Flowers Volunteer plants

[The Mountain]

Some here may recall that I took over a house belonging to my biological father last year. It had belonged to my paternal grandmother, and had sat empty for more than 10 years after she passed away. At some point, my father planted some bulbs to try to brighten the house up, but since he never did any yard work otherwise, the bulbs he put in were quickly submerged under a thick layer of brush and weeds.

Last summer, I cleared up the property, and put in grass. This spring, we discovered that quite a few of the bulbs were still alive. They had even spread a bit. So in addition to the obvious intentional plantings, there are a number of others coming up in odd places.

My question, then, is can I safely move these "volunteers" to somewhere other than the middle of the yard while they're growing?

As an aside, there's also a fairly large patch of something that looks a lot like chives. Any way to easily identify this other plant, and if useful move it? It's also growing out in the middle of the yard.

 

[summerthyme]

Some here may recall that I took over a house belonging to my biological father last year. It had belonged to my paternal grandmother, and had sat empty for more than 10 years after she passed away. At some point, my father planted some bulbs to try to brighten the house up, but since he never did any yard work otherwise, the bulbs he put in were quickly submerged under a thick layer of brush and weeds.

Last summer, I cleared up the property, and put in grass. This spring, we discovered that quite a few of the bulbs were still alive. They had even spread a bit. So in addition to the obvious intentional plantings, there are a number of others coming up in odd places.

My question, then, is can I safely move these "volunteers" to somewhere other than the middle of the yard while they're growing?

As an aside, there's also a fairly large patch of something that looks a lot like chives. Any way to easily identify this other plant, and if useful move it? It's also growing out in the middle of the yard.

If it's not an emergency, let them bloom (I'm assuming that's how you spotted them). Then give them at least a couple weeks to store energy, before digging them up, separating them and replanting. The best way is to let them die back first, but I've moved many clumps of daffodils full of green leaves successfully.

Summerthyme

 

[TerriHaute]

The plants that look like chives are likely wild onions. We get those growing up randomly in the middle of our lawn. They are edible but we normally just mow over them, which gives the yard an onion-y fragrance for awhile. Since the onions grow faster than grass, they poke up above the lawn and the dog thinks they are perfect for peeing on.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

The plants that look like chives are likely wild onions. We get those growing up randomly in the middle of our lawn. They are edible but we normally just mow over them, which gives the yard an onion-y fragrance for awhile. Since the onions grow faster than grass, they poke up above the lawn and the dog thinks they are perfect for peeing on.

LOL. We have a lot of wild onions, too. If they come up in my flowers, I let them grow, and use them like chives. Cary mows the rest.

 

[kyrsyan]

My yard does this due to squirrels. First, put a marker flag with each grouping. Then, ID them as they flower and look up the info on each. Then, transplant during the best recommended time. (Since this is typically after they die back, that's the reason for the marker flags.)

 

[summerthyme]

My yard does this due to squirrels. First, put a marker flag with each grouping. Then, ID them as they flower and look up the info on each. Then, transplant during the best recommended time. (Since this is typically after they die back, that's the reason for the marker flags.)

Yep, that's the best way. But they will survive if transplanted at a different stage...

Summerthyme

 

[packyderms_wife]

do the green things smell like onion or garlic when you break off a piece? If garlic then it's garlic chives, if onion, then onion chives or could be wild onions, walking onions, or wild leeks. Got a photo of said green things? Do they get a white or purple flower on them as they age out?

 

[The Mountain]

Thanks for the tips on the bulbs. I did some more research and the chive things appear to be onion grass. The bigger ones are all curly near the top. I'll dig some out one of these days and see what they look like below ground.

I also appear to be about to ruin several other things I bought. I have a grapevine that I put in a container because it had already started to grow in the shipping bundle, and even though the container has a separate reservoir with a drain, the vine seems to be dying of over watering. I just put it in the ground, so hopefully it will recover.

I also bought some creeping phlox which came in a bag of sawdust as bare root plants. I left them there for about a week and just today opened them and planted them. They smelled musty and seemed like they were dying, and again hopefully they will recover now that they are in the ground

 

[kyrsyan]

Thanks for the tips on the bulbs. I did some more research and the chive things appear to be onion grass. The bigger ones are all curly near the top. I'll dig some out one of these days and see what they look like below ground.

I also appear to be about to ruin several other things I bought. I have a grapevine that I put in a container because it had already started to grow in the shipping bundle, and even though the container has a separate reservoir with a drain, the vine seems to be dying of over watering. I just put it in the ground, so hopefully it will recover.

I also bought some creeping phlox which came in a bag of sawdust as bare root plants. I left them there for about a week and just today opened them and planted them. They smelled musty and seemed like they were dying, and again hopefully they will recover now that they are in the ground

I have absolutely no luck with bare root plants. Out of a batch of 40 strawberries, I got one living plant.

 

[summerthyme]

I have absolutely no luck with bare root plants. Out of a batch of 40 strawberries, I got one living plant.

Wow! Where did you buy them? I've planted thousands of bare root strawberry plants, with excellent results. If the package comes and I can't plant immediately, I stash them in the fridge (well, root cellar) until I can. But they definitely do better if planted immediately.

Summerthyme

 

[kyrsyan]

Wow! Where did you buy them? I've planted thousands of bare root strawberry plants, with excellent results. If the package comes and I can't plant immediately, I stash them in the fridge (well, root cellar) until I can. But they definitely do better if planted immediately.

Summerthyme

It doesn't matter where. This batch I got as soon as they got in the store. I've wanted pineberry for so long. It looked like about 20 of them were going to make it. Got them potted up, sunny window, heat mats. The whole 9 yards. After they got three leaves, I moved some of them to the front window. The rest stayed. It didn't matter. One made it. And that one is doing great.
Down here, I can wait until the end of planting season and get already growing strawberries on sale. Or wait until one of the local gardeners thins their beds and offers the plants for $1/each. But no one has pineberries. And buying them live in the stores, when you can find them, is $25/pot.