Hello lilium guy, next spring will be a busy time for you ! I would be very optimistic regarding moving all the perennials you mentioned. Many gardeners sell plants from their gardens during this time of the year, in full bloom, with just some soil around the roots, and they do just fine when purchased and planted. As long as you keep them watered and screened from the hot sun, you should not lose any. I imagine bulbs and roses will require most attention. I move perennials around "like furniture" and as long as they are not too big to handle - like e.g. established grasses - they do not even notice. I only take care to include as much soil as possible around the roots. In your case it would be rather the "critical" amount of soil, and then peat or other lightweight matter.

I am sure you will read lots of creative solutions here, which I will also follow with great interest. Just my two cents - without much detail - and best of luck in the spring!

Welcome to WV; it's a great place. You should have no trouble on this end with getting plants in the ground. I would think most would make it just find. Good luck.

Can you dig the bulbous plants and store them in peat moss now? Then you can put them in the ground at the new home right after you move.

If things are going to be out of the ground for two weeks, get a bale of peat moss (will help them retain their moisture) and store them in that (covering the root system) during that time...give them a good soak just before planting.

The Irises can be moved in the spring, no problem.

The Daylilies, Shastas and Hostas can also be dug/divided at that time.

Roses should be transplanted in the spring...that will be a good time for them.

Lilium guy, you should be fine as far as the plants are concerned - be sure to get as much of the soil around the roots as you can, pot them up, keep them evenly moist, and as mentioned in a previous post, shield them from too much direct sunlight.

You've probably checked into this, but another concern about moving plants has to do with legalities. If the sale of a home is involved here, your new owner legally owns the property, including the plants. I know if I bought a place with a beautiful garden, I'd expect that garden to be part of the sale. Unless you've negotiated a deal that specifically excludes the plants, those plants no longer belong to you. Just something you might want to look into, or you could find yourself in some legal trouble, which would be a hassle, particularly given how far away you're moving.

Before my last house move, I carefully planted pieces of my favorite perennials in shallow grape crates. These were available free at a fruit store. We made them a bit stronger by nailing one or two boards on the bottom. Then filled with dirt and placed the samples of plants. For some larger things, like a peony, I used big pots. All the plants made the move very successfully. For the irises, I suggest that IF you are able to replant fairly quickly after the move, like within 10 days, you don't even need pots. You may sacrifice one year of bloom, but the plants (rhizomes) themselves will travel with little or no losses. The lilies should not be out of the soil for more than an hour. Upon arrival, place your plants in the shadow of the house (east side) and water diligently until you are ready to plant. Put lots of good stuff in your flower beds, like manure, mushroom compost, etc.

Daylilies are commonly sold in bags of peat moss at the local Walmart stores...those have been out of the ground for way more than an hour. I think they should be able to be properly stored for the interim.

well thank you all. It appears that I won't have a problem. There IS a home sale involved. However I own a mobile home double wide which is in a park. The new owners have no right to the land it's on not the flowers. I am gathering 5 gallon bucks to be filled with peat and flowers.that should be sufficient. Question: do I put a lid on the buckets with holes or not with holes?? To the person from W.V.----thanks for the welcome. What I like about the place is the people are so much more friendly than up here in N.Y. It never snows much and when it does I will be the only person driving around town. "Ya'll" can't drive in snow. There will be a language barrier tho. My wife tells me that all i need to do is say YA'LL, FIXIN TO, and BEINS (pronouced bee-yins) a lot and I'll be fine. Now if someone can tell me how to drive a rented 32 foot trailer truck I'll get going.

I am not sure if I understand your question correctly but I would certainly give the plants fresh air since they will be green and growing. IMO a tight cover is sure to cook a plant. Anything that will have not yet emerged from the soil could be covered more tightly but I would also check its temperature once in a while to make sure it remains cool.

I am in a similar situation, except I'm moving earlier and will have frozen ground on both ends (Chicago to Michigan). Any tips for that? We'll be moving late February/early March, and I have many non-woody perennials (sedum, coreopsis, echinacea, etc.) to divide and move. [Divisions will be specifically excluded from the listing--I won't take all of any one plant, but I want divisions to start my new garden on the other end.]

I'm very concerned about frozen soil. Do I dig them up now and plant them in pots to move in February? If so, do I need to water the pots throughout the winter? Do I let them freeze, as they would outside? Or do I risk digging frozen soil the week of the move?

So much to think about...

Yes, there should be holes in the buckets and holes in the lid...they will need ventilation.