Thank you, gardengal! I’ve found that my blue shadow fothergillas do NOT like the amount of sun they’re in (all day!) and my potentillas are unhappy getting too much shade. Sometimes I try things and they just don’t work out the way I’d hoped, but I’m always willing to try again.

No, not at all! This is prime time here -- we have at least two months, if not longer, before the ground freezes. Anytime up until end of October is time. I've successfully done it into November, but that was when I was in zone 6, in the Metro area proper; I haven't chanced it out here yet. (yet...)

If you wait until spring to transplant the fothergilla and virburnum, you might not get to enjoy the spring show. Annebelle are hardy as a bone and bloom on new wood, so doesn't matter in terms of her blooming.

Thanks, mxk3! I was hoping that would be the case. I am technically in z6a, but located within an extra cold area inside of that, so I say 5b. It sure feels like 5b in the frigid cold of winter!!

Good point about the Sping show, I definitely don’t want to miss that. I’ve had the viburnum tucked away in an area without a lot of sun and its done surprisingly well, but I have another spot selected in which I think it will do better. I hope the rain is done for a while, sheesh!!

now and april is THE BEST TIME TO TRANSPLANT in our MI ...

do it now.. and you might get a flower show next year ... also you might not...

if small.. protect from mid winter heave ... but if you are taking a good gob of soil with them.. its not going to heave.. so dont worry about it ...

winter winds can be very drying in our MI .... late in fall ... after you are sure its properly watered in nov.. [once in a blue moon we can have a fall drought ... so just check late in the season] .... a good blanket of mulch will help.. it will also keep sun off the soil surface.. ensuring they dont come out of dormancy in some weird feb thaw week ...

[i had 5.5 inches of rain last week.. im pretty sure with cold nights.. there wont be any drought in late fall.. lol .. what did you get?]

get it dormant.. and keep it dormant is the trick ...

thanks for the post.. but i think you probably know all this ... its the only the worry part.. right ....

ken

btw.. as far as i would be concerned... this time of year ... there arent different rules for different plants ... just do it ...

ken

Thanks, ken! Not sure how much rain I got here, maybe around 4 inches? And then more rain yesterday, I wasn’t expecting that. My property was flooded and the creek overflowed the bank in some spots - I own part of a flood plain. Luckily, my house is high on a hill!

Shrubs are all moved, I transplanted 12 of them today, anything to avoid watching the Lions. But, I made it into the house a few minutes ago and now we are winning!! i can hardly watch, I don’t want to be disappointed again. :-(

I typically mulch the soil surface after fall planting or transplanting because it will keep the soil warmer as the air cools, and so the roots will continue growing longer.

Thanks, NHBabs! I still have a pile of mulch left over from early summer, so that will come in handy now. I had some ”left-over” shrubs, so I had to create a new bed in my full-sun backyard. Hope the deer don’t like spirea!