Ooops, meant to post this in the perennials forum - but would welcome any comments from this forum as well.

Easy to transplant (?). . . I guess it's relative. The plants didn't have any issues when I dug them up in the fall, put them in large containers, and then replanted in the spring, though I don't remember how late in the spring. (This was made necessary by construction.) However, the actual digging and moving was NOT easy! The below-ground part of the plants was huge and heavy with roots that seemed to stretch for several feet. I ended up with hunks that probably weighed 40 or 50 pounds. Looking at the above ground plant I was shocked, and relatively, the size of the entire cimicifuga was quite large compared to the size of plants that looked about the same size above ground.

I did dig up a few seedlings this weekend, so it's too soon to tell how they will adjust, but I imagine they will be fine based on how easily the last batch adjusted.

I found that Actaea racemosa (early blooming) transplants much easier than A. simplex (Atropurpurea Group) in terms of settling and blooming, but as NHbabs said, to wrestle mature A. racemosa is not an easy task while A. simplex stays true to the name- simple :-)

Uh oh. I was just eyeing a cimicifuga (a. racemosa) this afternoon that I think needs to be moved. I didn't think it was that big a job.

I was going to wait till after it blooms. Now I wonder if it would be easier to move everything else that's around it, lol, and leave the cimicifuga where it is!

:)
Dee

Thanks for the replies! Yikes, nhbabs 40-50 pounds. Sounds like these are a beast too. I just battled a massive spotted joe pye weed (Eupatoriadelphus maculatus) that grew to 10 feet tall last year and it had to move. The crown is so woody, they are as bad as Miscanthus, maybe worse. Sigh.

I did some search on GW and one poster who has about 50 of them on his property said you can move them at any time except for hot and sunny days. We are forecast to get some clouds and rain, so I will keep them well watered and tackle them then.

one good thing is that if it has a beefy root system, that should help it to re-establish well.

Agree on Joe Pye moving. awful awful job. Now I contain mine by shoveling out the edges in fall or spring cleanup. So far so good. I never want to move it again. I suppose in time the woody center will be all that's left.

On cimicifuga, here's an excerpt from Well-Tended Perennial Garden:

Division is difficult due to the thonglike roots, but it is rarely needed as clumps can remain undisturbed forever. If desired, divide carefully in the fall.

hmmm...thonglike???

hmmmm,this is interesting. I was taught long ago not to try moving them unless it was early and they were little, and that has also been my experience w/ them. Their stems break when you look at them and i think i'm remembering that those stems don't flower later in the season. how tall are yours? Do update this thread and let us know how they did.
best,
mindy

I have moved 2-yr old cimifuga (actaea) racemosa during the summer in the past, it always sets them back a good year or two but in moist soil it has always come back with a vengeance! Love that plant :-)

dug mine up and put it in a pot till a new spot is found. Still looking good.
marie