What to do with siberian squll?

[J. Clarke]

I was surprised a couple of days ago to see quite a lot of pretty blue flowers pop up right outside my side door (in the path of course). On investigation I found that they were Siberian Squill. Have no idea how they got there. The location is such that they are going to get trampled if I leave them there (so far I've managed to remember that they were there but I have ADHD and I know that I'm going to forget) and I'd like to keep them, just in another location, so I'm wondering if there's any way to proceed from here other than marking them and digging up the remains in the Fall. If marking them and moving them later is the only option, does anybody have any ideas how to mark their locations in such a way that the markers won't also get trampled?

[Bill]

I'd move them right now. Perhaps only half if this is faulty advice.

Bill who has red markers all over telling me to pay attention or do some thing. Some are two years old :)).

[paghat]

Round here the siberian squill bloomed many weeks ago and now the english bluebells are bursting forth. If what you've got really is siberian squill, they're not apt to transplant intact and will be pretty much done for for this year when you dig them up, presuming it's not possible in their present spot to remove them with so much soil they barely realize you moved them. Ideally their location will be marked and they'll be dug up in autumn; second best, dug up after the grass begins to die back; worse choice, transplant in spring while they're their most active above ground. But they're hardy-hardy little bulbs and will almost always bounce back for the following year even if moved in spring.

-paghat the ratgirl

[J. Clarke]

Do I dig up the individual plants and transplant them bare-root or do I take a posthole digger and try to move a whole clump of them to a different posthole in a single big plug? Note that they appear to be very small plants but I don't know what's underground. Seriously, I'm very new at this gardening thing.

[Bill]

You must learn by mistakes. Sometimes it works some times it don't. There is no manual.

Bill

[dr-solo]

I planted mine in the walk. surprisingly they dont die from being trampled. Ingrid

[Ann]

"J. Clarke" expounded:

Keep the rootball together. Dig a hole first, then take a good shovelfull all around the clump and try to replant it in the new hole with as little root disturbance as possible. If you get enough earth around them they won't even blink! They're tough little buggers, they'll be fine.

[Steve]

The post hole digger is a novel idea and I bet it would work just fine. If you could manage to wait until the leaves are starting to yellow, that would be even better since they are going dormant then anyway. One clump should do it. They will spread if they like the new place. I planted a few years ago and now have a crowded mass. I noticed mine just breaking the surface today. There was snow still on them a few days ago but the glaciers are starting to retreat at last.

Steve