Flowering shrubs can add much needed color to our landscapes in both the spring and summer months with their glorious range of blooms. Careful shrub selections as well as proper site preparation are keys to the success of new shrubs or flowering trees in the landscape of your yard. Especially during spring, searching for new trees and shrubs can be overwhelming with so much new stock at the local nurseries. Whatever you choose, take the time to condition the soil and nurture your new plants as they adapt to their new home.
Before you bring your chosen trees and shrubs to your yard, you should analyze the soil, shade, and water drainage conditions in your landscape. This simple step can help you prevent expensive plant replacements later on. After you note the conditions of your yard, determine whether any changes should be made since it is easier to do this before you begin planting than it is to make changes later. Trees and shrubs will take on various appearances depending on the amount of sunlight they receive during the day. A typical plant in full sunshine will usually experience thicker denser growth, with branches full of foliage. Too much shade can cause some varieties of plants to develop a thinner stretched out look. Keep in mind what type of sunlight your tree or shrub of choice requires, your nursery professionals are usually happy to explain what type of sunlight intensity your plant will require.
This canal, which is the oldest in the country, and has even an antique look beside the more modern railroads, is fed by the Concord, so that we were still floating on its familiar waters. It is so much water which the river lets for the advantage of commerce. There appeared some want of harmony in its scenery, since it was not of equal date with the woods and meadows through which it is led, and we missed the conciliatory influence of time on land and water; but in the lapse of ages, Nature will recover and indemnify herself, and gradually plant fit shrubs and flowers along its borders. Already the kingfisher sat upon a pine over the water, and the bream and pickerel swam below. Thus all works pass directly out of the hands of the architect into the hands of Nature, to be perfected.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
To plant your shrub or tree start by digging a hole that is about as deep and roughly twice as wide as the root ball of your trees or shrubs. Then carefully remove the plant from the container it came in and loosen the roots very gently before placing the tree or shrub into the hole for planting. Last you should fill in the hole around the plant with a mixture of half compost and half soil. Make sure you do not suffocate the plant by adding too much mulch against the trunk of your shrub or tree. Natural mulch is typically an ideal material to spread around your new plants, and then you will want to water them well every-day for about 2 to 3 weeks after planting. Mulching will help to reduce weed growth, retain moisture in the soil, and will eventually break down to add valuable organic material to the soil. This process will also help your plant become better established.
Shrubs and trees are usually very low maintenance with proper site preparation, and they can last a lifetime once well-established in your yard. Planting your shrubs in the spring months can give them an entire growing season to establish themselves in the yard. However, you will need to nurture your new plants during the hot summer months. Extreme hot or dry weather conditions often stresses newly planted shrubs and trees, so keep an eye on them and water as needed.
Victoria Gates is a proud supporter of small American businesses such as the family run North Carolina Nursery Gragg Farms. You can find out more about their operations and location by visiting http://www.graggfarmsandnursery.com on the web.