you can do it until your ground freeze.. or all winter if it doesnt ..

dormant plants dont care what you do with them.. in the ground .. pots arent the question.. right???

dont divide too small.. or they might pop out of the ground in late winter ..

otherwise.. get it done ... and water them in .. and then put the hose away ...

ken

I agree with Ken. The only thing I wouldn't do is shake all the dirt off the roots, which further stresses them. Try to keep the root ball in as much of the original dirt and move it. Then water well and mulch REALLY well. I've moved hostas in November and they came through beautifully, although hostas could care less about being moved.

If it helps, I just finished moving things last week and I am not worried. Because I homeschooled, there was no way I could get to everything in September in previous years.

Perfect! I just have a couple of things that are in the way of me making a couple of lasagna beds for the spring. I did that last year and they were ready to use by spring and the plants that were adjacent to those layers had an exceptional year, so I want to do it again. One plant is a Chyrsanthemum that is in bloom and it's the only plant I have in that color and the others are grasses, maybe a daylily and a penstemon.

Thanks!

Ken, I do still have my hoses out - It was 36F here this morning. I just emptied my rain barrels today after getting another fill up the last time it rained. They have to be put away soon too.

Homeschooling, Deanna? Good for you! Makes life very busy I'm sure...lol.

Oops! Kien, I meant to type "I agree with Ken." Have corrected my above post. Happy moving, PM! We have not hit anywhere near 36 yet here at night.

I third Ken.

PM2, I just did the bulk of my planting and some moving around this past weekend. I still have a bit more to do. (Still waiting on some plant orders to come in, to be honest lol). It suddenly got cold here last night (37 degrees, I believe) but I believe it is supposed to "warm up" again (50's, low 60's) and some rain on the way, so I think it's a good time to plant.

I am on the fence about planting a few plants I don't want to lose, but that's only because I wanted to plant them in a bed that is having vole issues this year. Not sure whether to overwinter in the garage or perhaps find room elsewhere to stick them in the ground temporarily...

:)

Dee

Dee, I was just looking at the forecast for the next week and we are staying in the low 40s to mid 50s overnight - Saturday a high of 68F and some rain expected Sunday night into Monday. So that is a good forecast for the garden to get a few more things done comfortably.

I'm looking for a late sale on bulbs. I just realized that I added a lasagna bed over where I had a few bulbs and those will be gone. [g] I was going to try to add more. Wasn't it you that has planted bulbs as late as November?

I've had success wintering over some divisions digging them into my raised beds and adding a thick mulch - hay and chopped leaves. My garage is not heated so I wouldn't have that option.

PM2, I've planted bulbs as late as January at times haha! But that was more of an anomaly. Or should I say I procrastinated lol. But yes, I do plant bulbs into November if need be. It's usually because I hate planting bulbs so don't buy any, then impulse buy LATE in the season because I know I'll regret not planting any when spring comes lol.

My garage is not heated. It's not even weather tight, I'd say - no insulation, single pane windows, loose-fitting doors, cracks in the concrete floors, etc. But I've overwintered potted plants in there quite successfully for many years.

:)

Dee

one of the definitions of being a real gardener.. used to be that you had over a hundred pots to plants in fall .. lol ... not sure thats the thing it used to be...

but life usually got in the way.. in sept ... and october was pot planting time .. so this is all just usual ....

ken

I am doing a load of planting right now. For me, this is the best possible time. The soil is warm, and, after puddling in the plants, moist. Root growth puts on a definite spurt...in fact, in my climate, where the soil never really freezes, roots may never go into full dormancy. Planting in spring requires much more careful and constant irrigation...I rarely lose an autumn/winter transplant, whereas spring plantings have a much greater level of attrition.

Obviously, I know nothing about cold-weather gardening in the chilly climes of north America but in general, if you can get a spade into the soil, planting may be done.

I have some asparagus and black currant bushes to move. I originally planted them in the first beds I completed, nearest the kitchen door, but of course now 4 years later want to move them further away and have annual flowers and such there. It's a cold climate, maybe z6 (usually 6 weeks of pond hockey, if that gives you an idea). I finally got the new beds completed. Should I move the asparagus now in late October? It turned yellow in the past few days. I would kind of prefer to wait till March but there are bulbs down the middle of the asparagus bed so I guess it needs to be done now, right?

BTW I planted the asparagus from seeds and I'm not sure it took any longer to get a harvest than from buying cruddy dried out crowns. But although they were "Jersey Knight" at least half have been female, so I'm going to eliminate those as I move them.

Dee - that's good to know that your unheated garage still allows you to overwinter some things. If you see a sale on bulbs let me know...[g].

Ken - Good point. Actually, this year is very unusual for me, I don’t have ONE potted plant that needs to go in the ground. [g] That’s how little gardening I did this year and I didn’t buy one thing, except one bottle of seaweed fertilizer and 12 bags of bark mulch.

Rosaprimula - Fall is a great time to plant and I love it, I just usually do it about 3-4 weeks earlier than this. Last year, I did move some phlox subulata divisions from the back to the edge of a front bed. Then in the spring, I moved a couple more that I didn’t get to. It was amazing how well the plants that moved in the fall did compared to those I moved in the spring. They were ready to start growing and increased in size, while the spring plants struggled and barely looked good the rest of the season.

HCDesert - How did you do with your black currant bushes? Have you had them long enough to harvest fruit? I am considering growing some. What do you do with the fruit?

I don’t know about moving the asparagus - you might ask on the Vegetable forum.

We're moving and dividing and rearranging still. Had a bit of a cold snap but it's back up to the 70s in the coming week so we'll continue.

I move the more delicate things first in the fall, so things that are left are very hardy plants- the hardy geraniums, hostas etc.- I dig a bit of a hole and toss them in, throw some water at them and they do just fine.

I grew loads of blackcurrants when I had smalls - I made literally gallons of concentrated cordial as well as jellies. Not very nice for jams because too much skin but once strained, they are lush. It is a very popular flavour here in the UK. Usually buy 2 year old plants and it takes another 2/3 seasons to get a decent crop but you can expect at least 5 kilos of fruit from a bush. I have never actually moved a mature bush but I am sure they would be OK once dormant.

Never moved asparagus either, but the roots lie very shallow. I gave up mine because of the eternal struggles with asparagus beetle (and neighbour's invading couch grass).

Rosaprimula - thanks for posting that, because I've been tempted to try currants, but jams would be the only thing I'd want and we don't drink cordials. So probably not the best choice for me.

We spent a few hours today working on next spring's garden. Since all of you encouraged me to move things, and the weather forecast looks good still, I decided to get some done. It really helped me accomplish some changes I needed to make for next year. I still have a ways to go but I got a good start on it today. Moved plants, moved some stepping stones that will be in the way with a new layout.

I'm making a Berm at the peak of a slope in my front bed to try to retain rainwater from run off, with the added benefit that they are lasagna piles and will provide some much needed soil fertility for next season.

After we finished one section, I realized that I had buried a few bulbs that won't come up now, but at least it was a section where I didn't have a lot. So, then I decided to go looking for bulbs before I made the next section and I found them. Two huge clumps of miniature daffodils. No wonder I didn't have many blooms last year! [g] I ended up potting up one of the clumps 3-4 bulbs to a pot and ended up with 20 pots! I'm just going to let them settle in while I finish moving plants and making the berm, so I can put the bulbs in the best locations. I still have another clump to pot up. lol

I didn't expect to be able to get this done this year, so I'm very happy and hope I'll get enough time to finish it and be ready for the spring. It was very comfortable working out there today.

Hi Dee, what a bonanza for you! Deep friable soil! In New England, you’re right - any spot without rocks is a bonus. LoL I hope you are going to grow something special in that area.

Nice you were able to clean out an area. Fall is just the best working season for me. I love the comfortable temperatures and the potential for rain.

Dee, where are you making purchases from? I was just thinking of buying a few things. I was looking at Bluestone Perennials but I see there is no free shipping regardless of the total of your order. $25. For shipping on the order I was trying to make. Nothing I can’t live without. I’m waiting for a sale on bark mulch.

I’d really like to order some soaker hoses for next year, but I wonder what the best time to catch a sale would be.

I was going to order more of the Miniature Daffodil Mix that I planted in my front bed, but now I don’t think I have to. And I’m hoping that if I have the time, I’ll dig up all my Hyacinths too and hopefully have some to spread around.

It’s raining here. Yay. I have empty rain barrels and filling them and using them quickly the past 3 weeks. I have 10 buds almost ready to open on my Beverly rose and a few more on Julia Child. I had one Beverly just opening that I cut for the house today. Mums that are finally fully open with a lot of bees visiting.

I still have a LOT of leaves on the trees. Today was the first day we mowed for leaf removal.

Dee you made me laugh with your story!

Every time I walked past the unplanted things by the driveway I was reminded of this post and felt a little guilty... not guilty enough to actually plant anything, but guilty enough.

On the plus side just about everything that needs to go into the house went in today and I'm down to a few hardier potted plants which can take a couple frosts and a few other things which I say I'm 'letting go' but know I'll drag in last minute.

Then it's dahlia and canna digging, leaf mulching, bulb planting, and then maybe I'll stuff a few last things into the ground before starting to decorate for the holidays. Wow. I got tired just thinking of all that. Based on how many bulbs I need to plant the holiday decorations may be going up late December!

"Then it's dahlia and canna digging, leaf mulching, bulb planting, and then maybe I'll stuff a few last things into the ground before starting to decorate for the holidays."

LOL - Wow! That sounds exhausting! SO glad I don't do dahlias or cannas. And I gave up more than 4 large pots so I have hardly any of those to clean up and put away. I have one Sedum growing in a pot that needs to get planted and I don't know where to put it and that's the last pot out there. But Katob, your garden must look gorgeous during the growing season! And I bet you get a lot of hummingbirds with the cannas.

I'm still cutting blooms from my dahlias - and loving it. Not only because I love them, but because I dread when the frost hits and I have to dig them up. I really hate doing that - well, actually, I hate the dividing and storing, especially the dividing. But it's worth it. I actually sold some extras plants I had this spring, I had so many.

PM2, I don't buy from Bluestone quite as much as I used to. Well, I don't buy as much from anywhere as I used to lol, but Bluestone kinda lost me when they stopped sending the three packs and kept the prices the same (or should I say, they raised prices!). I've ordered the last two years from Garden Crossings. They are similar to Bluestone in their plant sizes, and their prices are a few dollars cheaper. I've been happy with them. They had good reviews on Garden Watchdog so I gave them a shot and was happy.

My Julia Child is in bloom, with a few more buds, as is a NOID white rose - the buds on the white rose might not bloom as they are small and it's getting cold.

PM2 you might be able to find a good sale locally next month, on your mulch and soaker hoses. End-of-season, etc.

I have pretty much everything planted. I've got that holly coming in by the end of this week, and a pot of phlox I got in spring that for some reason I keep forgetting to plant! I've also got a few hostas and some hydrangea divisions, but I think I'll try to overwinter them in the garage. They were planned for a bed that had some vole damage this year - lost two new hostas there - so I may hold off till spring and see if I can get rid of the voles. How? I don't know... prayer? Not sure what else I can really do lol. I bought a few canisters of MoleMax and I'm going to sprinkle it very heavily and hope that does something.

And I'm sure I'll cave and buy some last-minute bulbs. Maybe I'll be out there in January again planting them lol!

:)

Dee

Dee, You seem more energetic and busy in the garden than usual for some reason. [g] Must be the cooler temps and the more frequent rain.

I think it makes a huge difference in what work we are willing to do by how much we love any aspect of the garden. I tried Dahlias in the ground for the first time last year and I just don’t love them enough to go to all the work to have them. [g] You seem to be getting your ‘money’s worth’.

I agree with you about Bluestone - it was such a disappointment when they stopped offering the 3 packs. I have only ordered a few times since then and I’m pretty sure they had a shipping offer when I did. I just can’t justify the full price and the high cost of shipping on top of that. So I’m not going to order. I found enough bulbs to divide and replant that I don’t need that and I’m going to wait to buy locally in the spring for other plants.

I love Garden Watchdog and it’s been awhile since I looked up anything. I guess I haven’t been buying much in the past few years. I’m going to head over to Garden Crossing and take a look too. Thanks for sharing your experience with them.

I just brought one Beverly bloom just opening into the house yesterday and it’s the first thing you smell when you walk into the kitchen. A treat this time of year.

Thanks for the tip on the hoses and mulch.

I hope you love your Holly! I have really enjoyed mine for decades…lol. Even when I had an insect problem last year for the first time. I considered digging it out - quite a job, since it is huge. But decided to try pruning it back severely to get most of it off and wait for next year and do it again. By then I’ll have all new growth. It pushed out quite a bit of healthy growth and I know why I had the problem and I’m working on rectifying it. I have a large crop of berries on the females this fall.

O blackcurrant jelly is one of the very best conserves. Like a jam but strained through cloth so all that is left is clear, blackcurrant jelly of jewel-like clarity - absolutely lush with a crumbly white cheese or on crumpets or toast. A good jelly (such as redcurrant) is a million times nicer than a mere jam. Don't give up on the idea of a blackcurrant bush, Prairie - some of them are now so sweet they can be eaten off the bush - the variety 'Ebony' for example. Or consider a jostaberry. These small currants are easy, prolific and delicious.

Okay, well that sounds like I need to explore that idea a little more. Thanks for the encouragement, I am looking for an easy to grow fruit, but naturally, it's only worthwhile if it is something we will happily eat.