Lancashire,
United Kingdom 
The bed i am wanting to do is all overgrown, it has Photinia Red Robin which i want to keep but has a fir tree growing into it...can i move this to another part of the garden? also a fatsia japonica needs moving , and 2 Weigela's , Cornus , also there is a small acer and a Nandina , we only moved here in September and have only just got round to sorting the garden, everything looks very healthy but some of these are "hidden" by the others ,any advice gratefully received. Also it has hellebores under the tree which can hardly be seen ..can i move these too?
26 Mar, 2012
Answers
If the fir is not too large and you don't want it.....take it off at the bottom....the root will rot down in time. Firs will not tolerate moving. Dappled shade is the natural habitat for Hellebores. They would probably resent being moved. Most shrubs can be cut well back at the correct moment to do so (Google). It is a lot of work to move them and you will probably lose them in the moving. A lot of hard work too....maybe for no good result. Other alternative is to start over again with your own carefully chosen and planted choices. About 3 years later they will be growing away well and all your own handiwork too. Sorry OJIB it was blank when I started typing!
27 Mar, 2012
Hellebore leaves left over from last year need to be cut away as soon as you see the flowers starting to appear. New leaves will soon pop up but in the interim you can enjoy your flowers. Weigela is easy to take cuttings from. It will flower next year from a cutting this year. It can be cut back almost to ground level without damaging the bush. They are normally pruned back two thirds after flowering and flower on the growth made this year, next year. If you want to do a major cut back forget this years flowers and do it now. Cornus tends to grow in clumps so you might be able to rescue outside fresh young growth without the need to move the whole clump. The pruning regime for it says cut back one third of the stems each year to retain the colour of the stems in winter. Now is the time to do that too. The photinia red robin can be cut back hard to the size you want and it will delight you with fresh red leaves. Fir trees are cheap and if this one is in the way chop it. It is possible it was a self sown seedling anyway. The advice given above by others is sound. Once you get rid of some of the overgrowth you can reassess the situation.
27 Mar, 2012
Many thanks for the replies, most helpful , the fir tree can go! the Photinia has new red leaves everywhere already can it still be cut back? what about moving the Nandina? and the weigela? there is also a Laurel can this be moved? i really do appreciate all this advice thanks so much.
27 Mar, 2012
That's ok, Dorjac. It all helps!
27 Mar, 2012
As already said, whether you move these plants or not is largely dependent on how mature they are currently. You may lose them, and it's certainly not the time to move them now the weather is warm and they're actively growing. If the weigela is out of hand prune it back severely now - you will lose this year's flowers, but have a better shaped shrub which will flower next year. Yes, the Photinia can still be cut back if its too large where it is.
If the Nandina is 'Firepower', the smaller version, then you might get away with moving it now, provided you keep the roots intact with a very large rootball and water well in its new position. If its the larger variety and it's already 6 foot, you may lose it.
As for the laurel, do you mean Aucuba or Prunus laurocerasus, and how large is it currently?
27 Mar, 2012
The good news is that you have some nice plants there. The less good news is that this is not a good time to move them, because they will all be actively growing just now.
How old/large are these plants, TGJ? Were they there before you arrived? I ask because, when it comes to a better time for moving them, the size and age will be an important factor.
27 Mar, 2012