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Hi,
I'm rather new to learning all about the landscaping dos/donts, etc. I've always lived in the woods where it was near impossible to grow anything much so this is all new to me.
I'm in N. Alabama, 7b. It was 99 degrees yesterday and a lot my plants are struggling and I"m doing what I can but I read something yesterday telling me that it was time to start separating bulbs on some stuff now and I'm really doubting that.
When will be the right time? I have a LOT of transplanting to do. I moved into this house last fall and since then have seen where there are plants coming up right under or in the middle of other plants, etc. It's as tho each family that lived here planted items right over bulbs of other plants they didn't know were there at the time, etc.
If you want to take bulbs up I think this is far too early in the year to be doing that. It's still the middle of summer and most people who take their bulbs up generally do it in mid to late autumn when the temperatures are getting colder but not freezing yet and all perennials are starting to go dormant for winter.
My question is - What kinds of bulbs are they, and do you want to take the bulbs up out of the ground or are you just going to be doing it because someone told you that you should, or you read it in a book somewhere? There is no law that says you absolutely must take up bulbs. Unless you want to get rid of them completely or you want to re-plant them in totally different locations, you shouldn't need to take them up in your location. Where you live your climate is warm enough I think you can safely leave them in the ground for winter right where they are and apparently always have been there since before you moved into that house.
It's entirely likely that the gardener(s) that lived in your house before you deliberately planted certain types of perennial bulb-plants right next to other types of perennial plants and they left the bulbs in the ground on purpose. I do it in all my garden beds. I don't ever take any of my bulbs up out of the ground for winter (and my winters are a LOT colder than yours) and they are all mixed in with other types of bulb plants and non-bulb perennial plants. Everything is coordinated to come up and bloom in a progressive order in accordance with the seasons.
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It's not that I actually want to pull bulbs up per se'. It's that I read something that said it was time in my zone and that threw me because it is soooo hot out still. I do have plants to move. There is coreopsis growing among the giant elephant ears and under a peony. There are iris' planted in the middle of hostas. There is a rose bush coming up in the midst of another peony. There are ferns and a small holly bush growing in the middle of a juniper.
There are several plants that I've yet to identify coming up in the middle of others. There's a ton of mondo grass popping up everywhere but the rabbits are chewing it down pretty quick. There are gladiolas in the middle of the elephant ears and something else I haven't identified growing behind where it's not even seen unless you walk into the bedding.
There is some sort of ground cover growing in the middle of a garden bed.
I let a good bit of stuff alone this season because I hadn't been in this house long and I was waiting to see what all was planted and coming up.
There is a bedding out back that has some sort of small ornamental grass spreading throughout it and there are multiple elephant ears, iris, nandinas, hellibore, columbine and some other yet to be identified plants growing all in it.
One of the neighbors came over (she has some beautiful garden beds and knows much more than I ) and she said one of the fellas that lived here just went around throwing stuff in the ground all over and not waiting to see what the previous owner had in the ground that hadn't come up yet.
I was just curious on the timing having seen an article that said it was time to start doing some stuff in my area and it's so friggin' hot out right now that plants are burning up faster than they can drink up water. I figured it should be at least 6 weeks away.
I am in 7a/7b also but much farther north (Long Island) than you. Temperatures are still in the mid to high 80s here and likely to be so for the next few weeks (hopefully not, but....). The humidity is killer.
Coincidentally I had a conversation the other day with the manager of a local nursery regarding whether to plant a young tree (less than 2 ft high) this fall or wait till spring. His opinion is that it should be planted within the next 2 or 3 weeks (no later than mid September) in order to allow the root system time to establish before winter.
We do have freeze-thaw cycles here and so I am leaning toward waiting until spring. It seems crazy to be thinking about freeze-thaw cycles in this sweltering weather but..... it is what it is. On the other hand my current soil is clay which is less likely to "heave" than my previous garden's nice sandy loam. So there's that. On the other hand (LOL) the soil here is much slower to warm up in spring and be 'workable' for spring planting.
Bottom line is that I still am unsure whether to plant now or in mid to late April, LOL. LIke you, I am worried about heat/drought stress during the next four weeks or so.
I thought it was interesting that someone who actually propagates plants was calling for "no later than mid September" re: fall planting though. I would normally have thought fall planting to be mid September to early October in Zone 7. But I guess it does depend very much on what one is planting and what kind of soil one has.
I hate clay.
ETA: Whether a particular garden is 7a or 7b here depends heavily on the winter we get. Ours can vary dramatically as can winter weather in different sections of this island of ours. People who live along the southern edge are usually from 5 to 8 degrees warmer than people in the middle or northern sections because of the warmer air over the open water of the bay. During the winter it often makes the difference between rain and snow within a five-mile radius. So it's kind of Gardening Roulette, LOL
Wow! Writerwife, that sounds like a gardener's nightmare with way too many plants gone all wild and wooly on you. I think you were wise to wait the full year so you can see exactly what has been coming up in the gardens, and where. You sure have your work cut out for you getting that all straightened out. Anyway, don't worry about the bulbs at this time, whatever you plan to do (or not do) with any of them they can certainly wait another 6 weeks or longer if necessary until the weather is cooler and more comfortable for you.
We do have freeze-thaw cycles here and so I am leaning toward waiting until spring. It seems crazy to be thinking about freeze-thaw cycles in this sweltering weather but..... it is what it is. On the other hand my current soil is clay which is less likely to "heave" than my previous garden's nice sandy loam. So there's that. On the other hand (LOL) the soil here is much slower to warm up in spring and be 'workable' for spring planting.
Bottom line is that I still am unsure whether to plant now or in mid to late April, LOL. LIke you, I am worried about heat/drought stress during the next four weeks or so.
Compromise and put mother nature's little helpers to work for you. Don't plant in autumn, concentrate on the soil instead. Work the soil up really well in the autumn and dig in a lot of nice loamy amendments and leafy mulch into the clay. Then cover it over with a layer of leafy mulch and forget about it for winter while the earthworms come in and drag more leaves down into the soil and finish loosening, amending and aerating the deeper soil for you over the winter months. They will complete getting it prepared, enriched and ready for you to do spring planting and it will be a lot easier to dig into. You would still have to do a little bit of clean up and prep work in the spring before planting stuff but it would go easier for you and the soil will be much more hospitable to that little tree you want to plant. At least you would have gotten the bulk of the heavy work done ahead of time and you'll have utilized the assistance of the worms.
It's not that I actually want to pull bulbs up per se'. It's that I read something that said it was time in my zone and that threw me because it is soooo hot out still. I do have plants to move. There is coreopsis growing among the giant elephant ears and under a peony. There are iris' planted in the middle of hostas. There is a rose bush coming up in the midst of another peony. There are ferns and a small holly bush growing in the middle of a juniper.
There are several plants that I've yet to identify coming up in the middle of others. There's a ton of mondo grass popping up everywhere but the rabbits are chewing it down pretty quick. There are gladiolas in the middle of the elephant ears and something else I haven't identified growing behind where it's not even seen unless you walk into the bedding.
There is some sort of ground cover growing in the middle of a garden bed.
I let a good bit of stuff alone this season because I hadn't been in this house long and I was waiting to see what all was planted and coming up.
There is a bedding out back that has some sort of small ornamental grass spreading throughout it and there are multiple elephant ears, iris, nandinas, hellibore, columbine and some other yet to be identified plants growing all in it.
One of the neighbors came over (she has some beautiful garden beds and knows much more than I ) and she said one of the fellas that lived here just went around throwing stuff in the ground all over and not waiting to see what the previous owner had in the ground that hadn't come up yet.
I was just curious on the timing having seen an article that said it was time to start doing some stuff in my area and it's so friggin' hot out right now that plants are burning up faster than they can drink up water. I figured it should be at least 6 weeks away.
Don't transplant when it's hot out, no matter what your zone information says. Wait until cool weather to transplant.
I am in 7b as well but in NC. I am also a retired landscape designer, BS in horticulture and Master Gardener in 3 states. All that says is I have some knowledge and still have lots to learn.
Sounds like you have a big mess there. Too late now but when you plant bulbs or perennials stick a golf tee in the ground so you will know something is there if you are tempted to start planting. Ideally you should have labels all over your garden so you will know what to expect, what you like and what you might want to get more of.
If you start with bulbs to dig up you won't have to worry about transplant shock but only if you WANT to dig them up. The only bulbs I overwinter in the garage are caladium bulbs.
I do try to make my clients' work as easy as possible. For example I dig one hole for lycoris and amaryllis. One is coming up while the other is dying down. I like a cottage garden but I don't have plants growing in the middle of others. Look at what you have and start thinking in terms of financial costs. I would sacrifice a few bulbs to save some daylilies if one has to go.
Start now collecting nursery pots. Many folks hoard them all summer and are now trying to get rid of them. Try Buy Nothing, Your dump may have some, craig's list or garden club member who have some to get rid of. Put all your tulips in a large pot, then daffodils, etc. No need for soil if you think you will get them replanted within a few months or you can use old potting soil or saw dust.
Them decide on what else you want to save. Say daylilies which still have foliage here. Then go to the next plants you want to save.
Start in a space you can handle easily and don't try to get all the bulbs or lilies from the whole yard. When you have cleared the space you decided on be ready to plant everything with some kind of plan.
Plants have less stress in cooler temps and it would be a big mistake to actually transplant anything except bulbs, iris and dayliles now. Hard to kill any of those. Anything you dig up should be in good soil and put in shade until you can plant it.
Take each section of the yard and work in one space at a time. Obviously you cannot do the whole yard in one season. Take your time and enjoy getting to know your treasures. I move plants like some folks move furniture. My husband says my plants are on roller skates!
Good luck. Prepare your soil properly while it is empty and you will have wonderful results.
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