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Moving established shrubs

BRISTOL86BRISTOL86 Posts: 78
in Plants
Hello all

We are in the process of moving home, and having spent a small fortune and lots of labour tidying up our gardens, the thought of leaving behind everything saddens me, especially as there’s a lovely sunny area at the new place begging for a big shrub border!

Is it possible/wise to move shrubs that are well established? Most of what I planted is about 18 months old and has grown quite quickly. 

Things I’d like to move if practical:

Aucuba Japonica
Choisya Sundance
Nandina Domestica
Euonymous

And maybe a couple of other bits but those are the biggest / most established. 

Thanks!
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Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    First thing is you must tell prospective buyers / landlord of your plans to move shrubs. 
    The good news is , that if they've only been in the ground for 18 months, it should be possible to move them safely
    Devon.
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  • BRISTOL86BRISTOL86 Posts: 78
    Hostafan1 said:
    First thing is you must tell prospective buyers / landlord of your plans to move shrubs. 
    The good news is , that if they've only been in the ground for 18 months, it should be possible to move them safely
    We’ve only just marketed the house so by the time any sale has been agreed they’ll already be in pots. What I want to move probably represents about 5% of the total planted matter so can’t see it being a big issue but I’ll mention it to the estate agent. 
  • BRISTOL86BRISTOL86 Posts: 78
    Freddies Dad said:
    Aucuba japonica will resent being moved and I would advise leaving it. Choisya is easily and cheaply available so I would leave that also.

    I took all my Nandina with me when I moved: no issue at all. Euonymus will transplant well so if you really want that then dig up and pot up before going. If you have removal men they will only take plants in pots. I put some plants in black bags and they refused to take those (had to put in car).
    Thanks for that. A shame re the aucuba, they’ve grown beautifully and are 3x the size they were when they went in, but new ones will grow quite quickly in their new home I’m sure. The Choisya has also spread beautifully so I’d be really keen to take that as one of that size would be fairly expensive and would look lovely in the new place!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I think it would be very dodgy to move a large choisya but why not take cuttings?  Won't fill a gap but you'll have some of your investment to take with you.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • BRISTOL86BRISTOL86 Posts: 78
    Thanks, despite having spent a fair bit of effort getting stuff planted all this is pretty new to me (first home!) so I didn’t know whether it was a sensible thing to do at all!
  • StevedaylillyStevedaylilly Posts: 1,102
    If they are only 18 months old then the root ball will not be that large imo. Some plants do not like being removed but, in my expereince, the younger the plant the better to move.
    Give them a good watering at the base before moving and take as much of the root ball as possible. Also, have all your pots ready to take the replanted shrub. Keep them well watered in their pots 
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Can't forsee any problems with any of them ! Extricate a large enough rootball , re-plant asap and keep moist for the next few months . I'm sure they'll be fine .
  • soulboysoulboy Posts: 429
    There's an old adage about moving plants, 'if you love it leave it', which obviously you can't do. The only one I have experience with is the choisya.

    I was forced to move one that had outgrown its position. It was difficult as it was quite large and getting a decent rootball was a problem. It has quite a lot of fine roots that spread close to the soil surface in addition to the deeper roots.

    It didn't survive the move and one of the reasons I'm sure is that I didn't cut it back enough, which you have to do as the roots need time to regrow, which they won't be able to do if there's lots of plant above ground.

    Fortunately I had taken a cutting and planted it straight into the ground with a little root hormone powder. It's now a decent size as they grow quickly. Good luck.
  • Bagpuss57Bagpuss57 Posts: 256
    When I moved house I dug up some established shrubs and put them in huge pots then when I moved I waited to see what was in the garden before deciding where to transplant them, and waited for the best time of year to replant. It gave me a chance to pamper the shrubs in pots to make sure they survived. My rosemary,  wiegilia, hydrangea, Choisya Sundance, Euonymous and honeysuckle all seemed to survive and are now getting established in their new positions. I also took cuttings from my Choisya, Euonymous and hydrangea as a standby. Now I have more plants for free. Bargain!! 
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