What you propose sounds reasonable, although other than controlling the size for ease of transplant, there is not much advantage to pruning them before moving. You should be aware that these do not take to transplanting readily - some plants just don't like being moved and heaths and heathers are included in this list - so your success is a bit of a gamble. I might wait until a bit later in the season as well - October is generally a better time in our climate for transplanting established evergreen shrubs.

Your response is more or less what I thought, which is why I was hoping there might be something I was unaware of. I think I'll wait a bit, as you have advised, and then risk the move by taking it one plant at a time, then watching for transplant rejection. It seems to me I tried it once before, and the result was not a happy one, or it could have been an observation I made about a neighbour's similar attempt.

Thank you,
Hanako2

I have moved several of my heathers, some of them more than once. I do it only in early to mid-spring, before growth begins and usually after I shear them (see below). I have learned that transplanting will retard the plant's top growth for that year, but not in following years. Be sure to get as much of the root ball as possible, and absolutely keep them well watered after moving them. (Since you have been growing heathers, I assume their horticultural requirements are well met.) I also dose the transplants with a systemic fungicide after transplanting as a precautionary measure.

Shearing and pruning: heathers benefit from having their tops (just below previous year's flowering) lightly sheared in their first three or four years in the ground; this prevents legginess, and plants grow fuller. As far as pruning, only cut out dead or diseased branches that have browned and withered (this sometimes happens, especially here in the NE). This does not set the plants back, and the removed sections will fill in within one to three years, depending on the severity of pruning, without evidence of damage.

I PUT 30 0R MORE BEDDING BEGONIAS IN MY ROCKERY THIS SUMMER AND THEY DIDN'T DO A THING,DIDN'T DIE DIDN'T GROW.THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF IS I HAD MY ROCKERY COVERED IN WOOD CHIPS BEFORE THEY WERE PLANTED.WOULD SOMETHING IN THE CHIPS DETER THEM?

I received an Italian Heather plant which came in a 6" to 7" pot that I would like to transplant to a larger planter. I am new to this plant and would love to keep it healthy and hearty, as it is so beautiful. What combination of soils and which kind should I use. It all seems so confusing to me. I live in Pennsylvania - hot sunny summers and cold winters. I still have it in it's original pot sitting in a planter...

That looks like Erica ventricosa. Actually a S .African species rather than Italian despite the common marketing game. It is not frost hardy so would die in your winters. You may find you have to treat it as a seasonal plant and accept losing it at the end of summer. Unless you have a cool greenhouse or very bright cool room in the house. As for repotting just use an ericaceous mix, if you really think it needs repotting. I would not put it in a container with a narrow neck because it will be very hard to get it out again without breaking the pot. Here's some info.