I Hate Transplanting

Another beautiful cool day, with lots of sunshine.  60s in the daytime, but it was 35 degrees when I woke up.  We had to put the heat on for the first time.

I FINALLY moved the 'Blue Ice' amsonia from under the double file viburnum.  It is low and smallish, but it was impinging on the lower branches of the viburnum.

I always liked the soft yellow fall color of the amsonia nestled underneath the viburnum when it was deep maroon, but it was time to move it.  Here is the combo as of October 25, 2010:

It was a bear to dig up!  The amsonia. even though a small plant, has a deep woody root system as well as an extensive fibrous root system.  I trampled everything in front, I compacted all the earth, I couldn't get behind it as the double file has low branches to the ground.  I finally gave up and decided not to transplant, just to chop off all the foliage, kill the thing, and get it out.

I did get it all out, through some pretty ugly wrestling and chopping,  I got the Japanese pruning saw out and sawed away at the roots.  Here is the space now, with enough room for the doublefile to fill in on the lower right now.  The color is weird right now --- the viburnum is turning a funny brown on only a few branches at a time.

How I hate transplanting.  I would rather plant up little things from pots, so much easier than trying to save / move / transplant a shrub.

But I did replant the decimated stubs of the root masses that I wrestled out of the earth.  I put one amsonia by the patio wall, and the other in the new extension of the bed in front of Meadow's Edge.  They are pretty beat up, with all leaves chopped off, but they may have enough root system to grow back next spring.

Boy, I hate transplanting.