Is it possible to move a pinus flexillis "Vanderwolf's Pyramid" five or six years old? I also need to move a rhodendron 2-3 years old, "Phyllis Korn", as the spot it's in is too windy. Is this a good time of year to move it?
Possible, but depending on how large it has got, you'll probably need to hire someone with a tree spade. The root ball needed for successful moving is likely to be much larger than you can handle without machinery.
Might be possible to transplant it more or less bare-rooted, if done soon and without it drying out. Not usual to move nursery conifers without soil balls, yet perhaps millions of bare-rooted conifer seedlings have been planted on reforestation projects. In general it is better to leave behind soil than roots, when a choice has to be made. Cutting a root system down to a small size in order to achieve an intact soil ball becomes counterproductive after a point.
