Growing Evergreens In Your Garden

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Read the previous part of the article: Composing Evergreens in Your Garden

Now let's talk about some general rules: how to buy, plant and care for evergreens correctly. It is very important when decorating a site, which plant you purchased. Some of them need moist soil and partial shade, while others need sandy soil and bright sun.

When buying such plants, you must take into account:

• the estimated height and diameter of the plant;

• the level of soil acidity, shading and the degree of protection of the site from the wind;

• soil structure and the likelihood of severe frosts in winter.

Do not under any circumstances choose plants according to a beautiful picture in the catalog. Carefully study the label with the description, and if this does not seem enough to you, read the description of the plant in the reference book.

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Woody evergreens, conifers, shrubs need to be given more attention. The fact is that plants that preserve foliage for the winter may suffer more from frost and snow than deciduous ones. Therefore, it is very important that newly planted evergreens develop new roots as soon as possible and begin to actively and in sufficient quantities to extract water from the soil in order to compensate for its evaporation consumption by a well-developed leaf surface.

It is important that a certain balance is maintained between the root system and the leaf surface. Plants should not be bought with bare roots, although when selling the roots of such plants it is often the case that they are freed from soil and sprinkled with moist peat. Plants cost less than those grown in containers, but you should not buy them. After all, if the roots, even for a short time, stop actively supplying the leaves with water, this can lead to the loss, if not of the entire plant, then of some of its branches.

Therefore, evergreens should only be bought in containers or with a lump of earth. The time for planting is also limited, as is the choice of planting material. Container-grown deciduous trees and shrubs can be planted almost any time of the year, but the soil should not be frozen or too wet. Evergreens should not be planted in cold soil as roots will not develop at low temperatures. This means that the period from late autumn to early spring is not suitable for planting.

Evergreens usually need to be tied to a support. In containers, you can grow those that are thermophilic. Containers can be placed on paths and in the patio, disguise unsightly buildings with them, vases with plants are easy to remove. A colorful shrub growing in a container can decorate a bare wall. For example, the entrance to the house is often decorated with trimmed spherical thuja bushes.

Choosing a container for a plant

This is a serious matter - the container must be strong, at least 22.5 cm in diameter and the same depth. An evergreen shrub needs a pot at least 30 cm deep. Good drainage is required, the bottom of a large container must have drainage holes every 15 cm, while the diameter of the holes must be 20–30 mm, no less, otherwise the plant may die. For example, in a container the size of a typical 10 liter bucket, there should be about 5-8 holes in the bottom with a diameter of 20 mm. Then it needs to be filled with planting mixture.

When buying plants in a container, pay attention to the following signs that should alert you:

1. The earth ball can be easily removed if the plant is pulled slightly. This means that the plant was recently transplanted into an open field container.
2. The thick root has grown through the bottom of the container into the ground. This indicates starvation or the plant has been in the container for too long.
3. Dry soil, thick exposed roots and abundant weeds on the soil surface.
4. The crown of the plant itself may feel dry, brittle and even fall off to the touch.
5. Crown color is dull green or brown.
6. There is no specific smell of this plant.
7. One-sided growth, which is usually accompanied by patches of brown foliage.
8. Lack of foliage on some stems.
9. The roots extending horizontally from the trunk are on the surface of the earthen coma, they are felt through the wrapping material.
10. The earth ball is crumbling or the soil under the wrapping material is dry.

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Signs of a healthy plant are even coloration and healthy edges of the leaves, no signs of disease or pest damage, small roots breaking through the walls of the container. A certain amount of weeds and a green bloom from algae on the soil surface indicate that the plant is well rooted, the bush is well formed. The stem is strong, the leaves are healthy. There are no traces of severe pruning, which could indicate the removal of damaged or diseased plant parts. The earth lump is large enough and tightly tied. The earthen ball is dense, round in shape, the soil is moist.

At the same time, it is important to take into account additional factors that significantly affect the further development of plants: this is the acid-base reaction and the composition of the soil, its infestation with weeds and pests; a high level of groundwater is dangerous.

Planting a plant from a container

When starting this operation, prepare a planting hole, under the plant, it should be deep enough so that after planting the upper part of the earthen coma is 3 cm below the soil level. The width of the hole should be sufficient so that a clod of earth is surrounded on all sides by a layer of planting mixture 7-10 cm thick.

At the bottom of the hole, pour a layer of planting mixture 10 cm thick. The mixture for planting consists of earth, peat and sand in a 1: 1: 1 ratio. When everything is ready for planting, proceed with the planting itself. Take the container with the plant and carefully cut off some of the roots going in a circle and slightly loosen the ends of the other roots without breaking the coma. Place the container in the pit and cut it from the side, carefully remove the container. Fill the space between the earthen ball and the pit walls with planting mixture and sprinkle with earth on top, and then compact the mixture with a shovel. Water the plant well after planting. And most importantly, the root collar should remain at the soil level and in no case be buried.

Plants are more likely to die due to improper planting, and not because the seedlings were weak. If the soil in the intended area is poor or compacted, it is advisable to dig up the entire area two weeks before planting the plants, adding a significant amount of garden compost or rotted manure. You can also apply a slow-release mineral fertilizer.

The ideal time to plant conifers and evergreen shrubs is August - early September, while the soil is still warm. If you did not have time to plant the plants in the fall, do it in late April - May, as soon as the soil warms up. After planting, mulch the soil under the plant to prevent moisture loss and overheating of the soil in summer and to keep weeds from growing.

When planting, the soil is well compacted, if necessary, the plant is tied up. In a drought, plants in containers need to be watered. In winter, in small and thin-walled containers, the ground can freeze; to prevent this from happening, the containers are tied with sacking or covered with foam. When buying planting material in a container, pay attention to the condition of the seedlings, they must be healthy, well-developed, attractive in appearance. Proper fit and maintenance will help maintain and enhance this appeal.

You have purchased a seedling with a clod of earth wrapped in non-woven fabric or heavy burlap. If at the same time the lump is dense enough, then it is better to carefully remove the packaging material when planting so that it does not interfere with the flow of air to the roots and does not cause rotting of the root system. If the lump is loose, and the packaging material is free to let air in, then it is better not to do this. It is very good to shed the root system with auxins, which promotes early rooting. The procedure must be repeated after two weeks. In this case, the concentration of auxins should be twice as high as during watering.

When watering your site, make sure that no water gets on the tree trunks, especially in the first year after planting. In conditions of constant moisture in small wounds and cracks in the bark, favorable conditions are created for the rapid development of putrefactive fungi. The bark detaches from the trunk, which leads to the inevitable death of the plant. Visible, large wounds during planting must be treated with garden varnish. At the end of the work, see if the plant is planted evenly enough, if there is no need to tie it to a support.

Read the next part of the article: Eating in your garden

Evergreens in your garden:

• Part 1. Evergreens in your garden

• Part 2. Arranging evergreens in your garden

• Part 3. Growing evergreens in your garden

• Part 4. Eating in your garden

• Part 5. Cypress in your garden

• Part 6 Junipers in your garden

• Part 7. Rhododendron, azalea and boxwood in your garden

• Part 8. Pines and yews in your garden

• Part 9. Thuja in your garden