Moving plants around....when?

I want to rearrange some of my perennials...they've all just recently started new growth (hostas up, but not unfurled, etc). Is this an ok time to do that, or should I wait a bit? Primarily, I want to move a few hostas, ferns, an astilbe, and some heuchera. I also may want to put one or two plants that are in the ground into containers for the summer. Just didn't know if there is a good or a bad time to do any of that.

Generally its best to move plants while they are dormant - but I divided and moved my hosta around at about this time last year, and they did great! I'd say since its still early in the growing season you should be fine to move everything. Just keep an eye on the watering if we suddenly warm up again!

Thanks- I think I'll get to it this weekend, then.

I recently had to move hostas, heuchera, astilbe, daylily clumps, coneflowers, pulmonaria and a host of other perennials to a temporary location to make room for a fence. I've moved some of the plants back to their permanent spot and plan to do the rest later this week. All are doing great. Due to our wet spring, it was very easy to avoid disturbing the roots. I don't think the plants even realized they had been moved! (However, time will tell if the daylilies decide to "punish" me by not blooming!)

So how did the plant move go, Noreaster? Everybody still looking okay?

figaro - I really hope the daylilies don't punish you - that would be too mean! All you were doing was looking out for their best interest!

Well I didn't get to as much as I wanted but I did rearrange a few things- even divided a pretty big hosta- my first time doing that. I was just gonna move it whole but the root ball was so heavy I basically just divided it on the spot. It's a pretty generic hosta with tons of "eyes"..I figured it would be ok in time. And actually, the divisions already look pretty good, starting to unfurl now. Also moved a fern so I'll see how that does. I moved some ferns last year when I was planting things and changed my mind, and they seemed fussier to move than a hosta...hopefully I did it early enough this time. In the next day or two I'll move the heuchera into the container...or leave them where they are and buy a new one...hee hee.

Noreaster, I know what you mean about the heavy root balls. I chopped my Pulmonaria down the middle with the spade and chopped a New England Aster into 4 pieces -- just to be able to move them! They're all doing great. They never knew what hit them! :-)

Wildgardengirl, I'll let you know about the daylilies. Hopefully they'll send up some scapes pretty soon! (Actually, I chopped them in half too!!!)

I am brutal with my hosta. I move them at any time during any season and they always do well. I have a "hosta hospital" where I put hosta that has outgrown its area but I'm not sure where to put it yet and plop it when I decide on a new home. Hosta is pretty hard to kill and can withstand a lot of conditions. I've never lost a hosta and IMHO, you should comfortably go to town transplanting or dividing hosta anytime that is good for you!! GL

I also lift and devide my Hostas etc, I grow some beds that only contain perennials like Delphiniums, Asters, Hostas, Lupins etc, it does them good to be devided up as all the new growth spreads to the outer edges evetualy, they soon bulk out again and seem to thank you, try to keep as much rootball soil as you can, when I replant the smaller clumps, this is when I add some bonemeal mixed with new compost into the planting holes, it helps them get a good start and lasts them till the next time they need devided, I do also make sure they have a regular drink as even out of the ground for a short time can dry the rootball, go for it, it is a good time to replan the border also. it lets you check that nothing nasty is chewing the roots. Good Luck.
WeeNel.

Ok, guys, one of the hostas I moved (not the one I divided) is now looking a little funky. The hosta is "Super Nova" and I thought the leaves were looking strange from across the yard today, so I went up to examine it and saw that some parts of the leaf are almost looking transparent because they are so thin. Not sure what is going on- do you think it's some kind of reaction to me moving it last week? I only moved it a couple feet over in the bed, and it wasn't out of the ground for more than a few seconds. Or would the torrential downpour yesterday have caused a problem? I'm hoping that as it continues to leaf out it will get better.

I bet the rain did a number on your hosta. Give it a couple weeks and I bet it will come on gangbusters for you.

Thanks, lafko...I did some reading about that hosta and I guess it is very susceptible to Spring leaf burning, so that may have happened, too. Oh well.

I have some more things I'd like to move around- it has been raining for the last two days with still more on the way. Do I need to wait for the ground to dry out again before moving stuff?

Noreaster, I've planted in the wet dirt many a time. In fact, I moved some perennials in the rain a couple of nights ago (some were hostas). The wet soil really stuck to the roots, so they're doing fine. Of course, despite the wet soil, I gave them a drink from the watering can after transplanting to help settle the roots.