How To Move Plants And Shrubs

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Yesterday I mentioned moving plants in your garden, so here's a little more about that.

To get started, if the ground isn't already moist from recent rains, water around the plant you want to move the day before you plan to dig out - just let a hose trickle next to the plant for an hour or two until the soil's moist.

The next day, it's a good idea to dig the new hole before you dig the old plant out. You'll thank me and so will your plant because you can put it directly into its new home, instead of leaving it out with its roots exposed while you dig (or even worse, become distracted).

Try to get as large a rootball as you can manage; it's easier with some plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons that have shallower roots.

Carefully move the plant to its new hole - you can put it on a tarp, in a pot or in a wagon. Then, fill in with soil you took from the planting hole and water well to eliminate air pockets where diseases can thrive.

By moving plants early in the fall - and making sure they stay watered by you or the rain before winter - you have a good chance they'll be happily leafing out and blooming in their new spots next spring.