The Season For Planting

In todays nursery market trees and shrubs are planted from early spring through late fall. Improvements in production technology and improved plant care knowledge have realistically about transformed our industry into a year around business. Generally speaking, spring, summer and fall are all good times to plant while winter is not. The key to successful planting at a given time is in understanding the nature of the given product item you are dealing with, how it has been grown and/or processed and its’ specific care needs when it is planted at a given time of the year. The best way to understand when something can be planted (and the associated risk of planting a product processed in a specific manner at that time) is to ask a knowledgeable nurseryman with extensive experience. As it is within any industry or discipline, any forward thinking, individual will constantly strive to improve their ability to deliver the highest level of quality at the most competitive price, at the right time to the customer. When they give you advice and a recommendation it will be based on a combination study and experimentation within their marketplace and will represent what they have found works best for the given situation and timeframe. We at Country Arbors suggest you contact us to discuss your planting needs and objectives and then at that point we can assist you in effectively accomplishing these needs.

Where To Plant

After the decision is made to plant, the first decision made must be where to plant it. The primary objective of planting a plant is enhance and beautify your landscaping. To best assure this is accomplished one needs to plant the plant where its opportunity for growth won’t be impeded by lack of sunlight, soil drainage problems, overhead or underground utilities, buildings or other obstacles. One first must know what the natural mature size of a given plant is, then select a site which will allow the plant to grow to its mature size without impeding upon other items or structures. As a general rule large landscape-sized trees should be planted a minimum of 15 feet away from obstructions and shrubs should be planted a minimum of 5 feet away. Plants enhance the beauty of your landscape and increase the value of your property; therefore there is nothing sadder than, after years of developing it’s natural beauty, one has to remove the plant or alter its beauty through severe trimming only because the initial decision of where to plant it was not well thought through.

Ensuring Livability

The next series of decisions are to insure the plant is provided with the best possible opportunity to grow. All growing things grow best when placed in the most conducive growing environment. Realistically it is impossible to provide every plant the “perfect” location. This is due to many reasons, the main one being each plant has its own set of needs, many of them extensively different. Providing such a location would result in the use of a very limited selection of plants when the area of use is restricted to the typical average home acreage, its geographical location, etc. Fortunately plants are very versatile and most can adopt to a range of conditions. Otherwise, usually it’s more in assuring one is planting in conditions containing no extremes than it is assuring perfection. Some of the other major considerations of importance are:

Environmental:

• Soil Type (Quality Of)
• Water (Quantity, Quality, Run Off)
• Light (Intensity, Duration)
• Temperature (Sheltered Area vs. Open Area)
• Wind (Sheltered Area vs. Open Area)
• Lay Of The Land (Elevation and Slope)
• Existing Vegetation (Existing Canopies, Roots, Etc.)

Hardiness

• Cold and Heat Tolerance
• Water and Drought Tolerance
• Soil Tolerance

Functionality

• Mature Size
• Growth Rate
• Longevity
• Disease Resistance

Identifying Your Planting Objectives

Common Objectives

All plants are planted with an objective in mind. All though wide-ranging and diverse, some of the most common objectives are:

Aesthetic Objectives

• Form
• Texture
• Color
• Flowering Habit

Ease of Care Objectives

• Minimum Care versus High Maintenance

Longevity and Growth Objectives

• Short Lived versus Long Lived
• Plant Hardiness
• Rate Of Growth

Understanding the Types of Planting Stock

Most plants are sold in one of three common forms of packaging. The type of packaging used is normally a reflection of the size of the plant being sold (Though not always).

These methods and some of the benefits and considerations of each are:

Balled and Burlapped (Hand or Spade Dug)

• Used For Larger Specimen Plants
• Retains More Root Mass

Container Grown

• Used for Shrubbery, Smaller Trees
• Longer Planting Season
• Greater Shipping Flexibility
• Less Transplanting Shock
• The Cash and Carry Norm

Bare Root

• Used for Trees, Shrubs, Roses, Fruits, Etc.
• Typically smaller sized material
• Typically easy-to-move items
• Low Cost
• Short (Spring) Planting Season

Once one has given consideration to the various needs and objectives presented above they will have taken the first step towards choosing plants which will best satisfy their needs and will know they have been chosen in a manner which will ensure they will perform to their maximum potential.

We at Country Arbors stand ready to assist you in understanding the features of any given plant, the locations where it will and won’t work, when it should be planted and the level of risk relative to livability and performance the plant has at the time of planting.

Planting Guidelines Part I: Pre-Planting Considerations - Last Update: 09.01.03 - 4