If you have moved a 5 x 5 foot rhodo by digging with your bare hands I think you are well equiped to move anything.

However, with the possible exception of the hollies, none of the remaining plants would be worth the trouble (not to mention the risk of a heart attack) to move. Even if they don't die, they will be set back for some time, and you really couldn't count on them surviving.

I would get help to remove them (if necessary), but then start with a fresh design and new plants.

Forget about the taxus...yews are a b**th to move! They have the gnarliest root system you have ever seen. And they are relatively cheap as far as shrubs go.

As to the other shrubs, I know it is very easy to move young lilacs and young forsythia, they don't seem to suffer much moving shock at all, don't know about larger specimens though. The spirea can be cut down very drastically for easy moving, by the way.

One great concern I would have, though, is that we are just on the edge of summer. It would have been better to move these plants a month ago. Heat and less rain will make for a more difficult transition.

barefootinct: thanks for the word on the yews! I also don't plan to move the shrubs right away...am going to wait until fall...but am trying to plan which plants will be moved and where they're going. I take a long time to work up to these things!

You might try root pruning the shrubs to be moved about 6 to 8 weeks before you intend to actually move them in the fall, and keep them well watered after the root pruning to encourage lots of new roots at the base of the plant. Just use a digging spade and go down at least 12 to 16 inches all around the plants to be moved. You will have to hand water, however, to encourage lots of new rooting if you don't normally get a lot of rain in summer.

My usual stand on such moves is the question "what have you got to lose by trying?" If you are able to do the physical work, move them as best you can and see what happens. But it depends on how much that physical work costs you. If you are at heart attack or arthritis age (and trust me, after years of doing that kind of work you'll be arthritic :-)), then the cost may be too high.

It also depends on whether you really want to retain those specimens or just have a plant of that species. You can take cuttings, or replace them for very little. You can get a new specimen of each of those plants at any garden centre for probably a total of $20 if you catch a sale. $40 if you don't.

To move them rather than just cutting them down/out, it would really have to be worth something to you to have large specimens wherever you are going to put them. If you don't need that size elsewhere on the property, I'd turf them.

KarinL

You can always try, but after removing just the stumps and roots of 4 Escallonia last weekend I would say to heed karinl's advice. A few weeks ago 2 guys attempted to dig them up and ran out of steam. DS then brought in his tractor and we finally got them out! There was no way 3 of us could have manually moved what we dug up.......even with most of the dirt off of it.