moving lilies.

19 years ago

We are moving from upper New York state to the central, western part of West Virginia. I have over 1000 very much prized Lilium bulbs which we have too much money in to leave behind. The problem is that this move MUST take place in late April to early May of 2007. At that time of year all the Lilies will be sprouting. I realize the worse time of year to be trying to save these but we are moving then. What is the best way to save these bulbs? Also I have 100+ German bearded IRISES and roses to save at the same time. there are other things too but not as important. How can we do this??

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Comments (3)

azngrnthumbs
19 years ago
I've successfully moved lilies while actively growing. You might interrupt their bloom, but with proper care, most Lilium hybrids will settle back and flower regularly the following summmer.

Just make sure you get as much of the basal roots and stem roots that have formed and pot them up immediately in a free draining potting mix and make sure they are watered regularly. As they continue to grow, apply a low nitrogen fertilizer prior to bloom (5-10-10) and they should flower for you that summmer.

However, some transplants result in a distruption of the blooms as buds can often abort, but not to worry. They will be perfectly fine the next year.

I would keep them in pots over the summer making sure they're watered well and by fall, when the foliage dies down, they will be perfectly set and ready for proper fall planting!

Hope this helps you!

Your german irises might be blooming or will be blooming during your move, but if you can sacrifice flowers for the season, they should be okay to lift and divide. You can carefully dig the clump with all the roots and hope that it will still flower, but it's going to be kind of iffy.

Roses will be actively growing, but transplantable. Key is making sure they're well watered and kept away from the intense full sun for a few weeks as they "recover".

Cheers,

Riz
hostaholic2 z 4, MN
19 years ago
I too have moved lilies in the spring when I had no choice but to move them or lose them. As Riz stated, carefully dig and pot them, trying to keep the basal plate and roots intact. I even managed to replant some that were in pots for several weeks, but if you can hold them until fall in the pots I think you'd have the best success rate. Since many nursey pots are dark colored try to keep the roots shaded by shading the pots themselves. You don't want to cook them. Good luck to you.
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threekittygarden
19 years ago
Since you will need potting them up when you dig in April anyway, why not start digging them up now and potting them up. They will be ok growing in pots until you move. This will also give you some time to look where they will be situated best in your new yard. I did this last 1997 when we added three more bedrooms in our house. I dug up all my roses and bulbs and replanted after the construction. This is the best time to dig since they are still dormant. Tita