Can Daylilies Be Moved in January?

Daylilies are grown for their abundant blooms, which appear from late spring until early fall. Daylilies self-propagate and multiply, sometimes to the point where a garden can become overcrowded. If you want to move your daylilies, January is usually not the ideal time to transplant them, but you can successfully move them at this time in some circumstances.

Ideal Time

• Ideally, daylilies should be moved in late winter or early spring before they start to pop out of the ground. Another possible time to transplant daylilies is after they’re finished blooming, usually in the summer or early fall.

In the Winter

• If you want to move them in January or in another winter month, you can do it as long as the ground is workable — not frozen. In fact, in warmer climates, it is common to move daylilies in the winter. In cooler climates, though, you do run some risk of losing your daylilies if you move them during the winter, but if you transplant and care for them properly afterward, the likelihood of a successful move increases.

How to Transplant

• Prepare the new space, which should be located in full sun, before you remove your daylilies from their current location. Loosen the new bed about 6 inches deep and incorporate a couple inches of decomposed compost into the soil. Plant daylilies so their crowns are only 1 inch below the soil, spacing them about 18 to 24 inches apart.

Care Tips

• If you transplant your daylilies in January, water them in with 1 inch of water. Then, apply about 3 inches of mulch to help them stay cozy during the rest of the winter. You should also add mulch around any daylilies you transplanted in the fall as well. In the spring, feed your daylilies with a balanced fertilizer, such as one labeled 10-10-10, following the rate of application listed on the label. Water in the fertilizer afterward with an inch of water.