A MOVING EXPERIENCE.

AS you tidy up your beds and borders this autumn, take a look at what has overgrown its allocated spot and also what didn't work in a particular place this year.

Late autumn is a good time to move large shrubs and other plants, while they are dormant, to more suitable places or even into pots until you can decide where you want them to go.

The ones that are most easily moved are those with fibrous roots - masses of thin roots that don't go very deeply into the soil. You can dig right underneath the root system and it doesn't matter if a few roots are broken, as there will be plenty of others left to take hold and become established.

Before you start, decide where you want the shrub to grow and dig the ground where you are going to plant, adding some bulky organic matter.

Dig a circular trench around the shrub with a radius of between 30 and 45cm (12-18in), depending on the size of the shrub and keep digging down until you reach the end of the roots. Then push the spade under the shrub and lever it gently to ease out the remaining roots.

You may have to do the same on the other side and go round the shrub several times before it lifts out.

Once the shrub is completely loose, rock it forwards, away from you, and place a large piece of sacking or heavy duty polythene sheeting underneath it. Then rock the plant towards you and manoeuvre the sacking underneath it so that the shrub is in the centre of it. Tie the sacking tightly around the rootball and lift the whole thing out, before giving it a good water.

It's best to transfer the shrub straight away. Dig a hole slightly larger than the rootball and put the shrub in it, ensuring that it's at exactly the same level in the soil as it was before. If it's too low, put some more soil in the bottom of the hole. If it's too high, make the hole a bit deeper.

Once you have a perfect position, slide the sacking out from underneath the shrub and mix a handful of blood, fish and bonemeal in with some of the soil you've dug out, using it to fill in the hole and give the shrub a good soaking. Firm the plant in gently with your heel, to take up any air pockets.

Shrubs that are more difficult to move include buddleia, the smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria), berberis, weigela, lilac and flowering currant (Ribes).

Shrubs with tap roots, which grow very deep and have fewer roots, are more difficult to move as it's harder to dig them out and if you damage the roots there will be fewer to establish themselves in their new position.

If you are determined to move a prize shrub that has tap roots, dig a wide trench around it, filling it with organic matter and leave it for 12 months. That way it will produce new roots that grow out into the organic matter, so that it forms a new, stronger rootball, which will compensate if you snap the tap root when you lift the shrub out.

Once you have replanted your shrub, keep it well watered until it has established itself and add a layer of organic mulchover the winter months.

CAPTION(S):

DIG IN - autumn is a good time to move shrubs