Planting trees and shrubs.

The old school, which still stands, was dig a hole twice the width of the ball or container and twice the depth, but when you are handling a 2" or larger caliper tree it’s not easy to pull it out of the hole if you guesstimated wrong so use your shovel to measure the hole against the root ball to make certain the crown of the tree will not be sitting beneath the soil level, either in the garden bed or in the lawn area of the yard. Tools needed. Long handled shovel, bone meal, and cow manure. If you are planting in a continually moist area make certain the crown of the plant sits higher than the ground level so water runs away from the plant, but not too high as to expose the roots. When planting deciduous plants make certain, before planting, that you prune or trim back the top growth. If it is a tree cut back the main leader and any side branches, if it is a shrub prune out the branches that grow inwards and prune the weaker of double branches that grow outwards. Evergreen are different, they just need their leaves watered regularly. Before you slip the plant in the hole, mix in cow manure with the existing lose dug out soil. A bag per tree, 1/3rd of bag per container. Do not try to fit the plant in the hole similar to putting on your shoes. Sweat never hurt anyone. Do not use a shoe horn because you need friable soil around the diameter of the root ball so the roots can grow uninterruptedly into a better planting medium than the existing soil. Plop the ball in the hole, after shoveling the new mixture into the bottom so the crown sits at ground level then tap the lose soil down with the handle of the shovel, not your foot. After you backfilled half way around the diameter of the hole flood it with water and put in a hand full of bone mean per one gallon container and spread it around the diameter. After the water soaks in continue backfilling and tamping down the soil. Once you reach ground level with the excess soil, build a saucer around the diameter of the plant then water again. With any soil left over soil distribute where needed in the garden bed. After planting, plants need to be watered regularly and how often depends on your weather factors. You will have to determine that based upon heat and sunshine. Thoroughly once a week in most instances is plentiful except for evergreens which should have their leaves sprayed at least twice a week. If you are fortunate to have a sprinkler system, please do not set it to run in the afternoon, because you are wasting water and throwing money down the toilet. Set it to run after 9 P.M., once every three days and use a drip system for plants. For those who have heavy clay soil, water the area thoroughly two nights before planting, because digging will be a lot easier. When I did design/build I never staked trees except in windy locations, just trim out the top growth of trees so it doesn’t offer resistance, except of course for evergreens.

Cold frames

Most people cannot afford a greenhouse either because of finances or lot size, but now is the time to consider constructing a cold frame especially in the northern zones to get a head start on your planting season to increase either the color of your garden beds or vegetable garden. This is a file from Garden Gate magazine, http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/main/pdf/coldfram.pdf, by the way which is a good publication to subscribe to if you are a novice or an expert or if you have the time to dream. Back was I was young they used to spread fresh manure at the bottom of the cold frame to raise the heat and they used the old winter window sashes that most newer homes don’t have as the cover because the cover must be adjusted for outside temperatures. For people with young children place chicken wire over the glass so if the child should happen to fall the damage might not be as severe. Please do not use plastic because you might regret it, unless you have children. Some garden centers use cold frames to winter over tender perennials that they propagated earlier in the year. Many use it to root cuttings, instead of a greenhouse with a mist system setup. Some use shade cloths to protect the plants from burning in the summer. Only use exterior plywood and paint it, because Mother Nature can raise havoc on wood products if not protected.

Transplanting

Moving trees and shrubs into a garden bed or standing alone can be a time consuming process when it is done right. The one thing everyone should be careful of is the size of the root ball. Generally the digging should start at least from the bottom of drip line of the branches around the circumference of the plant. Start digging clockwise around the plant putting the soil aside and when you believe you have reached the bottom of the roots attempt to undercut the bottom of the root ball. I use a “sharp shooter” a short handled shovel with a concaved blade that sprinkler people use because it has a narrow blade. Getting on your knees close to the soil is the only way to be successful, not standing up. The plant can be rocked to get to the very bottom but no too hard as to crap out the ball or when the soil breaks away from the roots. Even if that does happen not all is lost. Be careful to prune the roots whether the ball craps out or not. Also before attempting to move the plant the top growth should be cut back, on deciduous plants, as well to prevent moisture loss from transplanting. The best time to transplant is when the plant is dormant, including evergreens, when the ground is not frozen, which is usually in the winter or in spring before new growth occurs. Plants can be moved anytime of the year, but the one thing that is a necessity is making sure the plant gets watered and that there are no air pockets in the soil when backfilled. Use the end of your shovel, not your feet, to tamp down the backfilled soil after watering. It looks messy but a plant can dry out if there are air pockets. If windy make sure you water because the wind can result in evaporation, just like with humans, but chapstick will not work on plants. It is not necessary to stake trees after transplanting even in a garden bed, but if it is in a windy location stake the tree. There are pluses and minuses to either staking or not. When I did design/build I never staked trees, I just made certain the tops were pruned back and made certain the evergreens got water on the leaves. If the ball should crap out when transplanting make certain you sit the plant in water before re-planting and prune, prune, prune, and keep your fingers crossed.

Gardening

If you are a new homeowner whose never had a garden before make certain you don’t undertake too much at first or you will get depressed. Digging up sod to plant a garden is labor intensive, plus you need to put the dug up sod someplace. Secondly if you never planted in a garden go to a local garden center to see what plants they are selling. Not a big box store, although HD does have a magazine of plant material, it costs, to get an idea of how large plants can get, because even when you purchase a one gallon container that is not indicative of a mature plant. Also be aware that ground covers can spread enormously if you have the proper soil conditions so pruning every year is a necessity. I like euonymous, contoneaster and juniper because they will eventually cover a wide expanse and although it is necessary to have contrast in a garden bed, perennial, deciduous, and evergreen you must take into account the plants spreading abilities and prune during the dormant or winter season. Depending on the plant variety it is also good to clump three varieties together to get a visual impact. I myself do not like to plant varieties that many people shape because it ruins the overall effect of the garden bed, plus it draws attention to the sheared plant, good in a formal garden but not in a natural setting as most homeowners are trying to attain. Some perennials can be raised from seed but unless you have the proper lighting and bottom heat your task might not be rewarded. Ask a friend or neighbor if you can get “a piece” of a plant from their garden to root yourself. Rooted cuttings of woody or evergreen plants are also time consuming. I like hemlock but that is a plant that is finicky to root. It must be done in August and taken from old wood and unless you have a greenhouse or cold frame the odds of success are nil. I have Eastern Redbud and their seeds are blown far and wide so look for seedlings sprouting up around your property. The same for dogwood and crape myrtle at least in NC. If you have good soil conditions the odds are great seedlings will sprout up in the most unlikely places and not necessarily near the parent plant.

Off Topic

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Thought this might interest some folks.

Biostack® Composter available at Smith and Hawkin. www.smithandhawken.com Easy to use and great to transport. Before this I used wire mesh which was messy.

Columbine.

Another perennial is Columbine which can be started from seed and once planted in the garden bed and after flowering, the seed heads will germinate and shoot up babies the following spring and these can be transplanted, primarily in the fall, but the plants must be staked because they die back in order to find the seedlings to transplant. The Columbine is the state flower of Colorado. It is one of the first perennials to bloom in the spring and the multicolored flower heads will brighten your day.

Spring is coming to Charlotte, NC

A neighbors house whose front yard faces south has daffodils blooming and the red maple's buds are about to burst, but the nights are still near freezing.

FYI

If you live in North Carolina or contemplating a move to it visit http://lakeroyalencfsbo.blogspot.com