I Did It

Much cooler today, an overcast, chilly day in the 40s, no breeze.  Perfect for doing hard work outside.  And perfect for transplanting.

After worrying all winter about my plan to move the sourwood away from the patio and replace it with a river birch, I did it.  It was not so hard at all.  I started mid morning and was inside for lunch, my pants dry and relatively clean because of the chaps. 

Sourwood in its new home

Jim had to help me wrestle the sourwood into its new location, it was quite heavy.  I dug up the three zenobias (I put the non-blue leaved one in the strip in front of Meadow's Edge).  Then I dug all around the roots of the sourwood.  It came out ok.  Shallow rooted, and not very wide (although I cut some long roots to get it out).  But still, it's a five foot tree, and a lot of soil came with it, and it was heavy. 

Oxydendrum does not like any kind of root disturbance.  So this may have been fatal.  

But it moved ok, Jim got it positioned next to the gravel garden, and I filled in with soil.  It is standing straight, there wasn't much maneuvering to get it upright.  All in all, pretty easy.

Then I moved the small river birch into the spot by the patio, put the remaining two zenobias back in, and planted the new zenobia from Woodlander's.  Not a bad project, and I like it already.

Young river birch and zenobias by the patio wall

Here are the pros about this move:

• The river birch is as tall as the sourwood was, but will quickly grow very tall, and finally make some shade for the patio, and that should happen in a season or two.

• The sourwood just looks better next to the inkberry hollies by the gravel garden.  It's better as an element of a woodsy planting rather than the focal point of a patio corner.  And it was just too small next to the patio, not providing enough shade.

• The sourwood might actually do better away from the less acidic stone wall and walkway.  That is, if I haven't killed it.

Some cons about this move:

• I pretty much destroyed some of the alliums I had carefully planted around the patio wall last fall.  Some were starting to come up, but got dug.  I tromped on others.

• The transplanted Mara des Bois strawberries that I wanted to spill over the edge of the gravel garden got destroyed too as I wrestled the sourwood into place.

• I'll get shade on the patio from the river birch, but it will also dominate the view out the kitchen window now.  I won't have such a clear look into the back yard when all I see are leafy birch branches.

So . . .  was it worth it?  Yes.  It was easier than I thought, and I got it done.

Please, please let the sourwood thrive, and may the birch grow quickly without overwhelming that spot.  And let a few strawberries and alliums come up after all.