Ask EcoBeneficial!

Is Fall a good time to transplant native perennials?

Answer:

Best transplanting time is driven by bloom time.   For greatest success, transplant spring and early summer blooming perennials in the fall; transplant late summer and fall blooming perennials in the spring.

If you don’t have a choice, and have to transplant late blooming perennials in fall, then go for it. Just baby your new transplants by mulching around them and watering them until hard frost. Try not to dig up plants while they are still blooming – it creates too much stress on the plants.

It’s helpful to mark your plant’s new home with a plant marker in the fall so you remember where to look for it in the spring.

On occasion I have to thin out perennials in the fall, but have no other place to plant them. I find the largest plastic pots I can, dig up as much of the root zone as I can, mulch them up and hold them until spring, when I can (hopefully) find them a new home.

Your transplants need time to establish new roots in their new locations, so try to get them in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before hard frost. If you are late in the season, don’t worry, just don’t wait too, too long.

Happy transplanting!

Best,

Kim

Photo: Plantoir on Flickr