I'd hate to give you bad advice based on a misunderstanding of what you call Naked Ladies. I think you mean Lycoris Squamigera, the pink, large trumpeted flower. I've included a link below from Missouri Botanical with a picture. They say to move them in the fall, but they are not in my zone so ripening of foliage etc is probably different. I had to move mine once but the foliage had already ripened by early June, not fall. Also because of our zonal difference and winter freezes I don't bury mine as deeply. Since you are zone 6, their time tables may be more suited to you however. If for some reason you absolutely can't wait until the foliage ripens, you might try digging them up anyway, trying your darndest not to disturb the roots. Pot them up in the best potting soil you can buy, place them out of direct sun and wind and wait for the foliage to ripen in the pot. Then plant them in the ground. I've done this with dafs and tulips before and have had a fair amount of success. Just remember they can sometimes take years to settle back in once re-planted. On the ones I moved it was 3 years before some of them bloomed again.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lycoris Squamigera

I *assume* that's what they are (what the link showed), but I'm not positive. After all, I haven't seen them bloom either.

So what you're saying is to wait until after the foliage ripens and dig them up then, in the early or mid-summer? That's better than digging them up now?

gamebird- From what I have read and experienced, it would be best to let them go into their natural dormancy before moving them. This usually will occur in the summer when it gets hot. If you don't, they will probably dry their leaves up and put themselves into dormancy anyway. Plant them in the ground or in a pot wiht a gritty, well drained soil and make sure to plant them shallow with the neck out of the soil too. I've read they like to bake in the sun during the summer with limited water. I have some in a pot and they don't get special treatment, just taken care of by nature. They do take a long time to bloom after being disturbed. These were placed in the pot in the fall of 2006 or so and have yet to bloom.

Hope this helps and good luck with them!

-Frank

Another option, since they are planted so shallowly anyway, would be to dig them now, taking a large clump of soil with them and disturbing the roots as little as possible. If you do that, I would then go ahead and plant them in holes so they will be at the exact same depth.

Chances are what you have are the Lycoris Squamigera, as most other Lycoris are not as hardy and likely would not survive in your zone, particularly if they were planted shallowly.

Good luck. I have them and love it when they surprise me each summer blooming on the stems when there no sign of any foliage left.

Sue

Is your friend no longer available to ask what color her "naked ladies" were when they bloomed? If they were pink, then more then likely they are Lycoris Squamigera and the advice to dig them up after the foliage ripens is the one to follow if at all possible. If you must dig before the foliage dies down do as has been suggested but pamper them in partial shade, no wind etc. until the foliage is gone.

She said they were pink. I'll wait as long as I can and hope my mother's house doesn't sell too quickly.

If worse comes to worse, and you must move them sooner, it's no big deal... it'll just set them back a bit, and it'll take longer for them to recover and settle in to their new home.

They definitely don't care to be disturbed, but we have to do what we must to save our bulbs and take them with us. Just plant them in semi-shade at your new place, and be prepared to wait a couple of years for them to settle in before they bloom.

The bottom line is... bulbs are very resilient, for the most part... while moving them out of proper season will delay blooming, it's not going to kill them. Take as much of the soil around them as possible, and get them re-planted as soon as you are able. They'll be fine.

i live in ohio it is mid aug my pink naked ladys needed to move with me they r in bloom do i wait till flowering dies or dig them up trying to plant in pots without disterbing roots ?? please help please e mail me ...caren45634@gmail.com

Hi & welcome, Caren. Did you read the discussion here?

I have the same flowers as the picture on the sight and mine are "naked ladies" I also have a gorgeous version of a surprise Lily known as a Red Lycoris I would love for you to see. My flower garden was full of them just a couple weeks ago! What a sight! I will try to find a site with these on it and attach it. I had over seventy blooms in my back yard and about that many out front. It is quite a sight when they all come up and bloom together that way! They multiply like crazy. Ok I found it. Just simply Google "Red Lycoris Pictures" and be ready to have your breath taken away!

It would definitely be great to see your 70+ blooms but like you said, it's a common enough plant with plenty of other people's wonderful pictures.

But we'd never get enough of them so if you ever have pictures to share, go ahead!

Id say transplant any time. This plant resents being moved, so it will bloom when good and ready. Ive had some that bloomed 7 years after being planted. There is nothing you can do to speed up that bloom time. They are divas, but once they put a show, they never stop.

For transplanting something delicate, I often take a great deal of the soil around the rootball with the plant. Just a big hunk all around the plant in the hopes that so few roots are disturbed that the plant doesn't figure out it had been moved.

I then dig a hole about the same size as the huge hunk of soil (with the plant embedded in the middle). I gently place the plant in the hole, fill in the gaps with extra soil, then step lightly (or, maybe I stomp) on the perimeter to firm the contact between the old and new dirt and finally give it a good bucket of water.

Every plant is different so no guarantees of blooms as a change in sunlight, water drainage, etc. can also contribute to the adjustment period. Good luck!