Moving with your garden; don't leave your favorite plants behind when you move; let them give you a head start on creating a new garden

Flower & Garden Magazine, Feb-March, 1996 by Christine Haese

Moving Day Has Arrived. The truck is rented and dishes are packed carefully. Arrangements have been made for the utilities to be transferred and the post office knows your new address. You feel good; you're ready for a change.

But what about the garden? Why leave behind an those valuable memories and labors of love? During our family's last move, a precious rosebush given to us by our daughters was forgotten. Thankfully, we were able to retrieve it later when I explained the situation to the new owners, but I regretted not planning ahead. I should have transplanted it before we moved.

More and more gardeners are learning the importance of planning ahead for moving day. It's easy to gather seeds, dig bulbs and take stem cuttings that can be transferred to our new home. Take time to research the climate and soils of your future home, and determine which of the plants in your current garden are suitable candidates for moving. Your favorite plants and garden keepsakes will impart a sense of familiarity to new surroundings, while giving you a head start on creating a new garden.

SEEDS

Many gardeners perpetuate their favorite annual flowers and open-pollinated vegetables by gathering and storing their seeds. The same technique allows you to move a part of your garden without having to transport much weight or bulk. Seal the dried seeds in envelopes and label them with the variety name and date collected. Seed collecting can be done a year or even longer before the move; just be sure to store the envelopes of seeds in an airtight container, such as a plastic food storage container, in your refrigerator (not the freezer).

DORMANT BULBS AND ROOTS

Depending on the season, you can dig bulbs, rhizomes and tubers well in advance of your move. The timing is best, of course, if your move happens to fall during the natural dormant season of these plants. Many spring-blooming bulbs, such as crocuses and daffodils, can be dug immediately after their foliage withers naturally, dried and stored for up to six months before replanting. Tender roots like dahlias and caladiums are typically dug in fall, so are easiest to transport during their winter dormancy. A mixture of loose, dry peat moss and vermiculite provides a lightweight yet protective transport medium for dormant bulbs.

POTTED PLANTS

Many perennial flowers are best moved in a container of soil. Several weeks - or even months - before the move, transplant divisions or offsets of prized perennials into plastic pots, so by the time moving day arrives they will have acclimated to their containers. Moving plants in damp soil is a heavy proposition, so use a lightweight potting soil instead of garden loam, and the smallest size pot that win sustain the plant until it has reached its new home. As you pot plants to move, examine them for pests and diseases; you don't want to move your problems with you. To lessen transplant shock, keep potted transplants out of direct sunlight, and check their soil moisture daily.

GARDEN TOOLS

About one month before you move, take inventory of your garden tools and accessories, deciding what is to be packed and moved and what will be discarded or left behind. While doing so, take time for some routine tool maintenance.

Clean and sharpen the blades of pruning shears, clippers, lawn mowers and edgers. Apply a thin coating of household oil or motor oil to protect the paint and metal parts. A thin coat of linseed oil protects wood handles.

Clean and disinfect trowels, rakes, hoes and sprinklers before packing them. Mix one part household bleach to three parts water, then leave these tools to soak in the solution for one hour. Rinse and dry them thoroughly before packing. Even birdhouses and feeders can be cleaned in the same manner. The bleach kills most bacteria, snails, insects and their eggs, and even weed seeds.

REGULATIONS FOR

MOVING PLANTS

There are many specialized rules that govern the of plants, especially across state lines. It is important to learn the rules ahead of time for your destination state and any state you may cross en route. Some states, including Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, stop auto travelers to inspect plants. Hawaii has very strict quarantine laws governing any plant importation.

The inspectors are looking for plants infested with insects or disease - especially troublesome pests such as gypsy moth, imported fire ant, Japanese beetle and Mediterranean fruit fly. Inspectors will refuse entry to any plants that show signs of infestation. To find requirements for the state where you are relocating, contact a federal or state plant protection inspector, or your local county agricultural agent.

Air carriers and commercial highway movers have specific guidelines for transporting plants. Check with your county agricultural agent to learn if you must have plants certified before shipping. Consider the size and weight of packages and pots before deciding to transport too many plants. Plants transported in a commercial moving van may remain untended for several days and should be packed to withstand any temperature extremes they will face along the way.