"Staycalm" wrote in message
u...
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?

They are going to be dug out anyway, they are free, so try them anyway,
apart from some manual labour there is nothing to lose.
Ensure the tree isn't suffering from drought, if it is water well a day or 2
before transplanting.
Have hole predug so you can just drop the tree into the new spot, prepare it
by adding some gypsum to your clay soil, or if it isn't too bad leave it or
add some organic matter.
Dig the ground at the drip line, that's where the branches end. If it's big,
and that will be too much soil to take dig in a little closer to the trunk
to a size you think you can handle. Try and keep as much soil on the roots
as you can.
I'm not sure if it's the right time, you may have just missed it. I know
with bonsai the deciduous ones are generally rootpruned towards end of
winter and repotted as they aren't yet vigourously growing, but as they
throw new shoots the roots will also grow to match. In which case it's still
worth a go for you


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