Follow these ten straightforward rules to give any shrub you plant a flying start.
1 Always make the planting hole about 15 cm deeper and 30 cm broader than the roots of the shrub.
2 Cover the bottom of the hole with an 8-12 cm-thick layer of compost mixed with a little of the surrounding soil.
3 Stir in a heaped handful of bone meal, unless you’re planting lime-haters, such as azaleas. In that case, use superphosphate.
4 If a stake seems necessary, drive it into the base of the hole before you insert the plant. Put the stake on the windward side of the plant to reduce the risk of chafing.
5 Insert the shrub gently, and gradually fill the hole with a half-and-half mixture of soil and compost, with a further handful of bone meal (or superphosphate).
6 Shake the shrub gently from time to time as you fill the hole, and firm down the soil with your fists or feet to ensure there are no air pockets among the roots.
7 Bury the plant up to the soil mark on the stem. Create a saucer-like depression around the stem to direct rainwater to the young roots. This is particularly valuable in sandy soils, which do not retain water well.
8 Forthe first threeyears, while the roots are getting established, put a 10cm layer of compost around the base of the plant each spring. At the same time, add a sprinkling of general fertiliser such as 2:3:2.
9 Water generously in dry spells — particularly for the first year — giving each plant up to 20 e of water at a time. You may need to water as often as twice orthree times a week in a very dry summer, buta better guide is to look at nearby soil 10 cm below the surface. If it’s dry, the plant needs watering.
10 If the plant is in a very windy spot, set a plastic mesh or sacking screen around it to protect it from drying winds during the first couple of years.
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