Get a flying start

Despite the need to cut down and clean up, autumn is actually a time to prepare for the future, to plant for tomorrow.

Nowhere is this more true than with spring-flowering bulbs, but this is now an annual task which the majority are only too happy to undertake.

There is, however, more to filling the ground with tulips and daffodils; small things with big ambitions can also feature.

Trees and shrubs planted now, while the soil is warm and damp, will produce strong roots without having to put any energy into growing foliage.

They can concentrate on anchoring themselves before winter sets in; then, next spring, they should be ready to start growing.

It's said that you should spend 3 on the plant and 30 on the planting; an old adage with a lot of sense.

The way you plant a tree, and where you plant a tree, is of paramount importance – it is, after all, going to be there for all its life, so the better the conditions and the start it gets, the healthier and happier it should be, and the better it should grow.

The first thing, of course, is to get the right tree for the right garden.

Grow only what can be safely accommodated, and cultivate only what will like the soil conditions and aspect. To do otherwise is to waste time and money.

The second thing is to dig a hole – a big hole; far bigger than you think is necessary. If your new acquisition is not a lime-lover, dig in plenty of well-rotted manure or old compost.

The third thing to do is to put in a stake – now – before you put in the tree, because then you won't disturb the roots.

The fourth thing to do is to incorporate some sort of watering system.

A length of plastic piping in the soil – one end to where the tree's roots will be, the other standing a few inches proud of where the compacted soil surface will be eventually. That way, to water, all you have to do is pour liquid down the pipe – it will go straight to the roots where it's needed the most.

The fifth thing to do is to spread out the tree's roots and then pack soil around them, leaving no air spaces. Compact the soil around the trunk – but never heap any above a graft union.

Then tie the tree to the stake (carefully) and water well – and keep watering, week after week, until the tree is established.And if you still have any energy left, plant a few bulbs beneath what will eventually become the canopy of leaves of your new tree.

YP MAG 11/9/10