in total dormancy.. as soon as the ground thaws .... and you can work in the cold soil .. without your finger falling off ...

in our MI ... first two weeks of april was my target ... finishing in the last two weeks.. if i had a lot of stuff to move ..

with last frost freeze potential in mid to late may .. this gives ANY PLANT ... the 6 to 8 weeks.. before it might leaf out... it gives the plants time for the roots to settle and get working... before the leaves need water ...

i would properly water them in at planting ... and then.. most likely ... presuming the usual moist MI spring ... and some mulch.. they might not need any more water until the heat starts building in july ... though i would insert finger and find out.. starting when the leaves pop out ...

perennials fall under the same guidance ....

warmer zone peeps.. just start adding weeks to the front... to get it done.. before they leaf out ... for us.. its a frozen ground issue right now ...

ken

Ok -- as soon as I can get a shovel in the ground without backing my back is when I will do it!

These are spring bloomers, so the earlier the better. Depending on how much disruption of roots you create, you may lose this spring’s blooms. Alternative time is August, but provide temporary shade and sufficient water if you do it then.

good catch babs ....

the usual default .. general rule ... with a flowering shrub.. is after bloom ... but not in the heat of summer.. july/august in MI .... unless you can insure proper great watering.. and maybe a shade structure during high heat ... it just easier to wait until very early fall ... or spring ... as i said.. when leafless .. if that type of plant ...

actually ... whether or not it flowers after moving.. will be a good indication of how masterful your transplant was/is .. on some level ...

but all that said.. lose of one season of flower .... is not all that big a deal ...

dont break your back .. whatever you do ... ken

Moved them today. I think it went well.

This is a little off topic, but how do those perform for you? I am in a slightly warmer area, and I have yet to see one that looks (at all) vigorous here.

Well, they were so far back in my backyard, that it was hard to notice or appreciate them - so I feel like I can't answer yet. I will say, I think they have a tendency to scorch. I have transplanted them to right outside my front door where they get full morning sun, so I can keep an eye on them. I'll post some pics throughout summer since this seems to be a plant that some love and some have given up on.

My experience with them is that they tend to look floppy and untidy in the first couple of years, but will settle in nicely and bloom well every spring thereafter. It definitely took some time for them to grow out of their unimpressive ugly duckling stage before I could fully appreciate them.