Planting shrubs
- Dig an individual hole wider than the rootball of your plant, wide enough to get a boot down each side when back-filling, but ensure that it is the same depth, no deeper; the top of the rootballs need to be at soil level once planted. If you plant your shrub too deeply it is likely to die. Where possible, dig a square hole to help prevent any future root spiralling.
- If you are planting a series of shrubs close together to create an informal hedge it may be easier to dig a trench rather than individual holes.
- If the plants have been supplied in plastic pots, or in green or white bags, these containers need to be removed prior to planting; if the roots appear to be at all congested or spiralling then these need to be loosened prior to planting.
- If the plants have been supplied as wire-wrapped rootballs DO NOT REMOVE THE WIRE from the rootball. Removing/cutting the wire from the rootballs will invalidate your guarantee.
- Back-fill the hole around the rootball with a mixture of the soil you dug out and a bulky compost; don’t mound soil up around the stems. You can add a little bonemeal or a controlled-release fertiliser at this stage if you wish. Don’t line the bottom of the trench with compost. If you are mound-planting (see further instructions) to avoid waterlogging then be sparing with compost in the trench, unless the soil is particularly impoverished, and use it for mulching instead.
- Water-in well following planting to fully hydrate the roots and to remove any air pockets. If this initial watering causes any settling of the soil around the rootballs then top up as necessary.