One more pic, since I can't seem to get it to post above...

Yes, you are correct about waiting until the fall to move your plants. Late September and early October would be best when there are still warm days and comfortable nights. There must still be some decent warm-weather so the roots can settle and reattach before winter. That season will have less stress than if you move them now in this heat wave we're having. I am in a similar region. Zone 7 Southside Virginia.

treating them a bit like holding beds, because I'm planning to lay out and mulch a series of beds this fall and, in the spring, dig up some of these perennials that I've planted and spread them around. Question: will that inhibit their growth for the year? Is it better to do that this fall?

===>>>

frankly ... thats how its done ... holding them until the next proper planting season ...

you dont mention where you are ... at least i cant see it ... so its hard to be precise as to when is best to move them ... though harold seems to know where you are.. whats that all about.. lol ...

what you might do different.. is to build the new beds NOW ... so they will be ready for planting in fall .. for most of us.. july/august is not a prime time to move plants ... just too hot ... but its a great time.. to move dirt .... it took me a decade or so... to figure out.. transplanting and moving plants was a heck of a lot easier.. if i didnt have to build the beds at the same time.. duhhhh... lol ...

in my MI ... we start moving thing in mid sept or so .. warm days.. and cooler nights.. so they have time to grow some roots.. and settle in .... and be ready not only for ground freeze ... but also no stress next spring ..

and when we dont get it all done in fall.. we get out there right after ground thaw.. and move completely dormant plants asap... so they can settle in and get ready for warmer weather in later spring ....

the point is.. fall or spring in colder areas.. and many peeps in warmer climes.. do it all winter long ...

the bottom line.. is .. avoiding the heat of summer ... otherwise.. just do it.. and quit worrying about it ... keep in mind.. one definition of a green thumb.. is that youve killed EVERY PLANT.. at least 3 times ... lol ...

keep in mind ... a dormant plant will not care.. and show no stress.. but if you imprecisely move an active plant... it can end up showing a lot of stresses ... so why not do that in fall ... who need an ugly plant all summer ...

ken

I AM really pleased with how much growth I've gotten in this first part of summer! All right, these answers all make good sense. I haven't gardened in about 6 years (lived in hot dry climate) and before that, didn't move plants much...just plopped them in and left them. I'm planning on building some nice long beds out next to our house with meandering path and a fire pit. I WANT to work on that right now, but it's just too hot, and we're still involved in house renovations. My goal is to lay out the beds (the outlines) in July, get the landscaping fabric down in August to kill the grass/weeds, and put down a big topping of mulch (after fabric removed) by the end of September. That way, I can start moving plants next April, when freeze chance is past. I used to be pretty casual with plants ("Gotta be tough to make it here!") but I've gotten a little anxious since I haven't done it for so long!

I'm in zone 6a/6a...southern/central Indiana!

Bosewichte, what a nice adventure with the new garden! No need to buy, install and then remove landscape fabric. Instead lay out cardboard and top with mulch. Feel free to add yard clippings, old leaves, etc (see lasagna gardening) as well. he cardboard will smother the plants underneath and at the same time break down. In a few months, it will disappear. If you want to plant while it's still there, you can just cut through to plant.

As an FYI, I personally don't have much luck planting in fall. I have great luck transplanting everything in early to late Spring. Might be a difference in soil, etc. Maybe my clay doesn't allow roots to establish well enough before winter comes?

I have clay soil too! And I think I could get ahold of enough cardboard for the job...I just wasn't sure how long it took to decompose. If it only takes a few months, there should be enough time before winter/in early spring before I need to plant. I will try this...thanks so much!

Hmm, I've always wondered why I have such low success, planting anything, (except hosta), in the fall. That clay soil thing might make sense. Probably my worst downfall in my garden is, not building the soil with compost. Just my way of gardening - just letting things expand and evolve - didn't allow for building a whole bed area.

Point is, if you have the opportunity to add LOADS of compost, it makes a big difference, from what I've seen in other peoples gardens.

That's my plan this fall...to bring in a truckload of compost, thickly dress all the existing beds but REALLY layer it on the new beds. Fingers crossed for an amazing garden next year! :)

The general rule that I followed was to ‘move fall-blooming (and late-summer-blooming) plants in spring, and spring-blooming (and early-summer-blooming) plants in fall’. That gives the plants time to re-establish roots and recover from any transplant-shock without interfering with their normal next bloom time. It works well as a pruning rule too.

Interesting! I've tried to maintain a bloom time chart for everything that I've planted...I'll see if I can figure that out...I may tuck this info away for next year, because I'm not sure the beds will be ready for moving around this fall.

I vote for newspaper over cardboard. It absorbs water better and is easier to cut through to plant.

I need to check and see how long it takes cardboard to decompose. I definitely don't want to have to slice through thick cardboard in the spring. But I'm hoping that if I can get it down by early to mid August, there will be several months before regular freezes and that should take care of it nicely!

I put thick layers of thick layers of wet paper (newspapers I had saved, telephone books, the newspaper type ads received in mailbox, etc.). I got it wet by soaking it in water in a big garden pull-type plastic container. I did that because I had read that it would start breaking down much faster if it was wet. I then covered with cardboard and watered it well, too. Because we have constant wind, I did have to put heavy stones in strategic places so the cardboard stayed in place. But when it all composted, I had wonderful earth to plant in.

I own a mail-order business so have a TON of newspaper. It's been so hot and humid here...heat index has been in the low 100s for the past week, I think. As soon as there's a break in this weather, I'm going to get those beds staked out so I can see how much material I will need. So excited to get started on this project! :)

If cardboard is under mulch and watered periodically if no rain, it decomposes quickly. It is there to block light while the soil is disturbed and the mulch hasn’t settled yet.

Perfect! Sounds like my plan is going to work! :) Can't wait for this heat to break (upper 90s rest of the week...sigh) so I can lay out the outlines and get the cardboard down.

If you can, put in the edging at the same time so grass isn’t coming in from the sides.

That's a good idea...I'll do that. Thanks!