Can I Transplant Container Perennials

Can I transplant perennials grown in containers during the summer into the garden at the end of the season? How early would I have to do it? Which types of perennials might I do this with? (Columbine?) Anything I should do early such as defoliating or pruning?ThanksJune

Doug says:

OK - we have a few questions in one here. :-) Let's take it from the top.

Yes, you can transplant perennials if they were grown in containers. You can not transplant perennials if they are not in containers. So no digging and moving from your garden but if it has been sitting in a pot since spring, it will have a well-developed and contained root system and won't know it has been moved.

You can do this any time of the summer or fall with container grown plants of any kind or variety. As long as you're careful and don't go messing about with the roots, a container grown plant can be planted anytime.

As an aside, I note that daylilies can be moved and so can iris even if actually growing. You have to be careful and you might lose the odd one but if you get a bunch of roots on them, yes you can almost move these plants anytime.

Anything to do? Hmm, love 'em. Don't cut back the foliage or prune container grown plants! This only reduces the ability of the plant to generate energy. Do consider spraying with an antidesiccant. I use this on a wide variety of my transplants (even in the early spring) and find it's a great little tool for increasing the success rate of plants.

The most critical thing to understand is that the soil in the pot is different than the soil in your garden and it will dry out faster than garden soil. So even it rained yesterday, a newly planted perennial may use up all the water in its soil ball before the ground has a chance to rewet it. You do have to constantly check any container grown plant for dry soil and be prepared to wander the garden (watering can in hand) to ensure your plants are well watered.

Do you have other questions about transplanting container perennials?