Sorry to hear your "temporary" holding area is lost. Lots of work I'm sure to get the new bed ready. I guess its better to know now you have to move things than when the first flakes hit.

Julia

That's a shame Edward! Julia has found the silver lining in that the timing is better than some, but I'm sorry you lost your "annex".
kay

Send them down here Edward...I'll hold them over for you...:) Better yet...maybe it's time to borrow some Mom soil??? Of course the solution Tom would tell you....would be...Buy the neighbors house....LOL LOL :)

Rick

Wow, bad news for sure. But then the timing COULD have been worse. At least its still planting time. What would you have done if it was winter?

Ed, I hate to be rushed in moving daylilies, so I feel for you.
Jill

I definately understand and wish you the best in getting everything moved successfully! I had used a 20 X 40 foot area in my son's yard for my seedlings this year. I had been culling and got down to about 25 second year plants and 50+ first year unbloomed seedlings when I drove up a couple of weeks ago and found a For Sale sign in their yard. This has changed my schedule for re-arranging the beds at my house and also about the number of seedlings I will be able to keep. Like you, I'm giving some away and re-thinking what I will do with the remainder. Unlike you, I have no room to expand my beds at home. Fortunately (for someone, not me) our local daylily club has as fund raising auction the end of this month, so between that and a neighbor or two, many of them will find a home. The next question is: What am I going to do with the 150+ seeds in my refigerator?!?
Larry

I moved a bunch today. There are now 18 newer registered varieties in my seedling bed. I composted a bunch of seedlings that were either weak or had trouble opening. The best of each cross, that I was not planning on keeping, were used to fill empty spaces in the neighbour's bed.

In other news, I havested my firstpod of the season. It was a bit early but I knocked the scape over moving daylilies. There were 20 seeds in the pod and they look great to me. The cross was Amanda's Intrigue X Belle of Ashwood.

I ordered a daylily for spring. It was even the top of my wish list: Gentleman's Lady (Moldovan 2005).

Edward

Sounds like you really have been busy. I never thought of the empty spaces but that is a good idea. Switch seedlings that you were not going to keep. The next people that buy the house probably will not be gardeners anyway.

Ed, I feel your pain. I have TWO 8' X 12' raised beds STUFFED with daylilies that I have been moving for over a month now. I work and work and work and work ---- and I look at the beds and it doesn't look like I've removed anything! It's so discouraging. Well, not quite true. After more than a month, I've made progress, but those daylilies have been there a while, and as dry as it's been, it's either like prying a stump out of the ground, or I hose it down, and it's like trying to pry a stump out of the mud. I'm not sure which is worse. But I have to get them moved because we are building an addition, and they are going to break ground as soon as possible in the spring, and these beds can't be here. So I've become a manual laborer until the job is done -- no fun. MacThayer

I am down to about a dozen more to move but they include a few larger clumps. This will take thought as they are going to be feature plants where ever they end up. I collected another pod this morning: 15 seeds from Aniakchak X Thorhalla. This should give some very well branched UFOs. The hardest work for the next few days will be dividing a HUGE clump of Siberian Irises. The clump was so clogged that it has died off in the middle to give the balding man look.

Edward
Timberlea, Nova Scotia

Edward,

You have a true gardener's heart.... having to move a whole bunch of plants, having to find room, and being excited about the seeds for new plants at the same time!

I don't envy you the work, the moving daylilies or the Iris division. Moving plants isn't fun unless you are doing it because you want to, and I just had to pull a monster clump of Yellow Flag iris out of my pond this weekend, and I swear it was a fight and the iris won.

Wishing you strength and energy to finish your project soon so you can move on to funner things like collecting the seeds!

Julie

I can also commiserate, Edward. My condolences on you having to be so ruthless in culling.... I potted all my daylilies to move and then ended up with no where to plant them after I did. They did just fine in their pots this past year, but having to do LOTS of re-potting this Fall. Guess I will start being thankful at how lucky I am to be in Zone 8 and can keep my pot ghetto thriving, even if not preferred...
Hope there is a silver lining right around the corner for you (and Larry).
Marea

I am selling my parents' little farm and I am moving Mom's daylilies (and other plants). February may not be the ideal time for transplanting, but I cannot leave them behind. Is there any secret to assuring I will not lose them in this process? I'm no gardening expert so really would appreciate anyone's comments.

Kathryn,

What zone/area/city/state do you live in? That would make a difference to the answers you might get, I am sure. Jan G.

kathryn450 one option is the possibility of asking the new buyer if one could get the plants in the spring. At times new owners are grass lovers and move/remove many flowers.

Like Jan said above.. the climate is a factor. If one can dig the ground now in your location & the receiving garden you should be fine. If your needing to hold them on the destination garden end.. then anything from refrigeration to heeling them in are just some of the options.