Yeah, I second what he said - you can always remove a tree if it looks like the health of the others is at stake. And trees in the wild can grow surprisingly close together and still be ok (though it's not optimal.) I once saw an evergreen and a redbud that had grown so close together the redbud's trunk was entirely INSIDE the evergreen's limbs, and all you could see of the redbud was its outermost limbs stretching every which way out of the evergreen. Since it was in bloom at the time, it looked like the evergreen was exploding. Moral of the story is that they CAN survive like that, and sometimes it looks really amusing.

IMHO.. shrubs NEVER need fertilizer .... too much nitrogen.. in the NPK ... or a soil that holds the wrong type of nitrogen.. will cause long leggy greenery .. while sacrificing flowers ... e.g we put high nitro fert ... like 30-3-3 on the grass.. to make it grow fast tall and very green .... if that describes the change in the shrubs you are not appreciating.. then that might be part of the problem ... leaving stock in pots.. for extended periods will also affect them ... but i understand that sometimes life gets in the way of what should be planted timely ... sound like you are kind of new to the garden ... one thing to learn ... or a few ... only annuals require you to be in a hurry ... since they live one year.. they need food and lots of care .. there is immediate gratification ... perennials less... less food .... same water .... somewhat deferred gratification.. it might take it a year or two to get situated in your garden ... and really put out the show ... shrubs.. trees... conifers ... these things can live 100 years ... THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION ... OTHER THAN THE PURCHASE ... some can take decades to begin to show off ... to their utmost potential ... especially after transplant ... i tend to agree with the nurseryman .... they were grown to their utmost perfection for sale .. and they are adjusting to your yard... be patient.... and keep them properly watered.. and back off the fert .. and they will reward you.. somewhere down the line ... i waited 7 years to get a flower off a flowering cherry ... and i complained like heck ... and it eventually came through .... good luck ken

This came up in another thread recently, but it's important to understand the relationship between dew point and freezing. If the air temperature is above freezing, but the dew point is below freezing, wind CAN cause water to freeze, AND kill frost sensitive plants. As long as the dew point is above freezing, you really have nothing to worry about. The temperature is always above the dew point. The dew point is closer to the temperature if the humidity is high. There are a zillion online weather stations, and most of them will read off dew point (which is a function of temperature and humidity). Just go online and find one nearby. To sum up, air temperatures above freezing CAN kill frost sensitive plants, if there is wind. So if the temperature is low but above freezing, checking the dew point might be smart to preserve frost sensitive plants. Last night, my temperature went down to 37F, and the dew point was 33F. So my tomatoes and squash were safe. Temps close to freezing, dew point well below that (low humidity) and wind are a recipe for problems.

Silver, be sure to acclimate to stronger light gradually over a period of weeks increasing the length of time kept in direct sunlight. An hour or so a day for the first few days increasing the length of time until it's in full sun all the time...or at least for the number of hours you can provide. Otherwise it will burn. I don't know where you are located but noon to sunset where I live is much stronger that the weak sun is from sunrise to noon. Also, once it gets better light, keep in mind that the current leaves will never revert back to their former appearance, but new growth should improve. Good luck.