General Planting Advice
 SHRUBS AND TREES
1.Check
light and soil requirements of your
plant. Remember, right plant, right place! We sell plants for all types of soil
and light conditions.
2. In
heavy clay soil: Prepare a large shallow area. NO
deeper than root ball. The wider the better. Remove any grass (turf) and
loosen the soil to twice/three times the width of the root ball. Add a little
organic matter. Your aim is to get the tree or shrub to grow into surrounding
soil--don't spoil the roots or they will never move out! Remember, if a tree
doesn't like heavy clay soil, it is never going to flourish. Avoid mixing sand
with clay. Carefully pack the soil around the root ball.
 Water the surrounding
soil to encourage root movement outwards.
In areas of poor drainage; plant a little higher. (see diagram on right)
The wetter the soil, the higher the plant ball should be. Drowning kills an
awful lot of plants!
4. Stake plants only when necessary. Staking tends to slow a plant's
development down.
5. Fertilize in spring, but stop nitrogen-rich fertilizing by mid-summer.
This allows any new growth to harden up before frost.
6. Protect tender bark from rabbit and deer damage by wrapping in early
winter. Remove the wrap in spring.
7. Take care with trimmers, lawn mowers etc. Do not damage bark.
8. Mulch soil but avoid getting mulch on the trunk. KEEP MULCH
6” AWAY.
9. Use Superthrive to encourage better roots and vigor.
PERENNIALS
Choose
plants according to soil conditions. For a full range of perennials, we always
prepare the soil to 2 feet with at least 50% organic amendments. This may seam
like a lot of work, but it leads to tremendous success. Plant carefully at the
same height as it is in the container. Be careful to remove all air pockets
around the new plant, with good soil. The more effort spent in improving soil,
the easier your garden is to maintain. If watering is necessary, do so in the
morning. Don’t spray the foliage and do not over-water. The worse time to
water and get the foliage wet, is in the evening.
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