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Moving mature shrubs

debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
in Plants
A family member is moving to a flat after losing her husband and won't have a garden. She has some lovely mature roses and a gorgeous black sambucca I covet. It's a council property so garden just needs to be left tidy. Going to dig up roses on Friday do people have any tips on moving mature shrubs?  I know the basics but any extra advice gratefully received. Plants will be going into other gardens on Saturday 

Posts

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Moving mature shrubs can be a bit of a lottery but - take as big a rootball as you can, give them a good prune and move them to their new location quickly. Keep them well watered for their first year. And try to move them in the autumn and winter months. 
    You have nothing to lose - just go for it. 
    Having said the above, sometimes you can ignore all the sensible advice and they will survive. The builders dug out a mature sarcocca in my garden a few years ago when I was widening a path. It lay abandoned for a week in summer lying on its side with no attention until I remembered about it and replanted it in a shady corner. It survived happily...……..
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    @debs64, my advice, for what It's worth, is to try and have the hole ready for it to go into. It will be easier than digging it out, then digging another hole to put it in. Obviously you won't be able to be totally accurate, but l would err on the side of caution and dig it bigger than what you think you will need (easier to fill it in than dig it out). Get as many pairs of hands as you can to help. They were moving an existng shrub on Beechgrove last week, so if you can find that on catch up, that may help. Mychorrizal (sp) fungii was involved as well.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    They moved a mature shrub on Beechgrove last week as Anni mentions
    The method is described in the factsheet here. Or you could watch it on iPlayer

    But I would agree with pansy - cuttings are so easy and will likely get to 5ft next year.
    If you do move the whole thing, cut all the stems right back before you move it

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Paul NPaul N Posts: 303
    Moving roses especially in the Autumn is really straightforward as having just moved house, I've brought a few with me. I took cuttings form a few ('Edwards Rose', Rosa rugosa, etc) which are know are reliable, but dug others up and potted them up. They are still in pots as our new garden to well stocked so deeper borders are needed. Just keep them watered. Of course digging up and replanting roses with 24hrs is perfect.

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