Hi there,

Your instincts are correct. The closer to dormancy you remove plants, the better. And for most plants, the heat of summer is not the best time to transplant.

The same for cuttings - read up on the way roses are propagated in the rose propagation section, and most of the things there apply to all woody plants that can be rooted. I apply a little root hormone to cuttings I want to root, stick them in 6" pots in the ground in the shade, cut the bottom out of a 2 liter clear plastic pop bottle, and place the bottle over the cutting until leaves begin to appear. There are lots of variations on this method that are covered throughout the GardenWeb.

The problem for you will be to save cuttings for use at the new home. If you have plastic pots, you can start the cuttings now in the ground, and just pull them up when it is time to pack them. I believe you will have better success trying to start cuttings this way in Seattle than trying to take cuttings to start at a later date.

Best wishes,
Gary

Dig and pot what you can NOW! The earlier the better. They don't recovery as well in the heat of summer. Now, keep them potted all summer and transplant next Fall or early spring (my preference). Protect the roots from hard freezes next winter by digging the planting holes now, put the pots in them until you transplant them in the same hole next spring. Water, water, water all summer. If you can't dig them all before the house is sold, be sure to SPECIFY in writing on the contract which bushes and plants will be removed. When the buyer does the first walk-through before signing the contract, take him outside and show him which plants will be removed. If you don't have it in writing and you attempt remove plants after the contract is signed, you have violated the contract.