If you’re like me you either forgot to look or totally disregarded the expert advice in all the garden books when it came time to plant your latest floral treasure and it wound up getting so big it blocked the sunshine your favorite peony or some other fancy plant needed to bloom. Or, it hung over the planter bed so far everybody who walked past it on the patio got slapped in the face. Or maybe the blooms clashed horribly with the plant next to it. Arrrrgh! Well, now is the perfect time to correct those mistakes. Yes, you will get muddy, very muddy—your boots will become something akin to Frankenstein’s footwear, so put on appropriate clothing and make sure you use the bathroom before heading out to the garden so you don’t wind up tracking all that mud inside when your bladder pulls that nasty little hypothermic diuresis trick.

Now then, hopefully you took note of where there were holes in your garden that the offender could live without causing any more problems. If not, don’t fret too much, because you can probably still tell as there aren’t many of us who have already cleared away all the leaves and debris our perennials and deciduous plants have left behind… hey, it’s been too wet and cold to play in the garden!

Actually, before you start, or at least along the way, since none of us ever have just ONE plant we want to move, be sure to plot out your domino pattern of attack. You know what I mean… as soon as you move one plant you’re going to see another that just has to either move along with that one or at least into the space it vacated. And, when the second one moves it will trigger the desire to move another… and so on. Sometimes the only way to deal with this is to dig them all up and shuffle them around before replanting each… just like rearranging the furniture in the family room. Of course, if you’re lucky enough to have your significant other agree to do the moving, they will no doubt wind up stomping off in frustration after about the third move, so have a wheelbarrow waiting in the wings—preferably one without a flat tire that would promptly get bogged down in the mud.

Now grab that shovel and go at it. The plants are dormant, or very close to it, so they won’t be super stressed at being dug up pretty much bare root. Just be sure you don’t chop off all their roots in the process, as that is where they have stored what they need to get through the long, cold Winter. If you do inadvertently cut into a root badly, remove it above the slash in order to prevent it from rotting and sickening the plant or tree. And, remember one crucial thing, large roots are for stability, it’s the small, hair-like ones that the plant feeds on, so be sure you don’t tear all the little ones off. BTW, there are some plants it is just NOT possible to relocate, specifically Daphne and Japanese maples… no matter how often I’ve tried, these just up and croak every single time. So be sure to always plant them where you want to enjoy them for the duration.

Have FUN! And, stay warm… try lighting the fire pit, it’s not just for romance you know, it really is a good idea on cold or wet days.