How to Transplant Gaillardia

Prepare the area of the garden where you want to place your transplants. Use the hoe or garden cultivator to loosen the soil. Gaillardia do best in beds that receive at least six hours of sun each day. These plants aren't particular about soil pH, fertility or type. Unless your soil is in extremely poor condition, you won't need to work in amendments to the area.

Dig out your gaillardia using the shovel. Position the shovel so it is at the edge of the plant mound and push the shovel in with your foot. For plants that have spread over a large area, you will need to do this around the plant to loosen the roots.

Use the shovel to lift the plant from the ground once the gaillardia's roots have been loosened. Large mounds should be removed in sections to make them easier to lift out. If the clumps are heavy, get a friend to assist you with this to avoid straining yourself.

Pull apart 6- to 12-inch-wide clumps of your gaillardia by hand. These are the pieces you will transplant. As you do this, remove the old growth from the center of the clump. The younger growth is at the outer portions of the mound. Removing the old growth will improve the appearance of your gailliardia.

Replant the new growth into the original bed it came from and water the area well. Dig holes in the new area for your transplants. The holes should be 2 inches wider and 1 inch deeper than the root clump of your transplants. Space the holes 12 inches apart.

Place one transplant in each hole. Keeping the plant straight, fill in the hole with soil. When you have finished planting all your transplants, water the area well and mulch it with a 1-inch layer of compost or other mulching material.

Keep your divisions and transplants moist, but not wet for the first week after you move them. In the following week, water every other day. In the third week, water every three days. By this time your gaillardia will be established and you can reduce your watering to once a week.