dig it up and replant?

I planted my HUGE raised beds (big for my neighborhood - not big by DG Gardeners' standards) piece by piece with stuff I had and stuff I had received from DG trades and flowers I planted from seed and all kinds of things.

Let it suffice to say that I know a lot of things need to be moved - maybe over 1/2 of the stuff in the garden. Some is too tall to be in the front (Obedient plant) and some is too short to be where it is (echinacea and bergamot). Some needs to be divided (a huge 8 foot Rudebeckia with green eyes) and some is just out of place and needs planted elsewhere or tossed.

Also I think I need desperately to amend the soil. This spring a coral bells died and I don't know why. It's not looking at all the way I want it to.

Have you ever dug most things up and replanted a bed? How did you do it? What tools were required? What kind of labor is involved ( I gotta nkow how much to budget). When would be the best time to do this (I'm thinking NOW because it will soon be time for stuff to go dormant...)

I could use all the help I can get.

THanks in advance.
Janie

Janie, I did the same thing this Spring. A complete re-planting of an old perennial bed.
My first suggestion is to make a written inventory of what you want to keep, with notes (height, width, color and time of bloom, etc.).
Figure out how much space each plant or group will need in 2 years.
Work on only one bed at a time, September is good for most perennials, not all.
Set up a holding area for the keepers, either a shady trench or pots.
Check with your local recycling about free compost. Then check the compost itself, you don't want a lot of rocks or glass in it. If it looks OK, grab twice as much as you think you will need. Figure on at least 2 inches thick over the entire bed.
Sphagnum Peat moss is nice for water retention but it has little nutrient value.
Composted manure is good but can be expensive in bags, can you get some in bulk from a local farm or yard center.
Once you have everything, start digging. Keep the plants wet and prune the herbaceous ones to half their size, put them in the holding pen.
Clear out everything, till deeply, add all your amendments, till again and re-plant the keepers. Water well, twice.
Nothing to it, LOL. A few blisters, cuss words and a sore back for a few days.
Andy P
My little garden went from this.

To this, in a few months.
I had to remove a ton of rocks and roots. Most of the 'new' plans were my own in pots or my nursery. Some were bulbs and a few are annuals for 'first year' filler.
Andy P

Yes, I have done this. Do you have an area of your garden (maybe the vegetable patch) where you can temporarily plant the perennials? If not, you'll need lots of large flowerpots, containers, buckets, etc. and potting soil. You should be able to accomplish your task with a sturdy garden fork and spade, and a wheelbarrow.

Don't worry about keeping soil on the roots of the plants, just dig them up, divide up the large ones, re-plant immediately in pots or a temporary bed, and keep them well watered.

I recommend testing your soil (get a soil test kit from a garden center) to find out if there are nutrients lacking, and to determine what the acidity level is. In any event, fork lots of compost into the soil, and some slow-acting fertilizer such as bonemeal. Then re-plant.
Good luck!

I'm constantly moving plants. What I picture in my mind is not always the way things turn out. I think this is true for most home gardeners. I move plants that are too big, too small, not the right color combination or are not performing as well as they should and it may not be their first move. I usually give a plant 3 tries, before giving up. The exception is for plants that are butt ugly or that are spreading too fast. I usually get rid of those pretty fast.

It's a good idea to make sure you have good soil, but that's not the only factor why a plant will deline and die. You also need to consider sun and water requirements, insect infestation, fungal diseases and other plants that may hog all the nutrients. I lost a few good, healthy plants this year to moles. Just all of a sudden, the roots were gone.

When do you do this? As a project, fall or spring. However, I move plants anytime that it's not way too hot. Just make sure you take enough soil with the plant to prevent shock to the root system and water in well and continue to give more water than normal until you feel the plant is taking to its new location. If the roots do become distrubed, I try to keep the roots very moist until all signs of shock have passed.

Depending what it is you're trying to move, a long handled shovel should work on most items. If bulbs are involved, a garden fork will do the least amount of damage. If you are working in close quarters, there are smaller spades available. For really small plants with small root systems, a garden trowel may suffice. If any of your plants have a deep tap root, you may not be able to move successfully. I suggest you do a little culture research on each of your plants before moving any of them.

Here's a tip. If your ground is rock hard, give it a good watering first. This will make it easier to remove a plant intact with its roots.

Take lots and lots of pictures NOW. It is very hard to visualize once the plant is dormant or only just coming up in the spring.

I make planting maps of my flower beds every fall. That way when things start coming up in the spring I can quickly identify plants that are "out of place" -- might be a volunteer seedling, a weed, or as happened to me this year "Squirrel adjustments"!

Divide and replant in the spring. This is especially true of salvias and yarrow. Our winters are so dry here that I try not to risk tearing up roots in the fall.