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Bearded Irises, Purple Cone Flowers and Trumpet Vines

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by gheerstrumpetvines on August 10, 2006 05:57 AM
Okay...I know that there are three separate topics here, but they are all growing in the same place in the ditch just off my yard, as if someone cleared them out of the yard and just threw them there, thinking they were destroyed. I want to move them back into the yard, but I'm not sure how or when to do it. I believe I can plant the seeds from the cone flowers, but will I get blooms the first year with them? As for the Irises, my book said to lift and divide them in the spring. I did that with a few of them, but they didn't grow to be more than 4 or 5 inches tall. The trumpet vines...can I transplant them? or do I need to use the seed pods.

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Connie
by alankhart on August 10, 2006 07:49 AM
You should wait until fall before you move them. The soil is still warm but the air is cooler and this gives them a better chance of survival. If you start the coneflower seeds indoors in January they may bloom the first year, but you should be able to move the plant itself...they are easy to transplant. I was always told it is best to divide Irises right after they've bloomed, but I've done it in the fall with no problems. As for the trumpet vine, it can be transplanted as well, just be aware they are extremely invasive and can take over a large area quickly.

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by LandOfOz on August 11, 2006 10:49 AM
I just got off the phone with my local nursery whom I was harrassing with about 20 questions about transplanting and dividing my bulbs (irises, lilies, daffodils, dahlias, and some tulips). They said that it would probably be best to wait to do any moving of the bulbs until the weather has cooled. For here (zone 5b) she said Sept or Oct would be fine, just do it before the ground freezes. You can either wrap them in newspaper and set in a cool, dry place until spring or you could plant them wherever you want them. And as far as trumpet vines go, I've been transplanting smaller plants from my neighbors all year long and they wilt but seem to recover just fine--and that is with 100+ degree temps!! I keep them protected from direct sunlight (for a few days), water often, and occassionally add a little fish emulsion.

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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
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by gheerstrumpetvines on August 17, 2006 09:03 AM
Thank you very much for your advice! Since there are only 2 cone flowers, I am going to go with the seeds...they add a nice contrast in color to the ditch. The trumpet vines would take over my whole yard if the mower didn't make short work of the upstarts, so I'm going to be very careful where I put them.

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Connie

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