Rick, I'd advise using the existing soil as backfill material-no amendments of any kind, no fertilizer, no nothing! Research has shown (For quite some time now) that it is counterproductive to enrich or in some other way amend that little space where the roots are going to first colonize as they begin to grow. After all, if the trees are to survive, it is imperative that their roots spread far beyond that area, so from that standpoint alone, you can see that it is essentially meaningless to upgrade the soil conditions in that small space. Furthermore, when soil is amended, drainage and water-holding characteristics are changed. This is problematic because it can cause that area to A) Dry out faster than surrounding soil, or B) Turn into a sort of basin or bathtub, holding too much water. Either effect is undesirable. So no, do not change that soil. Just use what was dug out of the holes to fill in around the root balls. One thing that can help the trees long-term is proper planting depth. Plant such that the root flare, that small swollen area where trunk meets roots, is at or just slightly above finish grade. Number one mistake in tree-planting=planting too deeply. So watch for that. Water as needed-not on a schedule. So if it is raining a lot, you may not have to water at all. Conversely, if you get into a dry spell, watering might need to be upped to twice weekly, etc. Just stick your fingers in the ground or probe with a hand weeder, screwdriver, etc, to ascertain soil dryness. Research is beginning to cloud this picture, but I'm still a proponent of using woodchip or shredded bark mulch around transplanted trees and other plants. You could do that. Don't hit the trunk with string trimmer, lawn mower, etc. All the sap and water that is flowing up and down that tree has to pass through the area just under the bark. Furthermore, banging it up allows decay fungi an easy way in. If deer are numerous, you may want to provide for protection from herbivory. Fencing, spray-on antifeedants, and other techniques are all used. Deer can make a mess of your young trees in a hurry. Later, after they've achieved some growth and are starting to look real nice, bucks like to come along and rub the velvet off their antlers, completely destroying the tree(s) in the process. The buck will pick your favorite tree to do this! Write back if you have more questions. +oM

Water , Mulch, and a prayer. It would have been better if you wrote this before you tried to move them, but maybe that was not a choice. Fall is a much better time to try transplanting large trees. When roots and plants are dormant. However, the damage is done. I would montitor them daily, water well, but not so much that it stays wet. Mulch will help keep moist. LOL Mike

CD: Are you looking for just the common wild datura or for one of the white hybrids? Select Seeds Antique Flowers has seed of datura, and may have plants in 4" pots as well. And I don't think it is too late at all. Self-sown seedlings from my common white datura have been popping up on the edge of the garden for a couple of weeks, and I see a few new ones every day. So, I think you have plenty of time. Sometimes datura is just a bit slow to germinate, but it makes up for the slow germination by growing REALLY fast. Okie Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: White datura seed

As a general rule you want to plant perennials (such as trees and shrubs) either in the spring so they have time to establish roots to take them through the summer heat or you want to wait until the summer heat dissipates and then plant in time for the roots to establish enough to take the plant through the rigors of winter freezes. Either way works fine. What you do not want to do is plant in the mid summer when the plant will lose water via transpiration faster than it's roots can take from it's new home. This just results in stress which weakens the plant heading into winter. As far as preparing the soil, don't bother. It sounds like you will be planting a lot and won't likely be able to baby what you plant so modifying the soil is a losing proposition. You want plants that will respond well in the existing conditions with no babying. Yes, you can start shrubs/trees from seed, just understand that the small ones in the nursery are likely 2 or more years old. In other words they take years from seed to amount to anything, but if you have the time seed is more economical. Yes, you can container grow and transplant in the fall without a problem, but you will face higher water/nutrient demands in the container than you would the soil so why wait?