Question
Is it too late to transplant trees now?

Answer
The short and most safe answer is yes it is too late. However, technically, you can transplant most trees year round. The reasoning behind not transplanting in late spring or summer is the extra risk associated with watering, heat stress and "leaf out" or growth spurts. It is best to transplant in fall after leaf drop and through winter to early spring before leaf out. During leaf out (Spring for most plants) the plant needs lots of water. I have transplanted trees in August but you have to water them like crazy and get a really good sized root ball.

Holly are particularly difficult to transplant so unless you have a tree spade and plan to really monitor the watering it is generally not a good idea. I personally would not try to transplant a holly till November even with all my experience.

Best of luck.

Sean J Murphy, LA

SouthEastern Engineering, INC
Civil & Transportation Engineering, Land Surveying, Planning and Landscape Architecture
www.seengineering.com