By Monjardinlra
Limousin,
France 
This little chap (see photo, someone kindly identified him for me as Hibiscus syriacus) has self-seeded without me noticing (the bed has other tall plants and I think this is the first year he has flowered). I can't leave him there (he's in a narrow bed about 18 in. wide, under a window! - and his cousins down the garden are small trees!) I'd love to move him if I could dig him out successfully. Will he move, do you think? - if so, into a pot as I would want eventually to pass him on to a neighbour? or into ground? - or is it not worth the effort? He is approx. 4 ft. tall and perhaps 3 years old. If he might move, when should I attempt this? Does he need special compost?
Thanks everyone for any help or advice! (seems a shame to kill him off if he's saveable - very pretty and the flowers welcome in this late Summer...)
30 Aug, 2012
Answers
You can certainly try moving him. I personally would put it into the ground.
late autumn/early spring is the best time. dig the new hole first, quite large and no smaller than the hole it will come out of.
mix compost in with the soil dug out as you replanting medium. Then dig it up with as much soil around the roots as you can manage to lift without hurting your back etc. pop into new hole to the same depth and back fill. water well.
if you want it in a pot then a big pot is aways going to be better.
30 Aug, 2012
Don't know abut the compost but might be best to wait until its gone dormant, and cut it down to half height before moving. Try to get as much root as you can. As it can't stay where it is you have nothing to lose.
See how much root there is when deciding on a pot!
30 Aug, 2012