How Late is Too Late to Save a Perennial By Moving Before Winter
By Lisaman
Canada 
Unfortunately we have to do some renovations on our house that will take over two of my perennial gardens. I'm hoping I can save some of my plants, but I'm worried as it's so late in the season. I live in zone 3 northeastern (canada), and we've already had frosts and some snow.
The plants I'd like to save are hostas, delphiniums, yucca, peony, shasta daisies and lots of spring bulbs (daffodils mostly).
By now, most of the foliage is long gone. Should I dig up the rootballs and place them in my empty vegetable garden for the winter until I can get a new flower bed dug and prepared to place them in, or should I bring them indoors at this time and treat them more like canna lilies? Or perhaps I just need to give up and consider them lost at this time?
4 Nov, 2012
Answers
Totally agree with Bamboo. I used to live in T.O. and we often used to forget to lift certain plants (we are like that). If we lifted after the onset of winter we lost a few, but if we left them in the ground we would have lost the lot.
4 Nov, 2012
I agree with above. they would be lost anyway, so what have you got to lose? and with luck some will survive. on the bright side you can plan to grow something new.
5 Nov, 2012
Dig up the rootballs and transfer to your empty plot, so long as the ground isn't actually frozen. If you leave them where they are, you know they'll be lost - if you move them, you may find all, or some, come through. The daffodils may not survive the disturbance, but most of the perennials might. Best left outside and not indoors though.
4 Nov, 2012