The expense of transplanting large trees and plants is enormous, the project director says. It costs thousands of dollars to move one large conifer, money that could be used to purchase many smaller trees. A paperbark maple, for instance, and a fernleaf beech. Moving plants takes expertise so the staff has turned to consultants all over the country to troubleshoot potential problems, says Donna Minch, USU coordinator for off-campus horticulture programs. Workers began pruning the roots of some of the large trees nearly a year ago to help them better survive transplanting this fall, Anderson says.
Timing is a factor, too.
The USU Botanical Garden was established in 1954 as a research facility for horticulturists. Over the years, that function continued, but Anderson says the garden also became a showplace where visitors could stroll the grounds and look at all sorts of plants. When Utah State learned the garden would be claimed by a new interchange on U.S. 89, options included abandoning the project altogether or searching for a new site, Anderson says. Although USU didn't initiate the move, he says, folks are now excited about the opportunities at the garden's new home. Colo. Such large, native Rocky Mountain trees are hard to come by, says Chris Kershow, director of horticulture at the Alpine Botanical Garden in Aspen.