THERE are times when plants need to move. Some can do this themselves to an extent, although ‘moving’ is embellishing the truth a little, more, spreading to a new site to take advantage of space, light or more favourable conditions. With the best will in the world an established woody shrub or small tree can’t hitch up its lower branches and move to the other side of the garden (thankfully). But if it’s of the size that can realistically be tackled, we as gardeners can move some pretty established plants, provided it’s done between now and March, in the least damaging way as possible.

Once you have convinced yourself that this is a shrub or small tree that you can indeed relocate then the most important thing you need to do is minimise the number of roots that you cut through and sacrifice in the process of digging up the plant. As a good rule when you come to dig around the base of the plant the circumference of the circle you dig wants to match the outer edge of the branches (this is referred to in some cases as the ‘dripline’ i.e. if you imagine where the raindrops run off from the outer most leaves onto the soil). Instead of making a single vertical cut into the soil and through the roots, cut a ring-shaped trench the width of your spade. Once you’ve got the circular trench dug, make horizontal cuts going under the base of the plant, angle the spade downwards to minimise the roots you lose and to maximise those you can salvage. Once the root ball is loose, slide a plastic sheet beneath it (this will involve much juggling and mild cursing). When this is done you’ll be able to move the plant more easily, sliding it on the sheet and transplanting it to the freshly prepared site. Ensure the original depth that it was at in its earlier position is replicated and to not bury it deeply or have it too shallow.

If large numbers of roots (particularly the finer ones) had to be sacrificed, then you can offset this by reducing some of the branches above ground to reduce the strain of water loss when it begins actively growing next spring. Finally, it’s a good idea to check if you need to secure your moved specimen; imagine it blowing a gale in late November and thinking, will this stand up to that kind of force? If in any doubt err on the side of caution and use a quality tree stake securing the plant low down.

Next week: creating a simple cold frame