Still time to plant bare root

The overnight frosts are getting fewer, daytime temperatures are creeping into double figures, days are brightening and birds are busying themselves. Indeed, it’s not long till we can bid farewell to winter and enjoy that most wonderful season of spring.

Seasoned gardeners and tree planters will know that also means the bare root season will come to an end. If you want to plant bare root trees and hedging – whether its for the sake of tradition or another advantage such as the ease of transporting a bundle of whips compared to potted ones – you need to get moving. We stop supplying bare root stock in March!

The warmer days are surely another incentive to get planting, so don’t delay. It’s worth checking with us if you can’t find your required plants in bare root form online – we might have a few left. It is going fast, though, so if we don’t, you can look at container-grown trees. Indeed we stock more varieties in container-grown form, so all is not lost if you miss the bare root season.

If you are receiving anything bare root by delivery on one of these warmer days, it’s really important to plant quickly or heel-in (temporarily bury the roots) as soon as you can. Although the plant is dormant, you don’t want to let the roots dry out. And once you see buds begin to burst, you really need to get them in their permanent position. Then make sure they are well watered and mulched, if possible, to get them off to a good start – check our planting and watering guides.