If possible, you might put a few inches of soil at a time around the Rhodies
& Azaleas, at least. I think their root systems are very shallow, so more
dirt may be a good thing. (I know here in the sandy section of the
Triangle, I just keep piling mulch around my azaleas, since loosening up the
soil around the plants too much is hard on the roots.)

Keep in mind that any transplanting may be a shock to the plants. As a
previous poster mentioned, transplanting in the fall would be preferable to
during the stressful heat of the summer.

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh



"Mister Sensitive" wrote in message
link.net...
I've got to raise the soil level in our front beds about 6", as part of a
drystack stone project. We have existing plants (Rhododendrons, Azaleas,
Chinese Privet, Russian Oive, Rosemary) that we'd love to keep. I assume
6"
is too much to just heap extra soil over them and assume they'll take the
hint. Alternatively, we'd have to cut the root structure out of the soil
and
elevate them.

Does this make sense? or should I consider just putting the extra 6" of
soil
down? Are some more tolerant of extra soil and/or transplanting?

Thanks,

Mr. Sensitive