Transplant advice

Hello All.
Six years ago we planted elderberry and hazelnut shrubs too close together. They are now badly crowding each other out and we need to move something. In the photo, which I hope I attached properly, the order is hazelnut, elderberry, hazelnut, elderberry. They are so crowded you kind of see nothing but the blooming elderberries…
This is our first hazelnut crop.
The elderberries have produced beautifully since year two. They are varieties that will fruit on first-year wood and can be pruned to the ground.  Because of this, I thought that moving the elderberry shrubs may make more sense, but I just don't know.

Advice please, on what, how and when to do relocation?

Also - pruning hazelnuts... can we? They are getting very large (8-9 feet tall, with loads of catkins at the tops of the branches; so would pruning this year lose us next year's crop...?)

We are in Mid-Michigan, zone 5A. Both planting sites are full sun. Where they all are now was richly ammended prior to planting. The new site tends toward clay.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Lynn. I grow lots of elderberries so I may can help. Every few years I chop and drop most of the plant. Canes older than that don’t produce very well but use up lots of energy. Given the wandering nature of the plant I’ll let it pop up a few feet away and that will be my new bush. This may work well in your case since you need some breathing room. Fresh canes will grow from the old spot. Either chop and drop or dig them up. They are very hardy root divisions. I now have elderberries growing in odd and otherwise unusable spots. I hope this helps.

Wandering indeed! - we're finding young pop-up volunteers all over the yard. You confirmed my hunch that moving the elderberries would be the best move. Thank you so much, Scott.

If anyone has pruning tips for Hazelnut shrubs (both how and when) I'd sure appreciate it. 😊

Lynn, it makes my day that I was able to help!