I'm no expert but this year I transferred two of my cherry tomatoes to another part of my garden when they were about 2 ft. high and just starting to produce. My husband had to help me of course and we tried not to damage too many roots but that was impossible. We had to carefully cut any roots that were extended into other veggie territory and I was really not expecting them to recover after I saw how much was left in the hole. Anyway, we moved them and babied them and within a weed they took off growing like nothing ever happened. I know it's not exactly the same as going from the garden to containers but that was our experience with moving them. Hope that helps. Good luck

WOW Ken, I admire you alot!! That indeed sounds like a nightmare, but I bet after you got them to their new home and in the ground and blooming, you were glad you did it! So pots I shall do, yup, prob about 10-15. NOW, I am using the moisture control mix for my other plants ( so I don't kill them) but don't want to use that for my irises due to fear of rot. What planting medium do you think would do them best? My guess is they won't go into the ground before fall ( please, I hope we have found a house by then!) thanks so very much ya'll!! :)

Hello Xtal, Thank you for your suggestions and feedback! And Roselee, thank you for sharing this. :) I wholeheartedly agree that the facade looks too new (I call it cartoonish). I'm not a fan of the stone that was selected and agree that if it had an older look it might blend in a little more. The original owner later added an enclosed courtyard to the side. I'm assuming he was unable to source the original stone because he used a completely different one. I prefer the look of that stone over the main house. He also added an arrow slit. :) Our "moat" is functional as it has french drains. I love the idea of planting Cypress trees between the windows but I'm afraid of the roots impeding drainage later on. I did plant a Brakelights Red Yucca in the center as well as three evenly spaced Pride of Barbados seedlings I grew on each side. The walls are so boring and I'm hoping the contrast of the reds and oranges give it some interest. I have thought about planting creeping fig under the turrets to help age it but I'm a bit gun shy after reading horror stories of ivy gone bad. I do love the look of it. Turret where I would plant the creeping fig (please ignore the impulse buy plants hiding along the wall, they are in pots): It's funny you mention using ponyfoot in the fountain. I had originally planted that but the deer kept it chewed down to stubs or would uproot the entire plant. I finally caved and planted Woolly Stemodia which they ignore. The Silver Ponyfoot is now coming back! I'd prefer the Ponyfoot but I'm afraid if I take out the Stemodia, the deer will return. I would love to see the green and silver Dichondra blowing in the wind. If you look closely, you'll see the ponyfoot mixed in with the Woolly Stemodia: Here's a closer up distorted pano of the house that shows the moat area a little better: I may seriously consider the creeping fig up the walls/turrets to help age it a bit. I have also considered repainting the window trim and the parapet walls (I think that's what you call the top?). Here's an overly adjusted realtor picture from when we bought the house. I kind of like the darker top... Ok, enough distraction and daydreaming! I need to gear up and get back out there while the weather is so nice. Thanks again for your observations! It really helps to hear honest feedback, opinions and ideas that could help me achieve the look I'm desiring. Take care - Joanna

its actually the best time to do it.. dormant plants will be less stressed .. and once they become active .. will recover faster.. if in fact they ever know you moved them ... keep them dormant as long as you can.. in other words.. get them planted while they still are ... even if you have to just jam them all in a nursery bed .. dont put off planting.. to build a whole garden of new beds ... plant them.. and move them in fall .. now is not the time for design ... its all about survival ... i probably wouldnt bother with the seeds ... but if you have spare time.. try a bit .. but dont get carried away ... consider the cost of new seed ... versus the cost of you labor ... the old cost/benefit ratio .... i would probably bare root.. put in plastic grocery bags ... into a tote.. and move... you can pot them after the move ... moving pots is a lot of heavy work .. make the moving itself easy ... leave the tops of the bags open ... air movement is important ... keep them out of sun ... or rain ... i would just put in full shade on the north side of the house to keep them cold as possible.. ken