Well, it's done; the morello cherry tree has moved from the center of its bed to the back, next to the fence. The husband dug it up and moved it (I supervised) last weekend. Hopefully it'll like its new position.
I initially planted the tree several years ago when that bed was mainly ornamentals; the spot where it now resides had a large hardy fuschia. That fuschia grew leaves upon leaves, but hardly any flowers--and those that did manage to form were tiny. Seeing as it lacked the main attraction of fuschias (i.e. flowers), when our neighbor replaced the fence I gave him permission to dig it up.
Losing the fuschia really opened up the space and made me consider that section of the garden for a vegetable patch. Last winter I suggested we move the rest of the perennials, and a couple of roses and peonies went to new beds further away--but we kept putting off the cherry and eventually it was too late to move it. Buds formed and I didn't want to risk overstressing it; I resolved to move it as soon as it went dormant this winter. In summer I pruned it flat on one side to make it easier to grow against a fence; I watched it every day through November for leaf fall. Finally the day came.
Although he had to cut through quite a few roots, the husband managed to get it out and replanted about four feet away. I imagine we won't get much of a harvest from it next summer, but the space it's vacated will no doubt give us a good yield of vegetables; an acceptable trade off. And I'm sure in subsequent years we'll get our 5 pound cherry harvest once more.
And if it dies after all that--well, it only cost £20. I think we can afford to replace it.
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