Question
I am moving from NorthEast Texas to Southern Maine sometime over the next few months and I would like to take some of my plants with me; however, my timing couldn't be worse.  I have bearded Irises (which have already bloomed), daylillies (currently blooming), cone flowers (blooming), and gladeolas (blooming).  I will be moving into a rental home for a while which makes the situation even worse. Some of them will be able to have a temporary home in my mother's gardens; however, most of them will need to be stored or placed in pots until a more permanent situation can be found.  Any suggestions on the best way to make this move without completely destroying the plants or should I just give it up and start my new gardens from scratch after I purchase a new home?

Thanks!

Answer
Meghann,
 Wait as long as you can to take the plants from the ground, let them revive themselves as much as possible.  The iris can easily be dug up and put into a bag-keep them in a cool/dry place until you want to plant them, same with the gladiolas. Daylillies can be divided and put into large pots.  They can be put outdoors in nice temps but should be indoors in cool/dry place in winter if you're not ready to plant them.  They can be divided anytime and planted anytime.  If you want to cut the leaves down-about 6" is good. Go to this website to get more info on transplanting:  http://www.gardenopus.com/DayliliesAndPerenn.htm)
 The other perennials can be put in pots and wintered over-it can be tricky, they need some light.  Here is a website that will help you.
 http://www.perennialresource.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=articles.articleDetail&art...

Best of luck
Sijka