This is some variety of beardtongue / penstemon, prairie native, new this year, and I totally underestimated how tall it would grow — it’s almost 4 feet, I think, and completely blocks my bench. Oops. Will move it. I was talking to a neighbor earlier today, as I moved an iris, and she said she didn’t realize you could just move things this time of year.
So thought it was worth noting that I move things all the time, to create better effects, or to put them in a happier spot for them. But moving is traumatic, so you have to be prepared to baby them for a little while afterwards, which mostly means lots of water. Saturating the ground before the move helps, so the roots soak up lots of water (which also makes it easier to dig), and digging a nice wide hole, so you grab a bunch of dirt around the roots, disturbing them as little as possible in the move. And of course, if you’re going to be moving things in summer, best to do it in the coolest part of the day, early morning or evening, and on an overcast day if possible.
But I really do move things all the time, and mostly they survive it. I accept a certain (fairly small) percentage of loss as a result. f I didn’t risk it, I’d never be able to remember where things were or why I wanted to move them; I need to see them in bloom, because my note-taking just isn’t that good. If I were more organized…
