Bitter sweet

These few beautiful September days are sweeter than anything spring or summer can offer to anyone who loves to garden. The days are packed with cleanup, mulching, digging, and there's a little pressure to get things ready for winter, deadline-pressure that we don't feel in the busy days of spring.

It's such a great time to move plants, to rework old garden beds, and to add new things. Almost anything, with a few notable exceptions, prefers to be moved now rather than in spring. I've been compiling a list from various sources: oak, birch, redbud, dogwood, magnolia, most fruit trees, and willow are among the common woody plants that prefer spring for transplanting; most others are best moved now. I'm trying to decide what to do about a Franklinia that's in too much shade - move it now, or wait until spring? My decision will probably be made by the calendar and the weather; if there's time, I might move it soon.


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