Should you plant giant birds of paradise in a raised garden bed?

PatDIY_Dad

We planted these giant birds of paradise in our raised garden bed and the rear of it slid our timber dividing fence

We've seen how big they can get with our friends backyard ( although they never really maintained them) and they pretty no such grew huge and destroyed his brick retaining walls and rear colorbond fence 

We maintain them but only can trim off dead leaves

We can't control how big the trunk gets under the soil .... Or can we? If so how?

We are considering moving them elsewhere to avoid damage in future as our raised garden bed isn't even concrete set in

So if removing these is the best action to take what tools would I need to make it easier?

I have all your basic garden tools already 

Maybe I just need a recipicaing saw of that's ok to use in the ground to cut roots 

JacobZ

Hi @PatDIY_Dad,

Giant bird of paradise plants are stunning, but as you’ve seen with your friend’s garden, they can cause significant structural issues due to their large root systems. If your raised garden bed isn’t concrete-set and you’re already seeing movement in your timber fence, moving them elsewhere is likely the best long-term solution.

Unfortunately, you can't really control how large the trunk and root system will grow underground, as it’s part of the plant’s natural development. Regular maintenance like trimming dead leaves only helps with the above-ground portion, but the underground growth will persist. If the plants are near structures or fencing, removing them is a safer option.

Have a read through How To Move An Advanced Or Mature Tree as this will guide you with this project. 

In terms of tools, you'll really only need a decent long-handled shovel like this Spear & Jackson Long Handle Post Hole Shovel. You want to take the whole root ball with the plant, so avoid cutting as many roots as possible to limit the damage to the plant. If there are roots that you can't avoid cutting, a reciprocating saw with a pruning blade would certainly help, but you can likely manage with a hand saw or shears. 

Allow me to tag @Noelle and @mich1972 to see if they have any advice to offer on transplanting your giant bird of paradise.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob