Sometimes, you love a plant but not its location.

Luckily, you can easily move it to a new location. We call this “transplanting.”

Reasons to transplant

There are plenty of reasons to move a plant.

It may simply be preference.

Perhaps it wasn’t the size or shape you envisioned it would grow into. Or maybe you're adjusting your landscape, and the plant would look great in a different section of your garden.

It could be for the plant’s benefit.

The lighting conditions may have changed since planting, straining its access to sunlight. Or it might be getting crowded out as surrounding plants have matured.

When to transplant

As we’ve learned time and time again, every plant is different.

Generally speaking, the best time to move plants is when they are dormant, or right after they bloom.

This makes early spring and late fall the primetime for transplanting—as long as the soil is warm enough to be worked.

How to transplant

Follow these steps for any perennial, shrub or tree you’re transplanting:

1. Start by digging the new hole for the plant’s new home. This minimizes the amount of time the shrub will spend out of the ground.

2. Prune the shrub as much as possible. Moving a plant causes it stress, and pruning it back lessens the amount of foliage the stressed plant has to support.

   While every plant has its own pruning preferences, you will almost always be fine as long as you are pruning back to something. Make a cut just above a growth point or set of leaves.

3. Dig out the plant. The key here is to remove as much of the root ball as possible from the ground. Grab your shovel and start at least as wide as the plant’s spread (before pruning). When in doubt, start wider.

4. If possible, place the shrub into a bucket of water while you move it to its new location. This isn’t necessary but will certainly help make the transition smoother.

5. Pop the plant into its new hole. It should be planted at the same depth as it was in its previous home. Optional: add Espoma Biotone or another plant starter to the hole before replanting.

6. Fill in the hole with soil, and tamp down with your feet. Give the plant a good, deep soak.

📖 Book I’m reading

The Modern Flower Press by Melissa Richardson and Amy Fielding of JamJar Flowers. In a preservation effort, I placed a great many flowers from my wedding bouquet between book pages. They’ve been there for months, as I’m not quite sure what to do with them. I’m hopeful with the guidance from the ladies of JamJar, I will figure it out!

👩🏻‍🌾 Seeds I’m sowing

Not sowing these just yet—but I’m getting ready to send out the seeds for our Summer Sowalong! Here’s what it entails: I’ll send you seeds (for free!), we’ll sow them on the same day, and I’ll check in on progress as our plants grow. If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time—but not much! Follow this link and fill out the form by April 30, 2023 to get in on it!

🌸 Flower I’m admiring

A special sort of primrose—named Primula Auricula. It was very difficult to find these, but with the help of a Primula enthusiast on Reddit, I was connected to Sequim Rare Plants out of Washington—one of the very few sources in the States for Auriculas. I purchased a few that arrived a week or two ago. They have just opened up and I’m already beguiled by their tiny faces.

Next on my transplant list is an azalea bush, as soon as it’s finished blooming. It’s quite mature so I think it will be a doozy. Are you planning on moving any plants this year? Reply and let me know how you fare!

xx

Courtney