Plants: You can split existing plants, dig out seedlings, start seeds in pots, or dig out any extra plants you might have in your garden.
Preparation: One secret to bringing great looking plants to sales is to dig them out of the ground gently and pot them up at least a week or two beforehand. Use clean pots and clean, good potting soil.
Prevent Shock: You need to water the area well before you remove the plant. Dig them out with lots of soil around the roots. Make sure no other roots are coming along for the ride.
Potting: Use a pot that’s an inch bigger than the roots in each direction. Put some soil in a pot, add the plant and put soil around the roots. Tap in gently, but not too firmly. Water well. You might need to add some soil after watering, so the plant is as deep as it was in the ground, not deeper. You can also wrap larger clumps in recycled plastic, like manure bags for example.
Label your plants with common and/or latin names if you know them. Any other notes like height/width, colour, exposure, damp or dry preferences would be appreciated.
Water, Shade, and Wait: Water and put in a shady spot to recover. After a couple of days, move into the sun for a few hours UNLESS the plant is a shade lover. Keep plants moist but not too wet. Remove any extra leaves and old flowers so the plant puts its energy into the roots.
No Invasives: Avoid aggressive or invasive plants. An invasive is a plant that’s too vigorous for your needs (will take over your garden and be difficult to get rid of!), or harmful. Examples include Goutweed (Aegopodium, Bishop’s Weed), Ribbon grass (Phalaris), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Daphne (Daphne laureola), several Euphorbia (Fernwool, Robbiae), creeping grasses, Himalayan blackberry (Rubus sp.), Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius).
