GARDENING: Get to the root of the matter!

Plan now, plant soon for great results from bare-root trees and hedging.

BY NOAH CHASE

WHAT does the term ‘bare-root’ mean? Put simply, it means plants that have been grown in open ground, then dug up for dispatch and planting during the dormant season. They are called ‘bare-root’ plants as they are supplied with no soil around their roots. November to March is the ideal time to plant, and if your land is sheltered, I recommend planting as early in the season as possible to allow the roots time to establish over the winter months. Having strong roots will allow the plants to take up more water and nutrients as well as supporting new growth. In exposed or particularly wet sites, it is best to wait until February or, at the latest, March to plant. In doing so, this will avoid most storms, which can cause plants to become loose in the soil, and water-logging around the roots, which can cause root rot or soil compaction during planting.

Once you have decided on a suitable location to plant, the next step is to decide what varieties to plant. For many gardeners, this is the most difficult part of the process as there are thousands of bare root plants to choose from. As many of the plants are dormant and do not have any leaves to distinguish them from each other, it can look a bit overwhelming so don’t hesitate to ask for help and advice when buying. How do you picture the planting site in 5, 10 and 50 years time? Do you plan to grow wood for burning, fruit trees and bushes for eating, a hedge for shelter and privacy or just want to provide habitat for wildlife? Choosing a mix of fast-growing trees to be gradually thinned over the years with slower growing hardwoods planted between them is a great option if you are unsure exactly what to choose. Many gardeners are very keen to plant native trees and shrubs in hedgerows or mass plantings to encourage various wildlife and pollinators and the bare root season is the best time to do this type of planting.

Forest gardening and permaculture plantings have become really popular over the last few seasons. A garden can be beautiful as well as growing useful plants in terms of food, fuel, shelter, building materials, improving soil, and growing your own medicine.

Dividing your garden into various layers from the soil to the tops of your highest trees maximises your growing area while creating a diverse environment without the need for unnecessary pesticides, herbicides and artificial nutrients.

Hedging plants are one of the most popular choices during the bare-root season. There are many options to choose from including edible wildlife hedges, native hedges, coastal hedges, formal hedges, shady hedges, and windy hedges. Farmers and gardeners can avail of Irish-grown native plants that qualify for government planting grants.

Site suitability

The next step is to examine the site and ground where you plan to plant. Is it windy? If so which direction does the wind usually come from? Have a look at any other trees in the area to see if they have been blown in any particular direction. Is the ground wet? Dig a few testing holes before planting, if these fill with water and do not drain away, there may be drainage issues. Is the soil deep and fertile, heavy clay or perhaps only a thin layer of good topsoil. Digging a few test holes before choosing your plants will show you a lot about your own soil conditions.

Many people swear by the Italian Alder (Alnus Cordata) for windy conditions. It grows quickly into an attractive upright tree suitable along driveways. It can be coppiced (cut to ground level) like the native common Alder and also grows well in heavy wet soil while fixing nitrogen in the soil, improving the soil quality and drainage over the years. If drainage is an issue, there are many types of Willow that do not mind wet conditions. Hawthorn will tolerate windy conditions and will grow into a beautiful small tree producing masses of small white flowers in late spring. Rugosa roses (pink, white and red) and Blackthorn are also good choices for a windy site, producing flowers and fruit. Be aware that they will send up suckering shoots in following years after planting and need plenty of space to do this, as they can quickly overgrow other plants in a mixed hedge.

Green Beech makes one of the nicest formal hedges but is also one of my favourite hardwood trees. Copper Beech is slower growing but in time also makes one of the nicest formal hedges. If you are worried your soil may be too wet for a Beech hedge then Hornbeam makes a great alternative choice for heavy soils.

Mountain Ash (not related to common ash) has to be one of the best choices for windy sites and shallow soil. It produces large, flat heads of numerous creamy-white five-petalled flowers in May and June and these heads become the familiar clusters of red berries in autumn. There are two native Oak species in Ireland, Quercus petraea (or Sessile Oak) will grow in thin acidic soil, often found in mountains and sometimes right to the edge of the sea in sheltered spots. Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) is the less common of the two native Irish oak species. You can distinguish it from Sessile oak by looking at its acorns – pedunculate oak produces acorns on stalks. This type of Oak grows into the huge specimens, often found on estates and woodlands. Red Oak (Quercus rubra) and Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) are both noted for their shape and brilliant autumn colour, making for an excellent addition to any garden or forest.

Flowers and hedging

For flowering trees and hedging, I recommend various options including flowering currants, Bird Cherry, June Berry, Tulip Tree, Elder and wild Roses to name a small selection. The bare root season is also the best time to plant some of the more common conifers which can provide foliage and shelter in the winter when most other trees have lost their leaves. Yew and Scots Pine are two of the three Irish native conifers (the third is Juniper) and well worth considering while planning any native plantings. Although Sitka spruce has gotten a lot of bad attention over recent years due to it’s overuse in forestry plantations (nearly half of all forestry in Ireland and over 300,000 hectares), it is able to grow in exposed sites with heavy acidic soils where other trees will not be able to grow and gives very fast returns of timber from the time of planting. Larch is also a wise choice for its fast return of quality timber.

• Noah Chase and his wife Maya run Deelish Garden Centre near Skibbereen ( P81 P275) www.deelish.ie