Leaving them be, for now. Hopefully, we'll get named rain from another storm.

how do you water.. that you have dust just below the surface???

do you have usual snow cover .... and or ground freeze ???

most shrubs.. you can barely kill if you try ... be nice to discuss what you actually want to move.. rather than generalities ....

ken

I think location matters this year. I'm in upper Westchester and I wouldn't say that we've seen noticeably drought-like conditions. It's definitely pretty dry because the last few weeks have been so hot, but I don't think we have it as bad as some other parts of the Northeast and we've had somewhat regular rain in July and August (though it has been a lot of spotty storm systems that I know aren't necessarily soaking everywhere).

As for shrubs, I would not hesitate to move now and did few myself yesterday. Just give the root ball and the planting hole a good sprinkle, mulch well and then water every couple days right at the roots. The night time temperatures are already starting to drop and day time highs will be coming down very soon. You should be fine.

in my sand.. i would go way beyond a good sprinkle ... ken

First on the list to move are various hydrangeas - blue big leaf, white macrophylla, and panculata (substantial suckers) - and a leyland cypress planted last fall in the wrong place.. How do I water? In the case of the above, hardly ever. They are not convenient. When sufficiently motivated or alarmed, I give them two watering can-fuls, or 4 gallons..