Is It Time to Plant Shrubs?

Fall is an ideal time for planting shrubs – be it pollinator gardens, replacing storm-damaged trees, or adding beauty to your landscape – as temperatures and rainfall allow optimal root development conditions for healthy shrubs.

From spring blooming flowers to evergreen bushes bearing fruit, there are numerous low-maintenance plants that require little care or maintenance to cultivate successfully.

Unlocking the Secrets

Trees and shrubs not only add beauty to your landscape, but they can also increase its value. Fall planting provides trees and shrubs the chance to establish themselves before summer weather arrives; with its cooler temperatures and reliable rainfall providing for healthy root systems. Furthermore, their lower sun exposure also decreases water requirements – though if planting thirstier plants like butterfly bush, caryopteris or big-leaf hydrangea it’s best to wait until spring.

Preparing the Soil

Addition of shrubs to your landscape can be an exciting journey, adding color, texture, and interest while increasing home value. However, proper planting practices must be followed to ensure the shrubs adapt quickly to soil conditions in your garden and establish quickly so as to reduce stress while conserving water resources used on them – taking time and care when planting can save lots of headaches later!

When selecting a planting site for shrubs, take into consideration sun or shade exposure as well as soil type and moisture conditions. Make sure the location receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day, and has good drainage; some shrubs such as lilacs, elms, dogwoods and birch trees prefer full sunlight while others require light shading.

Prior to digging the hole, call your underground utility company in order to identify existing lines and call up wider and shallower holes than your root ball, in order to allow its roots to spread and avoid being buried by soil particles causing tree or shrub death. It’s also essential that loosening of root balls promote rapid growth into landscape soil.

Once your new plant is in place, lightly mound backfill around its rootball. Do not place mulch directly against its base as this wicks moisture away from its roots; rather a layer of shredded bark mulch or similar will help ensure consistent soil moisture.

Precise pruning and trimming is essential to keeping shrubs healthy, especially during their establishment period, which typically falls in the first season after planting. Timing of this pruning depends on species as well as your region of the country. Regular trimming also helps preserve your shrub’s shape, remove dead or damaged branches, and protects against diseases that might otherwise arise.

Selecting the Right Plant

No matter the region in which your commercial property is situated, selecting shrubs that suit its climate conditions is key to creating a successful landscape design. In Northeast states like Massachusetts that experience cold winters and warm, humid summers, shrubs that can withstand these extreme temperatures as well as its varied soil types that range from clay-based variations to sandy ones derived from glacial deposits must also be chosen carefully for shrub plantings on commercial properties there.

Consideration should also be given to the eventual size of shrubs when selecting them for commercial properties. Too-large plants could obstruct visibility on your property or interfere with pathways used by employees and guests, as well as blocking security cameras, obscure lighting, or provide hiding places for burglars. By choosing plants based on anticipated growth rates, you’ll avoid these problems and give your landscaping project an excellent start – for assistance seek professional help locally from commercial landscape professionals.

Planting

Trees and shrubs add many advantages to home landscapes, including providing privacy, beauty, increasing property values and stabilizing soil through deep root systems. But in order for trees and shrubs to work at their full potential, they must first be planted correctly.

Ornamental shrubs are a delightful way to enhance garden beds and landscaping, coming in all sorts of varieties, colors, shapes and sizes. Though maintenance requirements tend to be low for these beauties, before making your selection it is crucial that you understand their specific requirements as part of your landscape environment in order to select an optimal choice.

Keep the following key points in mind when growing shrubs: they prefer loose, well-aerated soil with adequate drainage; soil pH plays an integral part in their health and growth – many varieties thrive best when the pH range is slightly acidic to mildly alkaline; it would be prudent to test its pH with a simple kit sold at garden centers.

Consider how much sunlight your shrub needs to thrive before making your selection. Most species thrive best in full sun while others like hydrangeas, roses and cranberries prefer part to full shade conditions. Consult the information on its plant tag or search online to identify what sun conditions it requires in order to reach maturity.

Once the site and soil conditions are suitable, dig a hole that is 3-4 inches deeper and wider than the container your shrub came in. Be sure that its crown (where stems meet soil level) lies level with it – otherwise the plant could dry out and rot quickly.

Once your hole is dug, backfill with soil and pack firmly. A small amount of organic material (compost, well-rotted manure or shredded bark) may also be added as mulch to lock in moisture, helping protect newly planted shrubs against wide temperature swings and protecting their roots from too much irrigation. Remember to water frequently but sparingly, as too much irrigation could have detrimental effects on their roots.