I've been offered three free silver birch saplings (not sure how big) that
will be dug out of someone elses yard as they don't want them anymore. Can I
get away with transplanting them now or is it already too late? What would I
need to do to prepare, plant and then help them survive if I accepted them?

I have in mind a south facing area of the garden in our front yard, clay
type soil, in an area where a magnolia was a victim of the drought, and no
overhead wires. Could I plant the three trees close together? How far apart
would be optimum? How much space would I look at needing for these trees to
grow? The yard isn't huge so I don't think I'd want something that was too
bushy. I would like to put a pebble path around them, some long garden beds
on the other side of the path, with a garden seat under them to catch the
shade in the summer.

Liz