Should I "bury" a shrub or replant it?

Hi, I'm looking for advice about what to do with a flower bed whose level I need to raise.
It's a bit tricky to describe but due to a new patio being built I now have a flower bed (with 3 shrubs in) which is too low and I want to raise the level by about 5-6 inches by addding some topsoil and compost. The three shrubs are a vibernum, a cottoneaster and a kerria (all about 4ft tall).
My question is: is it ok to just add the topsoil which would effectively bury the lower 5 inches of these shrubs? Or should I lift them all and replant them? What do people think?

Many thanks for all suggestions.

 

Hello MJA
None of the genera you mention are particularly difficult ; they will simply generate new roots just below the soil level !
Incidentally , welcome to the forum !

 

Thank you!

 

Much the same as PaulB. You couls perhaps have a go at pricing the shrubs up a bit, but as said you should be safe.

 

Hiya MJA

those shrubs are not too big to move and all 3 will transplant well at this time of year.

The right way is to replant and this is what I would do esp if they havent been in place for too long. Not good garden practise to simply pile up soil around plants....6" or so is quite a lot esp if you decide to mulch too.

Besides, you may value the opportunity to space them differently

Kerria suckers quite a lot.....usually along the surface of the soil. If you move this you will see these suckers and you can sever them and pot them up. Burying the roots could produce suckers all over the place

So, for me, do the job properly MJA and replant