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Step 1
Choose your timing carefully. If you didn't transplant your perennials in the spring, it's best to find out when your first frost will likely happen and plan to transplant about 6 weeks before that date. By waiting until the fall, the perennials will be approaching dormancy and the roots can grow throughout the winter.
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Step 2
Prepare the new site. Before you do anything to your perennials, select a new spot and test the soil. Check each perennial's preferred pH level for soil and then check the soil where it will be transplanted to. You can then make the necessary adjustments.
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Step 3
Make your cut. Before you transplant a perennial, you need to cut the current foliage. Using grass shears, cut the plant down to one inch above the base or soil level.
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Step 4
Start digging. Either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, use your shovel to dig around the perennial a 3-inch perimeter from its base and into the soil about 6 inches. Be careful when lifting the plant out of the ground so that you don't cut off its roots. Place the perennial on the ground on its roots with the stems up.
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Step 5
Divide the perennial. If you're transplanting because the plant has grown so large, this is when you divide the perennial. Put the perennial on its side and, using a spade or knife, separate it into as many new plants as you need.
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Step 6
Replant either the one perennial or all of your new plants. Whether you divided it or not, you need to replant as soon as possible once the perennial is out of the ground. Make a hole larger than your root ball and place the perennial inside, gently patting the soil into the hole and around the stems.
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Step 7
Keep your transplants watered well. For every day rain isn't predicted, water the new location to saturation for two weeks. This step assists the roots and the soil to settle with each other, making it easier for the plant to become ensconced in its new location.
