Would like to dig this up -

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9753/bushrg3.jpg

But don't know whether it's got long potentially troublesome roots or
not.

Any suggestions gratefully received, best regards, Robert.

On 29/6/08 12:51, in article
, "rpgs
rock dvds" wrote:

Would like to dig this up -

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9753/bushrg3.jpg

But don't know whether it's got long potentially troublesome roots or
not.

Any suggestions gratefully received, best regards, Robert.

Don't know, I'm afraid but don't risk losing the Euryops next to it! It's
one of the most valuable shrubs there is, IOO.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:51:04 -0700 (PDT), rpgs rock dvds
wrote:

Would like to dig this up -

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9753/bushrg3.jpg

But don't know whether it's got long potentially troublesome roots or
not.

Any suggestions gratefully received, best regards, Robert.

Is it a bay? Does it have to be moved?
I don't think it will move very easily whatever it is, as it looks
well-established. If it is a bay, and if it were mine, I would let
some shoots grow (not shear it) and take some cuttings from newer
growth, then scrap the original.

Pam in Bristol

rpgs rock dvds wrote:
Would like to dig this up -
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9753/bushrg3.jpg
But don't know whether it's got long potentially troublesome roots or
not.

Robert,

I agree with Pam, it looks like a bay tree. Lots of delicious recipes
call for bay leaves. And having had a poor success rate at moving
well-established small trees growing close to fences, I agree with Pam
too that it may not move well. A good number of its roots will have
gone under the adjacent fence and you will have no option but to slice
them off - which may meant the shrub won't survive in the new setting.
However, you don't say you want to place this shrub anywhere else.
Maybe you just want to remove it completely. If that is what you want
for some good reason then I would dig a circle around the trunk starting
from as adjacent to the fence as you can get your spade, so as to
examine the root structure. Maybe they don't go deep and maybe there
are not many of them, in which case, keep digging and eventually you'll
get it out. If however you find the roots are complex and deep, and you
really want to say ta-ta to the shrub then you can saw it off just below
ground level and immediately apply a strong solution of sodium chlorate
to the cut. This is likely to kill it.

But I would go along the lines of Pam's suggestion. If you are thinking
of digging it up because you want something else happening in that
corner, why not cut it back seriously, even only leaving four or five
inches above ground level, so that it will shoot afresh. THEN control
it and maintain as a small bush, OR take the shoots and propagate them
elsewhere before putting an end to the shrub.

I HATE destruction in the garden. It's so easy to kill plants. They
spend years growing. Better to alter them, than destroy them.

Eddy.

On 29 Jun, 12:51, rpgs rock dvds wrote:
Would like to dig this up -

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9753/bushrg3.jpg

But don't know whether it's got long potentially troublesome roots or
not.

Any suggestions gratefully received, best regards, Robert.

Thanks a lot for all replies.

Yes perhaps it is a bay. Someone suggested it may be a viburnum, but
that was just a guess.

Regarding "to move" or "to remove" - eventually it needs to be removed
from the garden as it is only a very small garden and something else
(smaller) needs to go in to that corner. However, we are going to
alter it to make it a lot smaller first and see how that goes.

Thanks, regards, Robert.

From the look of it, I think it is more likely a Viburnum tinus than a bay. You can cut V tinus off at the ground-level, and it will regrow. You can dig them out to stop them regrowing, but they have very hard wood (including roots) so aren't terribly easy. (They won't resprout from root fragments like bindweed and ground elder.)

You can also clip them back very hard to size, if you want to. When I moved in, there was an overgrown 8 foot hedge of them, and I cut it back almost to ground level, dug some of it out, and am now maintaining the regrowth as a 3ft hedge. After you have cut it back hard, you won't get any flowers next season. In general, pruning needs to be done immediately after flowering if you are to get flowering the following season. The flowers are worth it, long lived and aromatic, and can come in winter.

If it is a bay (you should be able to tell from the smell of crushing a leaf, though v tinus also has aromatic leaves, it is more curry-like though), then we successfully moved a small bay recently, because the builder couldn't build the new garage with it in the way. In fact we moved it twice: it was put into a temporary location for about 9 months before being moved to its final location. For us, it was easy: the builder just dug it out with the digger he was using for the foundations. The rootball was of a size I could easily lift it and carry it. It has re-established fine. It was moved after being 7 years in the ground, but, that said, is rather smaller than your bush.

And bays can also be clipped like a hedge to down-size them, though I would be uncertain whether they would come back from such drastic cutting as can be done on a viburnum.

echinosum writes
And bays can also be clipped like a hedge to down-size them, though
I
would be uncertain whether they would come back from such
drastic
cutting as can be done on a viburnum.

I've taken one down from 15ft to 12 inches, and am currently struggling
to keep it down to 2ft.

--
Kay