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Annuals/transplanting shrubs and bushes

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Expert: - 9/20/2010


Question
We are adding a farmer's porch to the front of my house.  This project will take approximately 6 weeks to complete.  I need to move all of my shrubs and bushes and would like to replant them once the porch is completed.  Is there any way that I can dig them up and save them until they can be replanted again?  Any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Timing is everything.  You could not have picked a better time to undertake this project.

Already, hardy shrubs and bushes are transitioning to dormancy.  Metabolism slows, chlorophyll production ceases, anti-freezing sugars concentrate in stems, and the plant pours carbohydrates into roots underground.

Dormant plants can have very active roots.  In fact, some plants actually experience a growth spurt called 'root flux'.

What you DON'T want to do is hold these through the Winter out of the ground.  Doing that deprives root cells of their biggest growth opportunity of the season.  They can't accomplish the same things when there is pressure upstairs for the usual uptake and downtake.

If you can somehow prepare their planting holes, then pot them up until it's time to put them in the ground and settling them in, your conditions are practically perfect.  Make sure they get the same weather exposure as any outdoor plant would get normally.  Be careful not to overwater, and do not fertilize (very important, this last item, because you don't want the plant to break dormancy).

Autumn is the perfect time of year to do this.

Annuals

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.

Experience

I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.

Publications
Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.

Education/Credentials
B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.

Awards and Honors
I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.

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