So we planted these things. I am not sure what they are called. The 3 big globe like shrubs are what I am referring to.


They are doing quite well and are getting bigger than we thought they would and are encroaching a bit much on the front walk.
We have a nice spot over in another bed with a bit more room. Will there be any issue transplanting these when the weather cools a bit?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Black92LX,

That's a funny word- shrubbery. Say it a bunch of times really quickly- shrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubbery.

My shrubbery is rubbery!

Sorry. Carry on.

Probably not an issue to move them. Try grabbing them close to the roots and give a steady, even pull and see if they'll come out of the ground with the entire root ball. You should also be able to trim them with a hedge trimmer, if you want to leave them there.

Tie a rope around the base and use a board about 2" by 2' board placed at about a 45 degree angle towards the bush. Use your vehicle to pull it out. The board will provide leverage in the vertical direction.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Probably not an issue to move them. Try grabbing them close to the roots and give a steady, even pull and see if they'll come out of the ground with the entire root ball.

NO NO NO. Don’t pull by hand if you want to save them. Dig around and under with a shovel, creating a root ball, then transplant them. When you move them try to support the root ball.

It will be far easier and better for the plant if you wait til dormant. Also trim them way back. Give them some water occasionally during winter. Dont give them any fertilizer until Spring and they are growing out of dormancy.


Also try to keep your shovel sharp, use a file to keen up the edge.
.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Probably not an issue to move them. Try grabbing them close to the roots and give a steady, even pull and see if they'll come out of the ground with the entire root ball.

NO NO NO. Don’t pull by hand if you want to save them. Dig around and under with a shovel, then transplant them. When you move them try to support the root ball..

Goodness no, don't try yanking them out! They are not dandelion weeds. You want all the roots possible to go with the transplanted shrub.

If they are boxwood (which they kinda-sorta look like) then be aware there are a couple different kinds of boxwoods. Some are small and stay small, and others want to grow fast and large - those types are often used where someone will trim them frequently (if not obesssively) into specific shapes (like globes) or get them to merge into one solid-looking group with their neighbor boxwoods.

I guess what I'm saying is that you will be able to figure out a better place to put them, where they will have enough space that you won't be doing this again, if you find out what you're dealing with. Armed with an ID, you can find out their growth habits and give them their final spot.

Any chance you could cut off a small twig, and take that with a cell-phone photo to a nearby garden center to get a positive ID?

quote:

NO NO NO. Don’t pull by hand if you want to save them. Dig around and under with a shovel, creating a root ball, then transplant them. When you move them try to support the root ball.

It will be far easier and better for the plant if you wait til dormant. Also trim them way back. Give them some water occasionally during winter. Dont give them any fertilizer until Spring and they are growing out of dormancy.


Also try to keep your shovel sharp, use a file to keen up the edge.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THis It appears to be a green velvet boxwood shrub.

H&K-Guy

You can cut then back to their proper size for the space.
They'll be bare for a month but they'll come back great.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Probably not an issue to move them. Try grabbing them close to the roots and give a steady, even pull and see if they'll come out of the ground with the entire root ball.

NO NO NO. Don’t pull by hand if you want to save them. Dig around and under with a shovel, creating a root ball, then transplant them. When you move them try to support the root ball.

It will be far easier and better for the plant if you wait til dormant. Also trim them way back. Give them some water occasionally during winter. Dont give them any fertilizer until Spring and they are growing out of dormancy.


Also try to keep your shovel sharp, use a file to keen up the edge.
.

OP, if you want to relocate them, follow Gene's advice. The other advice is so wrong it, almost, be considered a lie (unless you want to kill them and not replace them)

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Probably not an issue to move them. Try grabbing them close to the roots and give a steady, even pull and see if they'll come out of the ground with the entire root ball.

NO NO NO. Don’t pull by hand if you want to save them. Dig around and under with a shovel, then transplant them. When you move them try to support the root ball..

Goodness no, don't try yanking them out! They are not dandelion weeds. You want all the roots possible to go with the transplanted shrub.

If they are boxwood (which they kinda-sorta look like) then be aware there are a couple different kinds of boxwoods. Some are small and stay small, and others want to grow fast and large - those types are often used where someone will trim them frequently (if not obesssively) into specific shapes (like globes) or get them to merge into one solid-looking group with their neighbor boxwoods.

I guess what I'm saying is that you will be able to figure out a better place to put them, where they will have enough space that you won't be doing this again, if you find out what you're dealing with. Armed with an ID, you can find out their growth habits and give them their final spot.

Any chance you could cut off a small twig, and take that with a cell-phone photo to a nearby garden center to get a positive ID?

About a 100 years ago, in another lifetime, I was in the business...and these comments are absolutely %100 correct. Do NOT yank these plants up by the branches.

Your picture and description doesn't provide enough detail of the leaves or branch structure, and improperly pruned shrubs can give plants shapes that aren't conducive to shrub ID. It would be helpful to see detailed pictures of the leaves and branch structure, as well as whether the shrub is an evergreen or deciduous, or semi-evergreen, and whether it is flowering or not, and if it is flowering whether it flowers in the Spring, Summer, or Fall.

Whatever shrub type it is, they appear from a distance to be healthy and thriving in their current locations. Until you know what type plant they are you will at least want to make sure that they are placed into a suitable location in your landscape that duplicates those conditions.

Regarding transplant, it really comes down to how important these plants are to you and how much money and time you want to save. Those shrubs have a value, I'd guess you have at least $150-$200 in shrubs alone...and if you paid someone to properly transplant them you could probably more than double that number.

To do the job right and give the shrubs the best chance for surviving the transplant would require root pruning the shrub weeks/ months before you actually attempt to transplant it. You would want to use, not a shovel, but a square or flat-headed spade. It is best to to use thin rope (we used thistle twine) and careefully tie/compress the branches in the direction they sweep which is usually upwards. You're not trying to use enough force to break the branches, only to get them out of the way for the spading part of the operation. Having the branches out of the way exposes the drip line of the root system.

Carefully spade around the entire drip line circumference, at a slight inward angle, as if you were trying to roughly create a ball shape. Do NOT use the spade as a lever to lever the plant out or upwards, only use it to cut the roots along the sides of the root ball. At this time you will not be able to spade the roots at the bottom of the root ball, so don't try. The purpose of root pruning is not just to cut the roots, but roots that are correctly cut tend to produce yet more roots at the source of the cut, thus providing a more extensive and dense root network, which in turn will give the shrub the best chance of surviving the transplant.

Ideally you should start root pruning weeks. to a couple months before actually attempting the physical transplant. The actual time of year that the transplant takes place should be timed around what type of shrub it is and when it flowers...but as a general rule, you want to wait until the cooler months when the plant is about to go dormant and Fall is generally a good time to attempt the transplant.

On the day you actually decide to perform the transplant, after root pruning (it's even better to root prune a couple times), root prune a final time and then carefully remove soil outwards from the root pruned drip line, thus exposing the sides of the root ball. Once enough soil as been removed from the sides of the root ball, you can then use your spade to start to cut the final roots along the bottom of the root ball. Note that where ever you decide to move the shrub to it is best to have the hole pre-dug.

Depending on how good a job you did cutting the root ball, what kind of soil you have, and how much moisture there is in the soil, you may be able to leave the root ball exposed. If you plan on not planting the shrub the same day or if you have to move the shrub a great distance, or if you notice that the soil is very dry or very wet and the root ball doesn't want to stay together but instead starts to crumble or fall away, then you will need to "bag" the root ball in burlap. Note that while synthetic burlap is used it can strangle a shrub's root system in time and so natural burlap is best. There is a process for "bagging" a root ball but unless you have the proper materials and know how it is too difficult to explain with words alone.

A wheel barrow is a great tool if you are moving the shrub more than a few feet...or you can try using a tarp or burlap as a sling to carry it. Another option is to place the shrub on the tarp or burlap and drag it carefully to its new hole.

Please know that transplanted plants with healthy root balls can be heavy and awkward to carry, so don't risk injuring your back. Get some help carrying the shrub and when you set it down set it down gently.

After you've finished the transplant procedure be sure to water the shrub well (don't drown it) and use a fertilizer that promotes root growth. Be sure and cut the rope or twine loose after it has been transplanted. Depending on the type of shrub and the time of year this may be a good time for you to properly prune the branches as well.

One of the many mistakes made in landscape design is that the wrong plant is used in the wrong location...or that a plant is used that fits a location, with no thought give to the fact that the plant is going to grow and will reach a point where it will no longer fit the space allotted. A good landscape designer will not only make proper choices for plants at the time the design is installed, but will consider what the plants will look like when they grow to maturity.

Best Guess as to the shrub ID from the current picture is that they may be Globe Arborvitae.

^^^^^^^^. Excellent detailed answer. I just gave the short version.

I grew up in my family owned greenhouse and nursery business.

That’s an excellent shrub, it’s just in the wrong spot.

Very nice looking area, OP.

Eight posts ! ! !
It took us EIGHT posts to get to
" The Knights Who Say 'Ni' " ? ? ?

That's the first thing I thought of.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
That's a funny word- shrubbery. Say it a bunch of times really quickly- shrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubberyshrubbery.

My shrubbery is rubbery!

Sorry. Carry on.

There are many professionals in the business...some had college degrees, some had various recognized certifications, some without either but had been properly trained and had years of experience, and the prices they charged reflected their knowledge and experience...

...and then there were, what we called, the "bush hogs". These were companies, usually small, and while they were often nice enough and sometimes hard working, had just enough knowledge about landscaping and horticulture to be dangerous. If they qualified we would sell them landscape material at a "wholesale" discount, and then they would resell the materials and their labor to their customers at a higher price...often using the knowledge we had just given them. Often they gave bad advice and even when they simply relayed the advice that we gave them at the time they bought their landscape materials from us, they typically didn't have any business insurance and were not bonded in any way...and thus they could undercut our prices.

This may come across as elitist, but we quickly sized up these fly-by-night "bush hogs" by their knowledge and what terminology they used.

If they came in asking for "shrubs" then we might be dealing with a professional with a modicum of knowledge...a fellow professional landscaper or horticulturist. If, on the other hand, they arrived at one of our garden centers wanting to buy some "bushes"...well, that was a clue as to what type of "professional" we were dealing with as well.

I've got a good friend who, to this day 30+ years later, likes to jokingly remind me of how I once corrected him when he asked me for some advice regarding his "bushes".

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Probably not an issue to move them. Try grabbing them close to the roots and give a steady, even pull and see if they'll come out of the ground with the entire root ball. You should also be able to trim them with a hedge trimmer, if you want to leave them there.

Hey uh, Jimmy?

Why would you tell someone to do this?

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

Hey uh, Jimmy?

Why would you tell someone to do this?

I think this thread is about to get really interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Probably not an issue to move them. Try grabbing them close to the roots and give a steady, even pull and see if they'll come out of the ground with the entire root ball. You should also be able to trim them with a hedge trimmer, if you want to leave them there.

Hey uh, Jimmy?

Why would you tell someone to do this?

I've watched my landscaper do this several times with hedge type bushes on relatively newly planted landscaping, hedge bushes that were planted within the last 6 months. I've also seen another landscaper from a professional company do it as well. Maybe with certain types of hedge bushes it's not a problem? I figured that was normal, as I've seen it done several times with no ill effects. I don't know.

Looking again at your pic, the shrubs under your windows need some trimming back. You may not need to move those green boxwood type round shrubs, you could possibly trim them back. I do not know which Zone you are in, so I would be careful about timing.

I took several landscaping courses through Adult Education when I moved to the Deep South,as the lawngrasses were different as well as the shrubs. Your local nursery is usually a good place for advice as well as the County Extension Agent. There are people running companies with Horticulture degrees and then there are the others.

8 posts? You-all are slipping. Neap post should have been in first couple.

Dig don't pull as has already been covered.