Things You'll Need:
- Lily of the Valley bulbs or plants already in the ground
- Shovel or trowel
- Basket or bucket
- Optional: Gardening gloves, knee pads or towel to kneel on
-
Step 1
Hardiness ZonesLily of the Valleys grow best in zones 2 to 8, though they sometimes struggle in zone 8. The areas they aren’t likely to do well in (1 and 9 to 11) and either the coldest (Alaska) or the hottest (areas of Texas and Florida).
-
Step 2
These plants like temperate conditions rather than extremes. They grow best under shade, but in an area where there is also some sun. Think of them as ‘woodsy’ plants: areas under larger plants such as rhododendrons often work well. Find a spot with soil that stays mildly damp, either naturally or by watering.
-
Step 3
If you like, put on your gardening gloves and knee pads, or put an old towel on the ground. First lightly water both the area where they are now and the new location. Dig all the way around the plants you want to move. You can either kneel and use a garden spade or use a shovel with a straight edge. It will take a little pressure because you’ll need to slice through the rhizomes in order to separate them.
-
Step 4
Along with digging around the group, slice through the roots between plants. Put them in a bucket or basket.
-
Step 5
Dig holes in the new location, at least 10 inches apart, and at least twice as deep as each clump is wide. If you are putting several plants in one area, it is easiest to dig a large trench and then fill in the dirt around each one.
-
Step 6
Place each clump in the ground. A group of two plants is okay to keep together, but if you keep more than that together, you’ll have to divide them again before long. Cover the plants with the dirt you just dug up, putting in 1/2 cup at a time and pressing down to make sure there are no air bubbles.
-
Step 7
Lightly water your plants to give them a good start in their new home. If you have dirt left over use it to fill the area where the plants were.
