Plant Care and Planting Guide

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas require relatively little fuss. You may need to prune the plant lightly to ensure a healthy plant. Fertilization is recommended on a twice yearly basis, once in the latter part of the autumn season and once during the early part of spring. It is recommended when fertlizing, that you use a slow release compound. Be sure you do not over fertilize the plant or you may find that you have beautiful foilage, but little to no flowering. When planting use a good potting compost to help the plant get established.

Flower color is affected by the acidity of the soil. Acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5 will produce a blue coloration; greater than 5.5 produces a pink color. Test the soil to see what pH you do have, then adjust as needed. All good garden centres will supply the required materials. 

Shrubs

Planting

Choosing native plants and plants that are well adapted to our conditions will allow you to plant without adding amendments to your soil. For plants that demand better conditions, since the root area of shrubs is not huge you can amend the soil with compost and peat moss. Simply mix the amendments into the soil around where you plan to plant.

Look at your root ball. You should aim to dig a hole that is roughly three times the size of the rootball. Place the plant into the hole and backfill with a good potting compost. The soil should just cover the top of the rootball.

In heavy clay soils, water must be able to drain away. More care must be taken to assure that the root area is moist, but does not stand in water more that a couple of hours before it soaks in. If you have standing water problems, add coarse compost to provide more aeration and raise the area so that water can drain away.

Watering

Your shrub will demand the most water during its first summer. When it is first planted, its roots can only reach the water that is in its original root ball. The plant is completely dependent on you to provide water until the roots grow out into the surrounding soil far enough to support their water needs. Initially, care for them as though they are still in a pot. The potting mix that your shrub is planted in is lighter weight than the surrounding soil and will dry out faster. In fact, if the potting mix gets really dry, it will start to repel water making it very difficult to water your shrub. Water regularly to prevent this from happening. Making a dam around your shrub will also help to direct water into the root ball. A newly planted shrub should be watered every day in the summer. Mulch the area around your shrubs with a  material such as bark to help cool the soil and keep it more moist.

If you discover one of your shrubs limp and wilted, water it immediately. Provide some shade for it if you can and maybe set a sprinkler going on it to cool the area. Your plant should perk up within the hour. If not, you need to investigate further. Dig down and make sure that the original root ball is wet. Once your shrub has recovered, it is important to water it again to replenish the water that the plant has taken up into its leaves and to leave it a reserve for tomorrow. If you find that a particular shrub is wilting frequently, make sure the area is well mulched with several inches of mulch. See if you can provide more shade for it. You may also need to trim some branches away or shorten them in order to reduce the foliage area so that the plant has less water demands.

Pruning

Shrubs can be pruned to improve their shape or to control their size. Generally, this can be done at any time. Shrubs that bloom in the spring, however, should be pruned in the late spring or early summer after they have finished blooming. These shrubs bloom on last year's wood. Trimming them in the late summer or autumn will remove the buds and diminish the next spring's bloom.

Trees

Choosing Trees

Trees can play an important role in climate control. Deciduous trees planted on the south, west and east perimeters of a lot will provide shade during the summer while allowing scarce sunlight through in the winter when leaves have fallen. Evergreens, on the other hand, planted on the north and west sides of a property, can reduce winter heating costs by serving as windbreaks.

Planting

The most common mistake when planting a tree is a digging hole, which is both too deep and too narrow. Too deep and the roots don’t have access to sufficient oxygen to ensure proper growth. Too narrow and the root structure can’t expand sufficiently to nourish and properly anchor the tree.

As a general rule, trees should be transplanted no deeper than the soil in which they were originally grown. The width of the hole should be at least 3 times the diameter of the root ball or container or the spread of the roots in the case of bare root trees. This will provide the tree with enough worked earth for its root structure to establish itself.

When digging in poorly drained clay soil, it is important to avoid ‘glazing’. Glazing occurs when the sides and bottom of a hole become smoothed forming a barrier, through which water has difficulty passing. To break up the glaze, use a fork to work the bottom and drag the points along the sides of the completed hole. Also, raising the centre bottom of the hole slightly higher than the surrounding area. This allows water to disperse, reducing the possibility of water pooling in the planting zone.

You can do a general test for soil drainage by digging a hole in  the planting area and filling it with water. If the water hasn’t drained away in a couple of hours, drainage may be an issue. In areas where drainage is a particular problem, planting in raised beds of 12 to 18 inches of well-drained quality topsoil may be a solution.

Watering

Newly planted trees should be watered at the time of planting. In addition, during the first growing season, they should be watered at least once a week in the absence of rain, more often during the height of the summer. However, care should be taken not to overwater as this may result in oxygen deprivation.

If you are uncertain as to whether a tree needs watering, dig down 6-8 inches at the edge of the planting hole. If the soil at that depth feels powdery or crumbly, the tree needs water. Adequately moistened soil should form a ball when squeezed.

Regular deep soakings are better than frequent light wettings. Moisture should reach a depth of 12 to 18 inches below the soil surface to encourage ideal root growth.

Staking

Once a tree is planted, it will concentrate its energy on standing upright. If it is unable to do so, try thinning out the upper branches to reduce wind resistance. If that is not enough and you find you have to stake a tree, remember the following:

1. Only stake the tree long enough for it to be able stand on its own. 

2.  Stakes should not be too tight - there should be room for the tree to sway in the wind.

3. Stakes should not be too loose - the tree should not rub against the stakes.

4. Stakes should be buried at least 1.5 feet underground to provide ample support. 

 Roses

Location

Roses require a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Space roses 3 feet apart.

Planting

Thoroughly water roses several hours before planting. Dig a hole that is around three times the size of the rootball and backfill it with a good potting compost. Loosen all roots from the rootball before planting to encourage root growth.

Fertilizing

Fertilise roses regularly, especially in the heavy growing months of april to august.

Watering

Water established roses deeply once a week, and twice as often for newly planted roses. Avoid overwatering hoever, as this can cause disease.

Disease Prevention

Clean up any dead material or dead flower heads from around the rose as this will help prevent the spread of fungus. Spray roses with a good quality fungicide to prevent fungus. Aphids can be controlled with a strong blast of water followed by an application of a suitable insecticide.

Winter Care

When temperatures drop below 7 degrees celcius cover roses with a gauze to help prevent frost damage.

Pruning

Prune hard in early spring to encourage long stems and fewer, but larger flowers. Prune lightly to encourage more shorter stems with small, but more numerous flowers. Prune off all dead, damaged or diseased branches.

Trouble Shooting

We get many calls about newly planted trees or shrubs having yellow leaves, spots, brown edges, or sudden death. That is why we stress so much about watering a plant when it is new. Pay attention to clues to help guide your care. If your plant does not look right to you, check at the original root ball for moisture. In extreme cases, we have asked people to dig the newly planted shrub out of the ground to show that the water was not penetrating all of the root area. When problems occur in the first few days or weeks, 99% of the time it is due to poor timing of or insufficient amounts of water.

If you want to bring a problem you are having to the nursery, it is very helpful to bring as many answers as you can to the following types of questions.

Where is the damage occurring: on the inside of the shrub, ends of the branches, top, bottom, one side, etc? When did you first notice damage, how fast has it progressed? Look at the plant stems, at the soil level and on up. Do you notice anything out of order there? Look at the veins of the leaves, how does their color compare to the rest of the leaf. Look at the underside of the leaves for any clues. Compare the new foliage at the tips of the branches to the older foliage further back.

When you come, bring a sample. Bring it fresh and keep it cool. Failing that, send us a photo by post or by e-mail. This will help us work with you to determine what may be going wrong.