Getting my flower beds ready for winter.

[flippinout]

Today, I started splitting my daylilies and moving them. I also split my hostases and my irises. Some of these will be moved to the other flower bed in the back yard and some will be given to friends and family.

I had one small peony plant that I dug up and took to my daughter in law with some day lilies, and a big hostea plant that she can split up into several plants for her flower beds etc.

Dont be afraid to get out there and do this, it is something that needs done yearly and is actually very easy to do.

You will need a sharp knife, a spade shovel (shovel with a pointy end), a couple jugs of water, some gardening gloves and containers for the plants that go to friends and family.

When digging up irises, place the tip of the shovel carefully in a place within the plant that looks slightly separated from the main body of the plant. You dont have to dig very deep with this plant as the "bulbs" are right below the soils surface.

Remove however much of each plant that you want to transfer to another section of your yard, replant it to a depth of about 4 to 5 inches, water well and next spring they will raring to go. At this point, do not trim down the tops of the plants for winter, you need to wait at least 3 weeks or a little longer to do this.

Day lilies are moved in basically the same way, and most times each section you remove, can be separated into a couple of separate plants. They may look sparce, but not to worry, they will start spreading out again next spring. Just be sure to water well when transplanting.

Hostases can be completely dug up, separated and then replant one part where you dug it from and move the other part to wherever you want it. Again, water well.

Now is the time also when we will be planting the weeping willow tree starts that were started last month.

Next week, I will be working on my house plants that are outside, getting them ready to bring indoors.

This is when I will take more cuttings to start new plants with, and by doing this now, they will have rested and recooperated before bring them indoors for the winter.