Moving established plants

"Established" might be a bit of a stretch, but I am concerned. Let me explain. In my evolving native shrubbery bed in the backyard I have been planting for 3 or 4 years, mostly by whim, without a solid vision or plan. What vision I did have assumed a somewhat uniform growth rate among the plantings. Near the center of the bed I have two beautyberries (Callicarpa americana) that have become the focal point. They are magnificent and seem to be as content as they could possibly be in their environment. They have grown to a spread of around 4-5 feet each and a height of 2+. Between them, and far too close to one is my buckeye (Aesculus glabra). It was planted the same time - I think 3 springs ago - but it's slow growth rate and spindly fall appearance doesn't harmonize with the beautyberry. It is twin trunked, with each trunk under an inch in diameter. Behind the same beautyberry that the buckeye is crowding is a shrubby St. John's wort (Hypericum prolificum). The SSJW was also planted at the same time and was quite spectacular this year, with much more vigorous growth than previous seasons and a beautiful blossoming. It's seed pods make a much more pleasant fall show than the naked buckeye. The main trunk is still under an inch in diameter, but it has a spread of probably 2-3 feet.

My first goal is to not kill anything. What I would like to do, within that first goal, is move the buckeye to someplace less prominent in the bed, where it can slowly develop into its glory. Then move the SSJW centered between the two beautyberries. Which raises the following questions for the DG brain trust:

1) Should I give up the plan to move the buckeye and SSJW because they've been in the same spot for almost 4 years?

2) If the collective wisdom is that they should survive a move, when is the best time of year to move them? My instinct is to do it late fall when they are fully dormant.

3) I would like to prune off the less dominant trunk of the buckeye and develop it into a single trunk tree. If I move it, should I do that at the same time, or wait until it is reestablished?

The bed has been aggressively amended and mulched for 4 years, so even though it is clay based, it should be relatively easy digging, and I have all the equipment I could possibly need to move large root balls.

Your advice is appreciated.

First thing: Wait until October to move anything, or even November in your area. For anything you plan to transplant, it would be helpful to root-prune them ASAP. Just use a spade to dig straight down all around each plant just as if you were digging it out of the ground right now, but don't actually pop them out. You will be cutting the roots and forcing them to start growing a more dense root system. So, when you do really transplant them, they will experience less transplant shock AND have a better root system. I try to root-prune the spring before I plan to move anything, but now is better than never!

Yes, go ahead and cut off the extra trunk of the buckeye when you move it. Fall is safer than spring when the wound might bleed too much sap.

If you've got the equipment, moving your tree and shrub should be a cinch. Water everything deeply the day before the big move, even if they are leafless.

Let us know how it works out! Good luck.

Thanks! Timing was about what I expected, but I hadn't thought of root pruning.