tips on transplanting small shrubs

Hey all,
I want to transplant a couple small shrubs this fall. One is a nandina and one is an oak leaf hydrangea. I have heard that you can prune some off the top as you transplant so that the establishing root system will have less to support. Should I go ahead and prune the tops now while they are still in place in the ground, or I should I put them in pots and protect them from the hot sun until temps cool down? If I wait too long to prune I am afraid any new growth will not harden enough for the winter. Our first frost here is usually mid Nov. What do you think -- to prune or not to prune.

As to the nandina, leave it alone until you transplant it in Oct. or Nov. Then cut it back by 1/3 or so. Then, in mid-February, cut all the stems to the ground. All nandinas need this treatment from time to time to keep them from getting denuded except at the very top. It will come back full and beautiful.

IF you need to get them out the ground now and they really are still small plants then your pot idea is good so long as you water them well and keep them a bit shaded but not without light, as you already said, if you prune them now and they put on new growth, this might be killed by frost before it has time to mature, so prune them either as you replant them autumn or early spring IF they are not too tall and lanky, give them a feed in the new planting hole in spring if you wait till them. good luck. WeeNel.

The nandina is in the woods (much too shady) and is very lanky and denuded (dp72, I had to look that one up). I'm not sure about pruning to the ground....but it definitely needs pruning!
The oak-leafs are fairly lanky as well, but I will try to find a smallish one that is not too bad. I don't mind pruning it either, but it will most likely not bloom next spring if I do. I have tons of them deep in the woods, but I 'm trying to bring them closer to the house so I can enjoy them more.

Sounds like I should just be patient and wait 6 to 8 weeks to transplant.

Thank you all for you interesting advice. It is good to have a sounding board to bounce ideas off of.

well, nandines do better with more sun. Trimming them down to the ground or not, well, if they are long and lanky cut them all the way down you'll be surprised as to how quickly they grow back. Oak leaves tend to have a large space between each leaf but again cut those babies back. If you gotta move them then do it it just requires more water. If you can wait just a couple of weeks then the watering isn't so bad. As for cutting the plants back because of root formation this is a myth. Usually we cut them back because there isn't enough root to support the weight of the plant. When it was in the ground the root systems are much much larger, but when moved it really only has a small system to support it. So, the best thing is to see how much plant vs root and cut to where it can easily stand on it's own.Years ago it was thought that by cutting the plant down the roots didn't have to work as hard but this has been tested and re tested and it just comes down to stability.

nandinas are wonderful plants. once established, they can tolerate incredible drought. they are often found in old cemeteries, although they are denuded except at the very top of the canes because no one prunes them properly. some sun probably makes them more lush, but they can tolerate full shade to full sun. in some areas they are considered invasive because they get started in creek beds and multiply. the standard, domestica, gets 5 ft. tall give or take a foot. there are cultivars that are as short as 2 feet when mature. the only one to stay away from is nana. its leaves often are misshapen and look like sick spinach. this is esp. true in the south. you might want to do a Google Image search and see the beautiful varities, the red berries, etc. if you get a cultivar, be sure it's one that blooms and has the red berries in the winter. these plants are evergreen, BTW.

Hi Julie, both your plants sound like they need a bit more light if they are in woodland, the bare trees will allow more light to get them going, but once the woodland gets thick foliage, the lankiness of the shrubs means they are growing that way to try reach more light and this will also affect the flowers too, try move a few forwards this autumn and see how they go, then next year you do the rest when you know they are happy, you would be better to loose a few flowers by pruning this year and enjoy a better show thereafter than watch your lovely plants struggle for light all their life, in the wooded area they are probably starving of nutrients as all the other roots will be getting that first, good luck. WeeNel.

Please wait until the soil cools. There is no rush to transplant from soil to soil. I agree with the comment about periodically cutting nandina to the ground. I have done that, and the plant will rejuvinate. I propagate many oakleaf hydrangeas from cuttings, but I never move any hydrangea from soil to soil until the soil is cool and the plant is dormant. I'm just a gardener - I'm not a professional in the business. Good gardening.

peony- good post! I know my nandinas. We don't grow oakleaf hydrangeas in my part of the country. As far as pruning to the GROUND, no pain, no gain. Ideally, you cut 1/3 of the tallest, most bare canes to the GROUND every February. That way you always have canes that are full and fresh. However, if a stand is old and all are denuded, the best thing is to cut them ALL to the ground. Valentine's day is a good way to remember when to do it. I understand the fear that they won't come back, but we take risks all the time, don't we? Even when we drive a car. If they have an adequate root system they WILL come back.

I dug up some oak leaf hydrangeas from the woods about three months ago. I chose smaller ones so I could pot them. After potting, I clipped off all but the top three or four leaves, put them in the shade and kept them watered (moist but not wet). After about a month, they started putting on new leaves where I had clipped the originals from. I just put them in the ground a week ago in a bright shady area down by my creek. None of them wilted--they all look great. I think you could pot some the way I did and give them time to recover so you can plant them out next month. BTW, I added some peat to the soil at planting time. I also added Miracle Grow Quick Start to the water I used to water them in to help them put down strong roots and then I mulched them.