Transplanting Cornus alternifolia seedlings

This is my first post to Dave's Garden, so please bear with me if I'm asking a question that's been answered a bazillion times. We live on several shaded acres on a hillside in Columbia County, NY. There are several truly lovely Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood) trees around the place, along with a number of small trees in varying stages of development (1-3 feet tall). I would like to transplant a few of these to a wooded area nearer the house, and perhaps to share with other folks. I plan to wait until fall to dig them up, and then I'll the plants into1 gallon nursery containers for the winter. Is anyone aware of any special care I need to take when I do this? I'm assuming I can use generic instructions for digging trees, but it never hurts to ask. Thanks for your help!

Hi there, welcome to Dave's!
I've moved other Dogwoods, but not this one... The only things I'm wondering are: will one gallon pots be big enough, and can you plant them where you want them this fall?

Welcome to DG!

A few things.
-- I understand puting them into containers for gifts, but why the extra step to transplant for yourself? Shocking the plant once is always better than twice.I think digging and planting in the fall, or digging and planting in the spring is a better option, and easier.

-- Even though I think overwintering them in pots would be an unnecessary step, You will have to protect the pots from the much wider temperature swings than it would experience in the ground. The ground temperature there never goes below 20F, even when air temps are at -15F. Sink the pots in the ground and mulch to moderate the temperature. Or put them in an insulated box in an unheated garage. And don't forget the varmint problems that you will have to plan for.

-- I too question if a 1 gallon container will be large enough for anything but a 1 foot tree. It is a good idea to wait until fall or spring to transplant. Generic instructions for digging should be fine.

-- Root pruning now will help to force new and more roots withing your proposed root ball. Already there are many roots that will be discarded when you dig, merely because they will be too long. Root prune while the trees are in the ground. You will miss some of the roots. That's OK. Take a relatively sharp shovel and cut the roots so they stay within the size of your proposed container. This will help you decide what size pot you will need.


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I have several pagoda dogwoods that I transplanted three years ago as very small seedlings that is now over 5 feet tall. I moved them when they had leafed out in the spring and were easier to identify. Since they are fast growing don't shy away from just picking smaller ones to transplant. This is a great plant that should be used more in landscaping.

David