Yes, they would be expected to wilt due to cutting of the roots while in leaf. This is a frequent outcome for digging established deciduous shrubs during the growing season. The leaves may now go on to shrivel. All you can do is keep the shrubs watered and mulched. And maybe rig up some temporary shading of the tops. New leaves may come out before fall.

You may have to dig out a substantial rootball.
I removed a very mature Rose of Sharon earlier this spring and we had a heck of a time getting the thing out. Granted, it was very old, but the main taproot went down four full feet and was easily four inches in diameter.
Major diggin'.

Hopefully they weren't left with the roots to bake in the sun, waiting for the digging to be finished. It's hard to say without knowing a bit more. I agree with the suggested shade & water advice.

YOU AGAIN ...!!!!

will it ever cross your mind to find or buy ... SMALL THINGS???

and plant them in the right season

what happened to all of last years??? wasnt there a 50 foot oak.. etc ...

ken

Yeah, major diggin. All five have been dug out and transported 40 miles to their their new home and planted and watered. I'll be able to hit the mulch dump tomorrow.

Rootballs were kept covered as much as possible, but a lot of dirt fell off during loading and moving. The smallest was about 80 lbs, the largest at 130. My good excuse for not working out this weekend...

All the water this week will be coming from my hose, the forecast is for light rain tonight, the rest of the week is clear. Ow.

Any suggestions for shading, as all are in locations that receive a lot if sun? Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of getting rolls of fiberglass screening to wrap them with. Better ideas are welcome!

Most of the big stuff I've dug out is doing good. The 12' burr oak never made it, but it wasn't possible to get a good rootball, was mostly tap roots. The 6' pear lasted about 4 months before it gave up. It's companion is fruiting this year. The little guys are doing well, but they are a long way behind the bigger ones that were dug out with good rootballs.

Thanks for all the useful commentary, it IS appreciated!

vince, aka water boy

Good for you Vince...keep on trying. My nephew landscaped his entire yard from transplants taken from my yard...many at inopportune times into not so hot soil. Not everything took, but several years he has a beautifully landscaped yard...many people stop and comment. I admire those who don't mind hard work and the challenge.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It sounds like you're doing what you can with what you have in the best way you know. One can't do any more than that.

For shade, anything is better than nothing. A folding table on its' side, a sheet tied to poles (shepherd hooks around?,) your beach umbrella, if all you can shade is the roots, that's worth doing, IMO.

Something like burlap or nursery shade cloth supported on posts or stakes.

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. I enjoy working on my yard (glutton for punishment), and the plants I get are often not easy to find at the stores, or often not at a cheap price, even for a small size.

The shrubs are all about 5' high, and at least 2.5-3' in diameter. I'm also going to check some local fabric stores to see what they might have and what it costs. They are all located in an area without large trees that is fairly breezy, and often has a west wind coming right out of the farm fields. It would be tough to build a good screen that would stand up to the wind, and I think I may end up wrapping them loosely in a sort of cocoon.

vince

Okay, so they were all watered and mulched by Monday evening, and by Wednesday they were all draped in burlap. Thanks to bboy for the burlap suggestion, it was easy to find and drapes easily. The wilting seemed to have stopped once they were in the ground. Now they wait and see how they do. Be nice if Ma Nature helped out with some rainy days.

Any comments on how long they should stay wrapped up?

Thanks again for giving me yet yet another chapter in my plant education!

vince

You could remove the shading when they start to flush some new growth. That will probably take somewhere between 3-6 weeks, I'm guessing.

Agree, just keep an eye on them. Pics? And where does one find burlap? I'm missing something I think...

Its kinda late and it sounds like they are past the initial shock, but what I would have done is cut off about 2 feet of each branch *before* digging. That way less foliage requires less roots to support it.

If you feel they are still struggling too much, you can still do that.

The opposing view will say that you don't want the plant to expend energy making new growth and healing pruning cuts because it should be spending its energy making new roots. I take the other view that it takes more energy to support the existing excess foliage.

Back on the Rose of Sharon topic... They are widening the road just 1/4 mile from my home. (In western North Carolina) Many Homes were bought along the roadside to be torn down to make way for the wider road. Several homes have trees and shrubs and this (summer) July, it has been a free for all! Everyone and grandmas have been going through the yards of the homes torn down and cleaning out all plants, shrubs, and trees. I personally found a home with over 11 rose of Sharon trees/bushes. Each at approx 6 feet or more in height. Now, I have so far managed to transplant only 2. The two were in very difficult soil conditions. The soil at this place is hard as nails and full of quarts stone. The only way to remove from these areas of poor digging conditions we found was to use tow straps, wrap the base with slick plastic so as not to damage cambium layer And pull out with my truck, gently. Successfully and hard to believe but we got 95% of the root ball including the tap without the strap sliding up the trunk and stripping off the bark or cambium layers. We Planted just yesterday with a mere 1/4 mile to my home it was a fast transplant. The only time roots were exposed was the time it took to dig. We covered the ball during transport. We dug the hole deep and wide. Obviously we planted as deep as it was originally. But to allow the roots ease of expansion we made lose of soil all around the ball. Far wider than existing. Now in nearly Perfect soil conditions especially in comparison to its original. I'm looking at it this morning and I have not seen any wilt so far (fingers crossed). However it is July. So I will post back very soon on its progress. Because it was literally around the corner from its original home and was only out of ground about 25-35 minutes while we dug we may have succeeded. I will inform more once and if it survives.

Did it survive?? Now I need to transplant due to pool install ...