If you don't want to see wilting or shriveling you will wait until the tops have hardened off fully. In the case of deciduous shrubs this is usually taken to be when the leaves have fallen. By then the weather is usually much cooler than it is now all of the time.

Otherwise cloud and damp like we are having today (and are forecast for other days this week) are perfect, if you have something you can move without cutting most of the roots.

Thanks for your reply. :D

A lot of shuffling can be done after frost as well. Frost is typically not a limitation for transplanting any fully hardy plant.

I like to do my shuffling when the ground is drier, so anytime from now until mid-October. I have clay soil, which is too heavy and clumpy to dig in in spring or late fall. You just need to soak your plants well after transplanting.

When I was landscaping, a lot of people would ask me what I did in the winter. I would say, "That's landscaping time!"

What if the ground is frozen? Pruning comes to mind. ;-) Actually the ground rarely freezes deep enough, or often enough, to impact much landscaping. I worked around it, but you can't contour a lawn area for instant sod in freezing weather, but I have put down instant sod on frozen ground previously contoured. Came back the next day when it had thawed and rolled it in.

Late Spring is the most difficult time to landscape; and that's when the phone rang the most.

Mayflowers, you need more organic matter in your clay,...and on it as top dressing and mulch.

I always contour wet, heavy soils as much as I can to improve drainage so the soil holds less moisture. Those two things really help in the workability (tilth) of the soil and well worth the effort. Sandy soil doesn't need the contours as much, but I always do as much as I can because I like contoured landscapes.

I'm retired now, ramblin' on...watching the lovely rain. It sure is nice I don't have to work in it anymore.....still do though. If the plants feel good, so do I.

Mike

I bring in three yards of compost mulch every year and have a compost pile of leaves and clippings. Every hole gets compost. I've only been at this ten years, so maybe it will take another ten to make a dent in this clay. ;)

Every hole gets compost

This may be fine if you are also digging in compost around the planting holes, otherwise it would be better to not amend the planting hole back-fill - you always want to have a uniform soil texture throughout the plant rooting area, without zones or pockets of different material. This is due to how textural differences affect the movement of water through the soil.

Here's another thing to consider.

The interface between the soil in the hole and the surrounding hole should be textured as much as possible, not smooth like you see in all the examples. I go around the hole driving a pick into the sides of it and then rock it a bit to loosen the soil. It makes a nice places for the roots to spread out and expand so it has more moisture available and drainage at the same time.

mike

Thanks for the tip. I have a small yard in the 'burbs and most of my garden has plants spaced a few feet apart. The gardens near the house and deck are pretty good but I'll pitchfork my problem areas.