During the off-season I took a series of landscaping classes at Longwood Gardens. The instructor was a landscape architect.

Most, if not all of us in the class, were amazed at the magnitude of the projects he did. To clarify the last sentence, magnitude and money start with the same letter.

At one point a brazen classmate asked what was the smallest project he had ever done. His answer was $500. The project consisted of planting one tree. My imagination isn't stretched too far by that number because today we have the ability to successfully move rather large trees. Large trees require large machinery, which easily equate to large bucks.

Whether your budget demands one tree or nearly a forest for $500 I'll offer a few thoughts.

If you are transplanting a large tree, it is most likely a job for a professional with the necessary equipment. What I can suggest is that a large tree takes a rather long time to recover from transplant shock and you need to be vigilant with attention, especially during dry periods.

The rule of thumb is that it takes one year for each inch of trunk size for the transplant to get acclimated. In other words, if the trunk diameter is three inches the tree will take at least three years to totally recover from transplanting.

If your budget aims at smaller trees, the question is how to successfully guide them to become the large tree that you want. Of course don't plant too deep, look out for circling roots and keep the mulch away from the trunk. We'll revisit this general topic again in the near future.

The real challenge is developing a strong stem and establishing the lowest limbs at the height you want. A sturdy stem should have a tapered trunk. If you can't see the taper your tree will be weak. To develop the desired taper you must keep the branches that form along the trunk.

That leads to the contradiction of having branches well below the height of the lowest desired permanent branches. The strategy is to let the lower branches grow but to head (remove) them maybe two feet from the trunk.

Even headed, these first branches will provide enough leaf surface to permit normal tree growth. Continue this process until you reach the height to let the first permanent branches grow. As the leaf surface advances up the trunk into the permanent branches, the headed lower branches can be removed.

Photo courtesy of North Carolina State University

Before you cut, notice that every branch will have a noticeable collar near where it joins the trunk. Cut close to but just outside the collar and the cut will heal quickly. The literature suggests cuts up to two inches in diameter heal quickly but I think you can get the job finished long before temporary limbs develop to that size.

Enough about trees for today. Let's talk about Longwood. If you are serious about gardening they offer lots of classes to enhance your knowledge and skills. I've done single sessions, multiple sessions and their college level certificate courses. I have yet to be disappointed.