Hello gardeners. Can I move a mature callicarpa which is just coming into berry?. I want to give it a bit more space to display its lovely autumn dress. Thanks in advance.
Prepare the new planting hole first, and dig it up with as much of the rootball as possible. Avoid cutting/breaking roots if you can, it's the fine ones at the ends that take up water and nutrients so you don't want to lose them. There's no need to prune as you're moving it while it's dormant, unless you need to take off some growth so that you can physically lift and move it. Pruning when moving a plant that's not dormant reduces the burden on the roots, so that they don't have to support as much foliage while they settle in. Water in after moving even if it's raining, to help settle the soil in around the roots, but as long as the weather stays wettish it shouldn't need a lot more water until it starts to come into leaf, just enough so that it doesn't dry out. But do water after that, particularly if there are warm dry spells in spring and/or summer, the same as you would any newly planted shrub.
That one's lovely @Silver surfer . I hope my baby seed-raised ones get that good in a few (or several) years.
Very sadly I cannot take the credit. It was the stock plant for a nurseryman . Behind it was a green house, south facing, very sheltered. Constantly pruned for cuttings. It was THE most stunning one I have ever seen. We used to grow them ...but never as fab as pic above.
I was once told that you need 2 shrubs next to each other from different strains to ensure good cross pollination. Seed raised shrubs will do that.
Mine are from seed from the RHS members scheme, so hopefully harvested from good stock, and will pollinate each other. I have 6 so they'll be planted probably in groups of three (or maybe in pairs - I quite fancy trying one or two in tubs for a while). Not so sheltered here though so maybe wishful thinking for really good berries.
Prepare the new planting hole first, and dig it up with as much of the rootball as possible. Avoid cutting/breaking roots if you can, it's the fine ones at the ends that take up water and nutrients so you don't want to lose them. There's no need to prune as you're moving it while it's dormant, unless you need to take off some growth so that you can physically lift and move it. Pruning when moving a plant that's not dormant reduces the burden on the roots, so that they don't have to support as much foliage while they settle in. Water in after moving even if it's raining, to help settle the soil in around the roots, but as long as the weather stays wettish it shouldn't need a lot more water until it starts to come into leaf, just enough so that it doesn't dry out. But do water after that, particularly if there are warm dry spells in spring and/or summer, the same as you would any newly planted shrub.
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Any tips on the best method for moving the callicarpa in winter? ( e.g. trimming the roots back a bit? pruning it back? watering in once planted?)
It was the stock plant for a nurseryman .
Behind it was a green house, south facing, very sheltered.
Constantly pruned for cuttings.
It was THE most stunning one I have ever seen.
We used to grow them ...but never as fab as pic above.
I was once told that you need 2 shrubs next to each other from different strains to ensure good cross pollination. Seed raised shrubs will do that.