Preparing and holding plants for a move

Will probably move this season (or next) :(.
I don't plan on leaving many plants behind-collected for too long and don't trust that someone else would keep the plants (and house) from the bulldozer-
they are building huge homes on this street now-7000 sq. ft on a small lot!!!
Anyway, I want to take plants like the Virginia bluebell, bleeding heart and special spring bulbs with.
Should I dig after bloom and put in pots? Mark where planted and dig when ready for total garden move? Any ideas.?
I have moved roses and peonies on the "off seasons", but not these that disappear totally.....
Daylilies-no problem:)

For me, I try my darndest to move plants well after the photoperiod has begun to decrease or well before it has begun to increase. At these times, they are naturally either going dormant or beginning to break dormancy. I saw this thread and was sort of horror struck.

Here's my thoughts and I have no idea if I'm on target or not-

Dicentra seems to be a hardy plant and it's been my experience it can take a lot of disturbance. I'd pot up each one individually and place them somewhere shady until you are ready to move. I've forgotten to plant these and they survived quite well in water trays.

Mertensia are already coming up in our area and they now need to do their thing to create the reserves they will need to be able to begin growing again next season. I'd wait to move them into individual pots until at such time as they begin to die back on their own for this season.

I'm thinking something totally different on your bulbs. You've got this whole season at least if not next. Why don't you leave those be until the eleventh hour to ensure the bulbs will have enough reserves to be able to bloom next year. Maybe you could go and buy a few bags of golf tees and place a bright golf tee where every bulb is located so that you can find them all after they die back. When you remove the bulbs, dust them with sulfur and place them in damp, not moist, wood chips or sphagnum peat and keep them cool until you can plant them where you want. Next year I'd plant them 2" deeper than you normally do to minimize the damage of excessive heat. They don't need unnecessary stress.

I'm really sorry about the loss of your home. I'd take everything that wasn't nailed down if this was happening to me.

Thanks, I will try all of the above. Have had family and friends leave stuff for the new owners, only to have the lovely plants trashed or cemented over. Plan on stripping as much as possible, sending to family etc. Caught between seasons, prepping house for sale and finding a new one ( houses that really are on just one floor are mighty scarce around here.) Keeping 3 balls + in the air and I never did learn how to juggle.

You do realize that recently planted as well as small shrubs such as New Jersey Tea can easily be dug out of the ground right now and wrapped in burlap, right? You could set a whole bunch of them to the side and toss wood chips over them until you know what you're doing. You can probably do the same thing with any tree saplings you may have too.

Here's hoping you take as much as you possibly can with you!

I have been moving potted Japanese maples and ginkos in and out of the garage for a couple of seasons. The only bush that I am going to try to move is the azalea. The one Japanese maple that is in the ground would really be at risk to move....but I may just do a little digging to see what the root system might be. I had checked on the cost of having it moved to another spot in the garden (it is in too much shade) Woo Hoo$$$$$.
Think I will go on our Freecycle and get some large pots to start with the pot up--I can always trench them in, if the move gets to be late or into next spring. May as well do stuff while it is still is cool and the plants are small.-need to divide a bit anyway.
Got to polish up that little spade.

You go girl!

The only potted-up plant that didn't survive my move was dicentra, 3 of them.

Figures! Poor Darius. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to why some plants make it and some plants don't. I've killed my fair share of plants that other people had no problems with. Dicentra is one of my favorites, I would have been in tears.

Well I was, 2 pinks and 1 white. Pooh.

Oh honey, I just noticed your "In Limbo" status underneath your name. Where are you right now and where will you be going? If you know where you are going to be going and what type of a garden you will be able to have, I would winter sow for you starting the end of this year to lend a hand.

Equi, I'm at my sister's in FL.We hope to sell her house soon and start investigating properties in western NC/VA (mountains) by June or July. Hope to find a place and settle in before fall. Looking at 6a to 6b.

Oh my! 6a to 6b! Good for you. That's east of the Rockies and much of what I grow will grow by you! Lemme know when you find a place. I'm really excited for you two.

Thanks!