Cool snap gives OK to transplant plants

1:19 PM, May 16, 2013  |  Comments
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Q. My neighbor is pouring concrete and offered me a bed of hydrangeas. I know it is almost late to be transplanting, but I have to move them or lose them. I have a good (partial sun) bed in my yard for them, but is there any reason I should transfer to pots instead?

A. Yes, these shrubs can be moved! The best news about the unexpected cool weather is that transplanting conditions are still quite fine, especially in an emergency like those hydrangeas are facing. Dig them up and replant immediately. Keep in mind that hydrangea roots are more wide than deep and dig a bowl-shaped root ball. Prune off one third of their overall height and width (even if you know you're cutting off flowers) and water them in. Use a root stimulator fertilizer or other starter solution such as compost tea or liquid rooting hormone, keep the plants mulched and fertilize lightly in one month.

Q. This dogwood tree is about 20 years old and 20 to 25 feet tall. No blooms this year and a lot of the branches have died. Now there are a lot of suckers all along the main trunk and the side branches. Are they the cause or are they just a symptom of the decline, and should I keep some of the stronger ones?

A. The sprouts/suckers are the tree's efforts to save itself and yes, you should select some and remove the rest at the same time you prune out the rest of the dead wood above. Something happened, not recently, that compromised the top of the tree - might have started years ago in a drought or flood, might be pests in the top or in the root systems - and the damage appeared this year.

If the problem had happened overnight, such as a storm, the suckers wouldn't have had time to sprout. With good care, you should be able to reshape the tree and see it bloom again.

Q. We have Indian Hawthorns that are about 15-17 years old. Last year about this time they looked like they were dying. Now they have some leaves, but not many. Should they be pulled up and something else planted?

A. There are a lot of 'ifs' in this answer, which means you have options. If you're just sick and tired of how sick and tired they look, by all means get rid of them but do it soon. If you want to give them a chance, cut the shrubs back by 1/3-1/2 of their overall size and put them on a regular program of water and fertilizer. If new growth can push out, it will this summer. If it doesn't, replace the hawthorns this fall.

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