lilac bush

[ladyjae]

I have a 10 year old Lilac bush that needs to be moved. The shovel is not getting deep enough to transplant. What do I need to do to move this bush?

[rainbowgardener]

You didn't say where you are located or how soon the bush has to be moved.

Really what should have happened is that it should have been root pruned last fall to be moved in spring. If your shrub has not leafed out yet you could still do it now and move the shrub in the fall.

Here's an article about the process. It talks about trees, but the same is true for large shrubs.:

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modzz/00001778.html

[ladyjae]

Thank you for the reply. I am in Colorado. So pruning the roots is the trench that is made around the plant in the fall? The article did not say how deep the trench needs to be. The buds have just started to open the last couple of days so it looks like I will be waiting until next year. I do appreciate your reply and wonder now if its worth moving. The bush is in too much shade and I am not getting very many blooms on it anymore. Thus the reason to move it to a sunny area.

Thank you in advance for your help