The autumn gardener’s guide to shrubs and trees
During the autumn, the soil is still holding some warmth from the summer and much more moisture as a result of increased rainfall during September and October. It makes this an ideal time to move any deciduous shrubs or trees that may have ended up in the wrong place in your garden.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but there is a technique that can be employed a few months before you want to move an established shrub or tree – for example, if you’re not quite ready to start that garden project yet but hope to start next year.
With a sharp spade, cut down around the shrub or tree to create as large a root-ball as possible in terms of practicalities and weight: the more soil and fine roots we can take with us, the better. When cutting down into the soil, you’re not looking to lift the shrub at all, but to cut some of the roots to encourage branching underground and the creation of finer roots, which will help the shrub establish in its new spot. By doing this a few times before lifting the shrub or tree, you’re giving it a fighting chance for a successful move.
If you need to move a shrub or tree now, however, that’s still very achievable. The best time to move deciduous shrubs and trees is when their leaves have fallen to the ground, as less stress is put upon the plant because it doesn’t have to sustain foliage while putting down new roots.
Start to root-ball your tree or shrub by using a sharp spade to cut down into the soil, and gently lift as you cut. Work your way around the shrub, cutting and lifting until you feel some movement. It may take a pair of loppers to cut some of the larger roots to be able to prise the tree or shrub out of the ground – and you may need a second pair of hands to transport it and the soil around its roots onto a piece of tarpaulin.
Lift the shrub to its new site and dig a hole that is large enough to accommodate the root-ball in depth and width: it’s worth erring on the deeper side, rather than going too shallow. Back-fill the hole, water well and continue to do so throughout November and December, and again in March.
Use a wooden stake to anchor the plant, as the roots will not be able to provide that function yet – and reduce the size of the shrub by one third to lessen the demand on those roots.
