| Q: We need to move an ill-positioned Japanese maple. We want to put a hydrangea where the Japanese maple now grows. The maple is about 4 feet tall and has been in the ground two years. Is it too late to transplant it? : It definitely is not too late. Leaves have just dropped, and the plant is approaching winter dormancy. Because the tree has been in the ground just two years, the roots have probably not grown a lot beyond the initial root zone. That means it won't be too hard to get up. Rake off the mulch and see how much of the original root ball you can locate. Then, a few inches or so outside that, dig up the root ball around its perimeter. Have a tarp or heavy-duty plastic to move the tree onto as soon as it is out of the ground. Move the tree by lifting the tarp. Do not carry the tree by the trunk; the root ball could be damaged badly. It's the root ball you must protect from breaking up during this transplanting. Use root-stimulating fertilizer to help the roots develop this winter. And keep it watered regularly once the leaves come out next spring. Of course those Knock Out roses will survive and prosper. Knock Outs are proving to be extremely reliable and terrific bloomers. In colder climates, plant them as long as the ground remains workable and you have the time and daylight to do the work. Both of these bulbs are popular, easy-to-grow plants in the winter. The reason they work so easily is that neither requires a long stretch of exposure to cold weather in order to break dormancy and bloom. You can grow either kind in a pot of soil or a vase designed to have the bulb sit just above the water level, its roots trailing into the water. Both do best in coo
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