ROCK GARDENS
Dwarf Flowering and
Ornamental Shrubs and Trees for Rock
Gardens 2
Before planting, the ground
should be deeply dug or trenched to a depth
of two feet, enriched with well-rotted old
manare and leaf-mould, and sufficient space
should be allowed to each individual plant
for the free and full development of its
own peculiar habit of growth. The turf within
a radius of one to two feet round bushes
planted in grass should be permanently removed
so that the earth may be thoroughly broken
up and exposed to the air. As a general rule,
plants of medium size for their kind should
be planted rather than fully-grown specimens.
They more readily take root and the proportion
of losses is much smaller. When there is
no hurry and when planting is done with an
eye to an effect which is to be produced
several years later, it is often wise to
plant even younger bushes. In this case it
is possible either to fill the space with
small bushes and to remove a proportion when
they become overcrowded, or each shrub may
be allotted the full space it will require
in later years, the bare soil in between
being temporarily decorated by other plants.
Usually the best time to plant deciduous
shrubs is from the middle of October, when
the leaves begin to fall, to the middle of
November, or in Februrary and March. Evergreens
are best planted in September and early October,
or better still, perhaps, in April and the
beginning of May. Never plant evergreens
in the depth of winter when their vitality
is at the lowest, nor when cold, drying winds
are prevalent. Plants that have been grown
in pots may, of course, be planted out at
almost any time during the year. In the case
of both deciduous and ever-green shrubs it
is usually wise, at the time of planting,
to thin out and reduce the length of the
branches by about one-third; this will somewhat
relieve the strain put upon the roots, at
this time themselves considerably reduced.
The position is prepared by digging out a
hole about two feet in diameter, and one
foot in depth, in ground that has been well
drained. The shrub or tree should be placed
upright in the centre of the hole and the
lowest roots should be laid out horizontally.
Fine earth should then be loosely thrown
over them, and pressed down firmly. The next
layer of roots, should be treated in a like
manner, and so on until the whole of the
roots are covered. It is most important that
the rootlets should, as far as possible,
assume their natural position, thoroughly
penetrating and permeating the surrounding
soil. It is also most important to make the
soil firm at each stage of the planting,
in order to minimize the depth to which the
shrub will sink. Firm planting is necessary
in any soil, and in light land it may be
necessary to use a rammer. Shrubs should
be planted to about the same depth as in
the nursery garden; this depth can be seen
from the marks on the stem.
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