Trees - The Basics

Planting

Many of the same rules apply to trees as to hedges.

Trees occupy the ground for many years; so their planting site needs to be prepared with care. It's advisable to begin with small, young trees. Young trees root better, grow quicker, and develop more strength than do old trees.

Prepare the ground by thorough double-digging; incorporate bone meal and well-matured compost. If you removed a section of grassy turf to make the planting hole, drop it into the hole, grassside down, before setting the tree in place and backfilling. Do not disturb the roots of container-grown trees when planting them, but gently spread the roots of bare-rooted trees.

Be sure to plant the tree at the right depth—neither too much trunk in the ground nor too much root near the surface; the best guide is the tide mark at the tree base—remember to plant grafted trees with the graft above ground.

Timing

Plant deciduous trees when they're resting. Between autumn and early spring is best, but avoid frosty or waterlogged ground. It's best to plant evergreens either in early autumn (when the soil is still a little warm) or early spring (when it soon will be). You can plant container-gown shrubs and trees can he planted at any time, but it's still best to plant them in spring or autumn.

Support

You can drive a stout stake deeply into the planting hole before placing a bare rooted tree. A diagonal stake driven in after the tree is planted is better for container-gown trees; a diagonal stake won't damage the root-ball.

Take care not to bind the tree too tightly to the stake; doing so can cause permanent damage as the trunk increases in girth. Using a naturally elastic material, such as a bicycle inner tube, fixes a tree securely to its stake without the risk of chafing or strangling it. Alternatively, you can use a guy-rope or construct a frame around the trunk. Soil type, species, and situation dictate the best method to use.

It's best to use a short stake to support the trunk: attaching the entire trunk to a long stake gives the young tree a “false sense of security”, and this results in a weak trunk. Planting young trees in a tube in order to shelter them or to get them off to a faster start also tends to produce a weak trunk; a sapling naturally responds to the wind by strengthening its trunk and roots to suit the conditions.

If you need to protect the young tree from gnawing animals, use a spirally constructed sleeve; this will do the job without interfering with natural flexion in the wind. It is good practice to transplant a tree the same way round compass-wise as it originally grew. Place the stake on the windward side.

Finishing

In a dry garden, it's useful to create a shallow depression around a new tree so that, when you water it, the water doesn't run away. In a wet garden, it can be better to make a slight hump to improve drainage.

Whatever the soil type, water the tree in thoroughly, adding more soil to make up for any settling; then mulch thickly around the base with a material chosen for water retention and weed suppression rather than nutrition—chipped bark. newspaper, or black plastic (according to your resources or aesthetic requirements), for example. If planted in warm weather, a leafy tree will also benefit from a sprinkling of water on the foliage at night.

Willow bank

You can harness the willingness of willow to make a natural earth bank; this gives shelter and makes an excellent sound barrier. If you can get a good supply of fresh willow cuttings, insert them in the ground in a double trench, with the dug-out soil piled between them.

In addition to rooting at the base, they will send roots into the piled-up soil and anchor it.As they grow, you can shovel more soil between the two rows; more roots will then form, and you can gradually build an earthen bank between a double row of willow trees.

Planting and staking a bare-rooted tree

The hole for a bare-rooted tree should be at least 4 in. (10 cm) wider than the root span. After digging and preparing the hole, hammer in a stout stake before placing the tree and spreading the roots gently; then attach the trunk to the stake with a wide, slightly elastic cord.

Staking a container-grown tree

Plant container-grown trees without damaging their roots. It's therefore best to stake them from outside the planting hole, using a diagonal stake crossing the trunk just below the mid-point. Another—particularly secure—method is to make a tripod arrangement to suit the tree's shape, such as a wigwam or the collar and three stakes illustrated. SEE FIGURE

Pollarding and coppicing

Almost any deciduous tree can be coppiced, although it's traditional to manage some species this way more than others. Begin a coppice "stool" by cutting down a mature tree (winter time is best) to leave a stump slightly above ground level. The stump will shoot out new growth. You can cull the new growth whenever it reaches a size to suit your needs—for building, fencing, carpentry, firewood, whatever. A coppice stool can produce timber for many years.

Making a willow bank

You can use readily rooting willow to create a variety of "instant" barriers.
Simply pushing willow wands into the ground will establish a row of trees; a row of paired 5 in. (1.5 cm) wands can be interlaced to make a last screen; and a double row with a batch of turfs or soil between will root into the soil and retain it—this can carry a hedge on top, making an excellent sound barrier.

Shading and cooling

As well as being used to block air movement, shrubs and trees can be arranged to direct and enhance air currents. This effect can be used to cool the air entering a house or greenhouse, or to create a favourable environment for heat-sensitive plants. At the same time as casting shade, tall overhanging vegetation also traps humidity; this too can be turned to useful effect.

One possibility is to establish a double row of trellised vines over a pergola to make a shady, humid tent or tunnel; this will permit sunlight to penetrate in winter when the vines are bare. In summer leaves will provide shade from strong sunlight and keep the air moist; this will protect delicate growth.

In, this arrangement, plant the vines with their roots well outside the pergola's uprights; this is to maximize the soil area available for under planting. A path, or even a small terrace, can run through the centre, improving access and providing a place for seating.

Dealing with difficult ground

Nearly every permutation of climate, soil, and weather has at least one tree or shrub species adapted to live in it. The trick is to use the right species.
Poplars and willows, for example, are thirsty trees.

Their roots extend far beyond their branch-span and can soak up an enormous quantity of water. This can parch other plants growing nearby or damage the foundations of their building; also, the roots of poplars and willows can invade and block drainage and irrigation pipes.

Although such trees are undesirable near a house, or in most modestly sized, modestly moist gardens, they can survive in waterlogged ground; they can even help drain it sufficiently to make it tolerable for other species (the poplars and willows will gradually die; such death is a natural process in many wetlands).