Moving rudbeckia plants

[Gwen11ian]

I grew rudbeckia plants this year from seeds.. and had lots of wonderful blossoms that are still going strong. I'm moving house in January.. and want to take the established plants with me. How best to do this?

1. Dig them up this fall and put into pots? Keep them in pots till spring?
2. Dig them up when I move and bung them into the ground at the new house (assuming the ground isn't frozen)?

Any suggestions?

[Nicos]

Hmm..none of mine have ever grown in their 2nd year

...clearly I have no advice for you

[Scarlet]

What types are they? You can get perennial and biennial.
If they are the perennial type I would dig them up now and plant up in pots. Last autumn I bought some small rubeckias at the Malvern show. I transplanted into bigger pots and kept them in my porch all winter and planted out early spring - they had a head start and flowered well before my established ones that were already in the garden.

[Tam]

I have moved rudbeckias at most times of the year and found them to be
pretty tough. I always make sure I have a good rootball and I don't think they know they have been moved. This one (sturmgold) was one that was grown when I split up a massive plant into ten small plants and when this photograph was taken it had been in position for three years. It is time to split it again as this is a last year photo.

[Gwen11ian]

Thanks for the advice.

I had assumed it was a perennial (I thought all rudbeckia were).. but looking now at the seed packet it says half-hardy perennial, to be grown as an annual or biennial.

I think I'll still give them a try.. taking a large root ball sounds the best, I can just stack them up in some plastic bags to keep the moisture in.. and keep them somewhere they won't freeze.

Thanks!

[Scarlet]

It's well worth a try. I always have some biennials on the go and usually in their second year they give an even better show

[digthatchick]

This is my Rudbeckia Herbstonne, dug up and potted last Autumn and planted out this May.
(It is the tall one by the window the others are Helianthus.

[Gwen11ian]

When you dig them up do you chop back all the foliage? I was planning on letting the frost kill it all back, but obviously with a half-hardy that's probably not the best thing.

[Scarlet]

I'd be tempted to do it now and keep them undercover if possible.

[Tam]

I have one or two plants in the garden that are half-hardy perrenials -such as Chocolate Cosmos that I have kept growing for years. I give them a very heavy mulch, late autumn, and peg some netting over the mound to stop the blackbirds throwing it about. This has saved all the plants, even last year when the temperatures got down to North Pole levels. The Sturmgold Rudbeckia doesn't get any special tratment as it is as hardy as old boots.