.DEC (Karen Curran 231-5233) (07/15/85)
I'm interested in transplanting the following and would like to know when is the best time and if I should do anything other than watering. 1) peonies, about 4 foot tall bushes. can these be divided into smaller bushes ? 2) tiger lilies. 3) dulchia (sp?) green and white stripe leaves with long stems that have purple flowers. 4) iris 5) a very large evergreen hedge (about 4 ft dia) thanks Karen Curran BARNUM::CURRAN
ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (07/16/85)
I can help with three of your five, and maybe four. 1. Peonies: move only in the fall, and don't expect many flowers the following year. I am told you can divide them when moving them; leave at least three growth eyes on each root section. When planting, dig a hole two feet deep and two feet across. Put in the richest soil you can: humus or peat moss, with one pound of bone meal per bushel of either. If you use peat moss, add half a pound of dolomitic limestone per bushel to offset the acidity. Plant the roots with the eyes 1.5 inches below ground. Do not use manure in any form. 2. Tiger Lilies. What to do with these depends on whether they are Lilium or Hemerocallis. Lilium has a single stem with short pointed leaves radiating from it and flowers on top. Hemerocallis has long, slender, grass-like leaves coming out of the ground with separate flower stalks. For Lilium, treat as bulbs. Probably best lifted in late summer after the flowers are done and the leaves have started to brown off. Expect to have to dig deep. Hemerocallis can be moved in spring or fall. They are true herbacious perennials and should not be planted deep. You can divide them when moving them. 3. Dulchia? Never heard that name, but from the description you have plants sometimes called Hosta or Funkia or Plantain Lily. They grow as a cluster of broad, flat leaves, each on its own stem coming from the ground; some varieties have white stripes in various places. In summer, they grow white or purple flowers on stalks, often fragrant. They like shade and moisture. If that's what you have, treat as other perennials. They can be moved or divided in spring or fall. 4. Iris grow from fleshy roots. You only get flowers from last year's root growth. Therefore, when transplanting, cut out all the old stuff and throw it away. Let them sit for a few hours to dry out the cut, then dust with fungicide and replant. This is best done in fall, though it is also possible in spring. 5. Great gronking evergreen hedge. Your big problem is going to be getting enough roots out to be able to move it without it keeling over and dying. I would send out for someone with a back-hoe or a work crew with shovels. Don't expect it to be easy.
turek@cca.UUCP (Leslie Turek) (07/23/85)
Your advice on transplanting is very good, but I disagree on your timing for iris. I have been told (and have practiced) that iris should be divided and moved in July-August, since they tend to rest shortly after blooming. If you try to do it in the spring, they will not recover in time to bloom in June. Fall might work, although you may not get as much bloom the first year as you would if you had done it earlier.
thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) (08/01/85)
In article <3998@alice.UUCP> ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) writes: >2. Tiger Lilies. Hemerocallis has long, >slender, grass-like leaves coming out of the ground with separate flower >stalks. We had a bunch of these in the back yard when we moved into our house. We dug most of them up in the fall and separated them (you get many root-like things intertwined). Planted a bunch of them in front and along the sides, and gave a bunch away. They grow like mad - we had a virtual hedge of lilies this year. You have to like orange, though. > >5. Great gronking evergreen hedge. Your big problem is going to be >getting enough roots out to be able to move it without it keeling >over and dying. I would send out for someone with a back-hoe or a >work crew with shovels. Don't expect it to be easy. We had pretty good success by digging around the roots with a shovel (to about a foot deep), then wrapping a chain around the base of each bush and pulling it out with a pickup truck. Our hedge was only about 5 feet high, though. -- =Spencer ({ihnp4,decvax}!utah-cs!thomas, thomas@utah-cs.ARPA) "You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live." Joan Baez