Garden renovation: plant salvaging

sara.robinson.home92787 · 6 March

It's the first week in March. I have until the end of June to salvage plants from an area in my garden where a new shed (May) and an outbuilding (July) are going to be built.

Lots of advice I have seen says to move plants or take cuttings after they've flowered but I don't have the luxury of time.

I am looking for advice on how best to move plants into pots or take cuttings in the next two months.

Busy-Lizzie · 6 March

Moving plants is best done as soon as possible. Take a lump of earth with them, settle into a pot top up with compost and water them in. They'll hardly notice they've been moved. Spring and autumn are the best plant moving times.

JennyJ · 6 March

What kind of plants are they?

Perennials and small shrubs will be fine potted up now - take a big rootball and fill in with compost, give them a good water. If you have big established spreading clump-forming perennials like helianthus, you can dig out sections from the healthy parts round the edges and leave the older central parts. Some perennials eg Japanese anemones can be propagated from root cuttings.

If there are bulbs in flower/bud/just going over, you can do the same and pot up the clumps. It's easy to damage the flowers/buds but as long a there's plenty of leaf left they should build up the bulbs for next year.

Large established shrubs are more tricky to move, and it's not so easy to get big enough pots even if you can get the whole rootball out. It's worth having a go at softwood cuttings of things like fuchsias and salvias as soon as there's enough growth.

GardenerSuze · 6 March

You will need to ensure that watering is a priority once moved.

McRazz · 7 March

The key as Suze says is to keep them well watered and out of extremes such as wind and sun whilst they're convalescing

I move plants throughout the year when it suits me. If i waited for the optimum time then i'd get nothing done!

Fairygirl · 7 March

Same here @McRazz - sometimes you just have to do it, and accept things won't always work out!
Certainly, in this situation - you just have to go for it @sara.robinson.home92787 as you don't have the luxury of waiting. If you follow the advice already given, most will be fine. The watering will definitely be the priority, especially if you live in one of those regularly drought ridden areas of the UK, but even plants which like loads of sun will manage for a short time in a bit of shade, and won't dry out so readily, so don't worry too much about te site you keep them in temporarily

GardenerSuze · 7 March

@sara.robinson.home92787 Everyone has their own method when it comes to watering. A rain shower is never enough for a thirsty plant. Water deeply at the base using a watering can, avoiding run off , mature plants will need a few cans full. If you have lots of plants concentrate on say a third of them one day and then a third the next and so on. This way the watering finds it's way to the deeper roots. In hot weather you may need to increase watering, water early am or evening or most of the water going straight into the air.

If you decide later in the year to move them to their new 'home' continue this way of watering until late autumn. Some late flowering perennials may benefit from a Chelsea chop if you replant end of May. If they are really floppy, a cut back sacrficing flowers may be the only way if they are slow to pick up. They may not be able to take up enough water to support the stems. Don't move any plants of your plants in very warm weather. Leave a while for cooler temperatures.

Garden renovation: plant salvaging

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