Is it ok to dig out daylilys and transplant them now? How should I do it?

Question

I asked a question on here, and a couple people said it would be fine if you dig them up and transplant them now instead of fall. I have some questions:
1: Is it ok if I dig them up now?
2: Do they need full sun? Or can partial shade be ok too?
3:When transplanting, do I cut off the flowers and the stem, or should I jjust leave it on and transplant them with it?
Oh, and I live in Ontario, Zone 5, and I'm getting about 100-150 bulbs out of a 1000 bulb field. Thanks in advance.

Here is a picture of the lilies, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemerocallis_fulva . They are naturalized in my area.

Answer 1

It's best to plant in the fall, but they can be transplanted in bloom. Just make sure you've watered them well days before so that the root ball stays intact. Have the hole ready before digging up the plant, & transplant to the planting hole & water it well immediately. Add a composted mulch around the plant. It would be great if you could plant them on a shady day, just before it rains, or in the cool of the evening.

They bloom better in full sun, but some shade is OK. You don't have to cut the flower off until after the flower is finished blooming. I cut the stems off when they dry up.

If you wait til fall, you don't have to take the precautions to water ahead in order to keep the root & soil intact. You can take all the soil off & plant like a "bare-root" plant.

Daylilies are tougher than most plants. They'll flower the next year if you care for them properly when you transplant them...giving them a well-drained composted soil with proper nutrients, sufficient water, & enough sun.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Daylilies are GORGEOUS!!

I'm in Zone 5 also and have a garden with a wide variety of daylilies ... http://www.gardening-quick-n-easy.com/daylily_perennial_flower_pictures.html

Most of mine are and/or have been purchased and planted with great succes during mid-July. Yes ... dig them now.

I've found that they will do best in full sun. The clumps that sit up against my house and in partial shade are comparatively smaller than the clumps I plant in full sun areas. Also, at the daylily farm where I purchase most of my plants, Dutchmill Gardens (http://www.gardeneureka.com/DUTCH/), most of the area is in full sun.

When transplanting, leave all the green on the plant. Pinch off the dead flowers and leave everything else. Be sure to give them plenty of water for the first couple of weeks to help the roots get readjusted. After that they pretty much take care of themselves. Once the flowers die off in the fall, you can pull out the hardened stems (they should pull out easily when ready) or you can wait til early next spring to do that also.

*~ Good luck 'n ENJOY ~*

Answer 3

How beautiful! I have this daylily also; mine originally belonged to my great-grandmother and the originals are over 60 years old. I am envious you have such a great source of daylilies!

I live in Zone 7, with low temperatures of 5-10 F and high temperatures of 100-105 F. I have dug daylilies up in the spring, summer, and fall and have transplanted them with no, little, or full foilage without harming them. I simply put a big handful of rotted cow manure in each planting hole and water well for a week. Daylilies are tough, hardy, and adaptable.

Daylilies do well in every situation except full shade. Full sun, partial sun; they do like 3-5 hours of full sun daily in order to stimulate them to bloom.

Answer 4

Daylilies are pretty hardy,so its ok to transplant now( usually done in Sept tho). I have some in sun and a few in partial shade, and both do fine! I left everything on mine when I transplanted? They did fine. Dig your hole as big as the greens hang over, so as not to damage the root system, and plant immediately after digging them up.

Answer 5

Man When I moved in to this place a few years back there were daylilys everywhere. I dug them up all through the summer and dump them in just in the edge of the woods at the back of the lot. most of them are still growing. I did nothing I didn't want them to survive and they did. For the most part they are in the shade. Transplanting to a full sun location is never a good Idea in the summer. Daylilys are weeds to me. they grow everywhere why worry (western PA)

Answer 6

Lilies are like weeds. You can't kill them if you try. And I've tried from time to time when they get away from us.

We live in SD zone 4, tending more toward zone 3. Your milder winters won't be any problem for a transplanted lily.

Don't worry about blooms. Water the heck out of them after you transplant them, and before, too if it's possible.

Lilies prefer full sun, but I have several varieties that get about four hours of sun a day and they have been thriving for years.

Answer 7

Nice Tiger Lilly. They are almost impossible to get rid of, invasive in a beautiful way.

Very resillient when transplanting, do it now if you want. Flowers on or off is immaterial.

Be sure and give them a good drink of Root Stimulator (Fertilome makes a good product) or MiracleGro when you plant them.

They prefer full sun to part shade.

Have fun

Answer 8

wait a month or so..

they need full sun, although I have some that are doing OK in partial sun, but they have good light.. not shady

don't transplant when in bloom.

Answer 9

Below is a link that should answer all your questions. You can transplant them now, but they might not bloom as well next spring.

Answer 10

From a pro in your area! Check out the link!