BlueBell Arboretum & Nursery

Mail order trees, shrubs, conifers and woody climbers

Advice Pages

We send out plants with our mail order service all year round.

• When can I plant - container grown plants?
• When can I plant - rootballed plants?
• When can I plant - bare root plants?
• Planting Advice - Preparation, Method and Aftercare

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When Can I Plant?

Container Grown Plants

Plants which have been grown in containers can be planted all year round.

• Spring: Ideal planting period.


• Summer: Planting through the summer months is fine and plants generally establish well, with good root growth due to the warmer soil temperatures. However when planting in the summer please remember that plants must be well watered regularly or can dry out and suffer damage or die!
  
  We plant through the summer in our own woodland gardens and with adequate watering all the plants usually get away well.


• Autumn: Ideal planting period.


• Winter: Generally a good time for planting. Try and avoid planting when the ground is frozen solid. In very cold weather our hardy pot grown plants can be left to stand in a sheltered area of the garden until the weather has warmed up and the ground thawed.

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Rootballed Plants

Rootballed plants have been grown in the ground, lifted when dormant in late autumn or winter and are sold with their root system and soil they were grown in secured with a biodegradable Hessian wrap.

Plants sold in rootballs can be planted successfully all year round, but establish best if planted between November and April.

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Bare root Plants

Bare root plants are only available from November to March (depending upon weather conditions) and have been grown in the soil.

They are shipped wrapped in damp straw or newspaper and should be planted out or heeled in as soon as they arrive.

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Planting Advice

A brief guide on how to plant our trees, shrubs, climbers or herbaceous plants after they arrive with you.

Preparation (before planting)

• Water the plants very well.


• Dig and prepare a hole for planting, twice the diameter and slightly deeper than the size of the pot / root ball / root system. If the soil at the bottom or sides of the hole is compacted, break it up with a garden fork or spade.


• Have organic matter (well rotted farmyard manure, blood fish and bone or garden compost) ready to mix with the excavated soil as you backfill around the plant's roots. Backfilling with a mixture of 25% organic matter and 75% excavated soil is ideal for giving the plants a good start.

Container Grown Plants

• Remove the pot and gently tease out the plants fibrous roots and position the plant at the centre of the hole, ensuring the plant is at the same height in the hole as it was in the pot.


• Whilst holding the plant upright, fill the hole with the excavated soil and gently firm around the plant with your toe after filling the hole.

Root Balled Plants

• Look at the root ball and you will see rubber bands, knots or even both to hold the hessian root-wrap around the roots in place.


• Do not remove this root-wrap or the rubber bands as they are organic and will rot down naturally!


• Leaving the hessian intact around the root system to prevent root damage, carefully lower the root ball into the prepared hole. Position the root ball so that the knots mentioned above will be just visible above the soil level after planting and cover the rest of the root ball with the excavated soil.

Bare root plants

• Bare root trees should be planted as soon as they arrive!


• Position the tree at the centre of the hole. Bare root plants usually have a soil level mark on the stem, which is a slightly darker color than the trunk. This mark should be level with the top of the hole.


• If this mark is difficult to see, aim to have the graft union about 10 – 12 cm (4-5 inches) above ground level.


• Holding the tree upright, fill around the roots with the excavated soil whilst shaking the tree occasionally to fill air pockets and gently firm around the plant with your toe when level.

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Staking / Watering / Aftercare

• Optional: If necessary drive a tree stake in, after digging the hole but before planting. Tie the tree to the stake with a suitable tree tie. Do not use baler twine, wire or cable ties.


• Water newly planted trees regularly during their first year of growth, especially during dry or windy spells. A bucket full every two or three days is usually sufficient in all but the driest weather.


• Protect from pests with rabbit or deer guards and control slugs if / as necessary.


• Keep an area of up to 1 m (3ft) in diameter around the base of the plant clear from weeds by hand weeding, applying a chipped bark mulch or using mulching mats.


• Protect the plants from frost or cold if required or advised. Fleece materials, straw and bracken are a boon for the protection of delicate plants and provide good insulation in cold winters.

Unless otherwise advised, all our plants have a one year guarantee but we CANNOT replace plants which are damaged or killed by drying out or lack of water in the first year as this is beyond our control.

Please do not hesitate to call our office on (01530) 413700 or email us at:  sales@bluebellnursery.com if you require any information about our plants, or need help choosing a plant for a particular area of your garden or would like more information about planting!