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The Secrets Of Planting Shrubs And Trees

October 1st, 2009 1 comment
by Marshall Clewis

Most of the planting is done in the spring, between the time the frost leaves the ground and the time the leaf buds break on deciduous trees and shrubs. You may plant evergreens a week later as they do not usually start new growth as early as deciduous plants. In the fall, plant evergreens, herbaceous perennials and bulbs before the middle of September. Plant deciduous trees and shrubs a little later, when their leaves are ready to fall.

Care on Arrival

When the shrubs arrive from the nursery, unpack them and report immediately any discrepancy in the order or condition of the stock. If the material cannot be planted immediately, dig a trench and pack the roots close together in it, covering them with earth packed down firmly to exclude air. Evergreens that have the roots tightly balled and burlapped may be stood in the shade and sprinkled with water but not soaked.

Digging and Filling the Holes

Dig the holes before you prepare the plants to go in them. It is very important to keep the roots moist at all times, and they will dry out if you have them lying in the sun or wind while you dig the hole. Dig the holes wide enough that the roots can be spread out naturally, and deep enough that 3 to 4 inches of good topsoil can be placed in the bottom and still allow the plant to be set about 1 inch lower than it grew before.

Hold the plant in place while you fill in good topsoil over the roots. Gently shake the plant up and down two or three times to help settle the earth around the roots. Then tamp the soil down firmly. Soak it with water and as soon as it has settled fill the hole with soil; leave a saucerlike depression around the plant to hold future water, which it should receive at least once a week until it is established.

When planting evergreens do not remove the burlap from the roots. Place topsoil in the bottom of the hole to hold the ball at the right height. Remove the cord or nails that hold the ball together and roll the burlap back gently into the bottom of the hole, where it will rot in time. Then add soil and water as above.

Bracing

Small trees should be staked and large trees guyed with wires at the time they are planted to avoid being swayed by the wind. Make sure that the stake does not rub the tree and that wires and ties do not chafe it.

For small trees from 8 to 10 feet tall, drive a 2 x 2 inch hardwood stake (about as long as the tree) firmly into the bottom of the hole before planting the tree. Place the tree 2 to 3 inches from the stake so that the roots are not scraped. After the tree has been planted, tie the trunk to the stake about a foot from the ground and again every 3 feet, using a piece of rubber hose between them in a figure 8 and then making a loop around the two.

For guy-wiring larger trees, drive three or four short stakes into the ground about 5 feet from the tree on opposite sides. So that the tree will not be scraped, run the wires through a piece of hose placed around the tree 8 to 10 feet from the ground.

Pruning

Prune deciduous shrubs, shasta daisies and trees at planting, to balance the roots they have lost and to train their shape. When pruning shasta daisies and trees, remove some of the branches close to the trunk. Leave the main leader going straight up, with branches 6 to 12 inches apart ascending but alternating evenly around it. Remove broken branches and any that are crossed.

When pruning shrubs, remove weak, twisted or broken branches at the base. Also, cut back the strong canes to a point just above a leaf bud that points outward, so that the new branches will not cross.

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Various methods have been published on pruning shasta daisies. Most of these methods can be found on our evergrowing library at http://www.zone10.com/shasta-daisies.html. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
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How To Care For Shrubs And Hedges

September 24th, 2009 No comments
by Marshall Clewis

Shrubs

Flowering shrubs are roughly of two types, those which should be pruned in the spring and those which should be pruned after blooming.

Shrubs like Mock orange, Tartarian Honeysuckle and Van Houttei Spirea bloom in the spring and they should not be pruned until after blooming.

Later flowering shrubs such as Hydrangea should be spring pruned to shape up the plant and encourage new growth on which the bloom will appear.

Dead and injured wood should be first cut out and the amount of trimming decided on afterwards.

Old growth can be cut out at ground level and then new growth headed back to provide a rounded compact appearance.

Shrubs such as Azalea, Deutzia, Smoke Bush and Weigelia should only be very lightly pruned, if at all.

Bush clover, Buddleia, Spirea, Anthony Waterer or Spirea billardi and summer flowering Hydrangeas should be cut right back to the ground in the fall to prevent winter kill.

As with other plants, shrubs should be fertilized, and treated for insects and disease control regularly. Green Cross Shrub and Evergreen Dust is a handy, ready to use control for most common pests.

Hedges:

When new hedge plants are set out, they should be headed back quite severely in order to promote “Bushing Out” at the base. The sides of individual plants touching each other should also be cut back to promote interlocking growth.

Another point to bear in mind from the beginning is that the sides of the hedge should be wider at the bottom than at the top, so that the lower foliage can obtain adequate sunlight. This is especially important with evergreen hedges in order to prevent holes or gaps in the lower part of the hedge later on.

Where informal hedges are being grown, one clipping in early spring is often sufficient except with fast growing hedges such as Chinese elm.

With formal hedges, the first trimming should be done in late spring or early

summer, this being to shape the hedge up. This should be followed by a second

trimming about one month later, or when there is 1-2 inches of new growth showing.

It might be noted that summer clipping tends to check growth and may weaken plants whereas dormant pruning favors wood production.

Practice summer trimming only on healthy, vigorously growing hedges.

Evergreens tend to start spring growth a little later than deciduous plants and so should not be trimmed as early. Cedar hedges may be trimmed in September after growth has ceased thus they require but one clipping per year.

When trimming hedges, clippers should be sharp so that young shoots are cut cleanly and not bruised. Cutting the sides first allows top clippings to fall clearly to the ground.

An annual spring dose of fertilizer together with underground sprinklers will aid greatly in maintaining a healthy, vigorous hedge. As hedge plants tend to compete with each other for moisture it is important that the hedge be well watered and putting underground sprinklers, during dry periods. Evergreen hedges should never be allowed to go into the winter season with the soil in a dry condition otherwise severe windburn and winter-kill may result.

Privet Hedges:

Hedges of privet are often killed back to ground level by the winter in many parts of Canada but they usually re-grow in a satisfactory manner if the dead wood is removed. Some varieties of privet are very sensitive to some insecticides, so, check with your local nursery or garden center before applying any chemical. If used on the sensitive varieties, the leaves may be severely injured and drop off the plants.

About the Author:
Find out for yourself why so many people are interested in underground sprinklers. Visit us for lots of free information at http://www.zone10.com/underground-sprinklers.html.
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