Not too late at all but do it quickly!! "Last frost" date has no bearing on planting or transplanting hardy woody plants - that term is used only in reference to cold sensitive plants like annuals or tender perennials. As a gardener with a lot of Japanese maples, I would not hesitate to move a tree that size at that stage of seasonal development. Your risk factor is about nil.

sorry for the delay in getting back, thanks for the advice! We planted the large one and it looks fantastic, I learned about transplanting and watering properly with the starter fertilzer. We didn't do that correctly last year on the serviceberry we planted in the back, and it's not looking so great, I might add a new post about that. I can't tell if it's just dry or has a bug. The deep watering didn't seem to perk it up very much. The mounding jap. maple is still sitting a few feet in from the larger one, now suddenly in shade, and we're waiting until the new bed is ready for it. I think it will be a slightly raised bed, and I'm assuming it will need more water as a result? We have a slope to the front yard and it's down closer to the sideawalk, so I'm thinking the front will be higher and the back pretty much ground level. We have no idea how big it's going to get since we didn't plant it originally, but based on others we've seen in neighbors' yards, I'm thinking a pretty good sized mound, maybe 5 feet wide. If it gets any larger than that, it will be too big and we'll have to move it again to the back. It'll be the focal point in its new location, full-on southern exposure, so I'm not sure how to shade it for a few days. Any suggestions there? It's a small city lot front yard. Maybe some staking material with a paper or plasic "shield" attached....

I know this goes against all that is written here on the subject, however, I must transplant my Japanese Maple now, in the month of August. Due to a major construction project the tree must be moved. I donÂt want to get rid of it, it is just in the way. I am planning on hitting it with SuperThrive (www.superthrive.com) and we will be using some heavy equipment to make as large a root ball as possible. I donÂt know the exact age of the tree, however it has been in its current planning for approximately 6 years. The canopy is 9-10 feet at its widest point. We will be making an approximate 48-60 inch root ball. Other than telling me not to move it now, is there any other advise one can give. I have photos available if that will help. This is a multi trunk.

In your climate, an inground situation would be better than growing it long term in a container. Primarily because of winter conditions - it would require moving to a protected location - but long term container culture does require a much higher degree of attention and maintenance. Very easy to overlook a watering that could be fatal, not to mention the ongoing need for fertilization, root pruning and soil management! If you do transplant, do so soon. Sounds like the tree is small enough to make the move relatively easily. Try to get as much of the root system as possible and pay close attention to watering needs this season until it gets re-established.