I just did this today! I am not gentle at all. I guress that I just hack away. Especially in bulb beds, I used a small hand rake to mark the bed line and then I just lightly tilled the soil with the hand rake, until I felt it was done sufficiently to amend the soil a little. Then I made a clear deviation for the bed. I used shredded paper to amend and aerate the bed a little. My bulbs are already shooting through the ground, and some I went ahead and thinned out and replanted. Again, not gingerly at all.
As far as the shrubs, I always figure that the roots are fairly rooted, as long as the shrub has been there a couple of seasons. If you were to work the ground down just a few inches 4-6 inches the roots shouldn't be disturbed, and if they are then your shrub likely needs to get deeper roots and replanting with a better root orientation may not be a bad idea. Giving you the opportunity to deepen the roots and the health of the shrub.
Good luck, sounds like you are about to do what I am attempting to do in our new yard right now!
As far as the shrubs, I always figure that the roots are fairly rooted, as long as the shrub has been there a couple of seasons. If you were to work the ground down just a few inches 4-6 inches the roots shouldn't be disturbed, and if they are then your shrub likely needs to get deeper roots and replanting with a better root orientation may not be a bad idea. Giving you the opportunity to deepen the roots and the health of the shrub.
Good luck, sounds like you are about to do what I am attempting to do in our new yard right now!
