Tricky Transplants

Question

Thanks to my home’s previous owner and neighbor having fences in the wrong places, I now have to move 24 sq ft of my 12 ft long garden. This includes well established (I’ve owned the house for 8 years and they were here when I bought it) poppies, peonies, and naked ladies (a. k. a. Surprise Lilies) I understand that I may not be able to save the plants for blooming this season, but hope to save them for future seasons. I have been trying to dig 18″ deep with the Poppies to get as much root as possible. . . I have A LOT of these to dig out and only just started so ANY advice will be GREATLY appreciated!!! ALSO! I found something that I’m confused about. What I found in the middle of where I’m pulling these plants from is a root about 2″ dia. close to the top of the soil with small green leaves or leaf-like growths covering the top of it. . . it is VERY sturdy, but NOT like a tree. . . it also goes deeper than the 18″ I’ve been digging. . . Any ideas???

Answer 1

Really, in a situation like this, all the advice I can give is much along the lines of what you are doing. Get as much of the roots as you can, get them back into the ground as soon as you can, water them ALOT during the first month or two after transplant and give them some phosphorous rich fertilizer to help them regrow their leaves. This article will help if you run into transplant shock:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/learn-how-to-avoid-and-repair-transplant-shock-in-plants.htm

As for the roots, I actually would suspect that it may be an old tree stump. Some tree stumps can persist for years and years after the tree is cut. They will put out numerous suckers and get just enough energy from these suckers to continue to live.