Question: We have a chance to move some trees and shrubs that will be lost during a construction project. We know that winter is the time it’s normally done. Can they be moved at other seasons?

Answer: With varying success. It’s best to confine all transplanting to the time when the plants are completely dormant (after the first hard freeze in early winter, until buds start to swell in late winter). January is an ideal target month for all transplanting in all parts of Texas. However, if a plant has only been growing in its current location for a few months (up to one year), you have better odds of succeeding, even during the growing season. Its roots will still be, for a large part, in the original soil ball. Whenever you do the transplanting, hold the soil ball together carefully, trim as needed to compensate for root loss, and keep the plant watered carefully for its first year or two in its new home.