Planting perennials now?

Hi everyone,

A friend has given me some of these, there is a hardy geranium and a digitalis amongst them.

My question can I plant them now or should I wait? they are all in pots.

Thanks:wink:

 

I don't know what part of the the UK you are in. I am in Scotland so now would probably not plant them out but keep them in a cold glasshouse if they have only just been potted up and had the room to do so. However if they have establised in their pots then I would plant them out as they will have recovered from being moved already.The vaste majority of hardy geraniums are just that...very hardy and pretty easy to transplant. Afraid I spend quite a bit of time removing Digitalis from my garden but maybe yours are fancy ones.

 

Hi Stingo

As Silu says - you don't want to stress plants too much. But I would be inclined to plant them out now. Although the air temperatures are low the ground is still relatively warm which will help them to get established.

I am currently busy lifting tender plants and removing old annuals and biennials, as I have quite a large quantity of plants, including Digitalis, sitting in pots waiting to be planted out.

 

If they are big enough to go in the ground now, plant them out. I only keep very small perennials in pots over winter - those I have just bought online (or been sent ) or those I have raised from cuttings. All other hardy perennials go into the ground in Autumn. 99% of them make it.

 

No easy answer Stingo.
The choice is plant them, or work out how you are going to get them through the winter in pots. We are in November.
If your ground is still warm and frost free then plant them.
If cold, frosty and wet, then work out what you are going to do.
Digitalis is next door to a weed (a lovely weed) so it should be fine to plant out.
Hardy geraniums are very hardy. If they have been hardened off from where they were then plant them.
I think hardening off is the secret for everything.

 

Thank you everyone for your help x Typically today is very windy and raining so can't do it today anyway...

There is no easy answer I totally agree.