Dear fellow Midwesterners,
I need your advice on the following issue:
Over several years, I have planted a small tree and shrub garden by the front steps of my condo building in Chicago. This year, the condo association decided to conduct a major renovation of the building, which required that all trees be temporarily removed to allow the construction workers' access to the front walls. The association hired a contractor who promised to complete the work in a couple days. I complied with their decision, dug the plants out and placed them in plastic containers with the idea to replant them once the work is completed. Unfortunately, the contractor turned out to be a con man, and never showed up. Nevertheless, the association didn't abandon the renovation plans and hired another contractor who can start the work in six weeks from now. I am left with a dilemma: should I plant the trees back where they used to be, only to have them dug out AGAIN when the next contractor arrives, or should I try to preserve them in containers until the work is finally done? Which of the two solutions has a better chance for the plants' survival? Can you suggest another solution? The trees and shrubs in question include Japanese maple, burning bush, lilacs, azalea, yew, smoke bush, mimosa, spirea, cypress, pieris and barberry, all fairly young (about 5-8 years old) and small in size. Any advice is greatly appreciated.