IME, both are equally amenable to both division and transplanting in early spring.

A big well established Joe Pye is murder to dig and divide, your shovel better have a sturdy handle, lol, the crown of the plant is rather like cutting through wood! An established Veronicastrum, again not so easy to dig, but younger plants of both aren't too bad of course.

@north53 Z2b MB I get the impression that your CR hasn't been in the ground as long as your JPY? Just last Fall I relocated a very established CR. It wasn't easy to do but I see new growth this spring so it was successful.

I transplanted an established Veronicastrum across state lines (which sounds ominous but should be legal). It never skipped a beat.

Well i managed to dig up the CR! i found that the roots aren’t very deep, but very dense. It was very heavy to move.

So now there’s a spot for something else in front of Joe Pye. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestions FrozeBudd. Food for thought.

i have a variegated heliopsis but have never had one produce

red centers like that. I do have several seedlings i can keep on eye on and hope I get a nice one.

I’ve always wanted an Aralia Sun King. So far I haven’t seen one for sale around here. They are rated zone 4 though, so might not be hardy for my area.

i found that the roots aren’t very deep, but very dense. It was very heavy to move.

That was my experience as well.