I'm in the midwestern U.S., zone 5, and some of my perennials are starting to push up from the soil already (even though they shouldn't be doing this yet, but then, when the zones were determined we didn't have global warming...) Anyway, I know that Fall is the time to move perennials, but I have two that I really, really want to move and I didn't get to it last fall. Is it too late if the green is coming up? One of the plants I want to move is a bee balm, the other is an aromatic aster. What do you think? Should I give it a shot or will I kill my plants? Thanks.

Hi Botanica~
I'm in zone 5 too - but it must be warmer where you are! You can move perennials in spring or fall. Deep rooted/early flowering plants like peonies should be moved in the fall as they are a spring bloomer and you might miss out on flowers for that year if you tried moving them in too close to bloom time. But the bee balm is fine to move spring or fall. Personally, I'd wait a bit. Once the ground is nice and soft and warms up a bit, you'll have real good luck transplanting. You just want to make sure the frost is completely out of the ground so that the soil can pack firmly around the roots of the plant in it's new spot. I usually do my transplanting around the middle to end of April, depending on the weather. I like the temps to get into the 50's before I move anything. You might even be able to do it sooner, but I'd play it safe and give it a few more weeks. Hope this helps!

I agree. You can move most perenials in spring as successfully as in fall. Bee balm you can move ANY time almost; it springs back even when moved in hottest July although I don't recommend that! Some late-summer/early fall flowering perennials actually do better divided or moved in the spring. I always wait till spring to move or divide asters, mums, & turtlehead, for example.