Planting Bare-Root Trees in a British Garden

Why bare-root trees settle in so well

There is something quietly satisfying about a bare-root tree. It arrives as a bundle of roots and a slim stem, no pot, no plastic, no compost — just dormant wood waiting for the soil to warm. These trees are lifted from open ground while they are asleep, then sent out between late autumn and early spring. Because their roots have never been confined to a pot, they do not circle round and round inside the planting hole. Instead they push outwards into the surrounding soil almost immediately, which is why a bare-root tree often overtakes a container-grown one within a season or two.

Bare-root stock is also lighter to carry, far cheaper to buy, and available in a wider range of native and heritage varieties than you will usually find in pots. For a hedge, an orchard corner or a windbreak along a boundary, it is often the only sensible way to buy in quantity. The trade-off is timing: the tree must go into the ground during its dormant window, and it must be planted well.

The planting window — and when to wait

The season runs from roughly the beginning of November to the end of March. Planting in November gives roots the longest spell to settle before spring, but late February and March are perfectly good too, provided the tree is still dormant. What matters most is the state of the ground.

• Good conditions: a mild, still day, soil crumbly in the hand and not clinging to your boots.
• Wait if: the ground is frozen solid, covered in snow, or standing in water. Roots planted into a cold, sodden hole simply rot.
• If your tree arrives and you cannot plant: heel it in. Dig a shallow trench, lay the trees at an angle, and cover the roots with loose soil. They will keep for several weeks this way.

Bare-root trees are living things on a clock. Order early in the season, unpack them the day they arrive, and never let the roots dry out in a shed or garage.

Getting the ground and the roots ready

Prepare more than you think you need. Clear a circle at least a metre across of grass, nettles and perennial weeds — these compete fiercely with a young tree for water and nutrients. If the soil is compacted, fork over the base and sides of the planting area without turning it into a fluffy seedbed.

• Trim any damaged or ragged root tips with clean, sharp secateurs. Cut back to sound, pale wood.
• Stand the roots in a bucket of water for thirty minutes to two hours. Longer than that and they begin to drown.
• Dig the hole wider than it is deep — roughly three times the spread of the roots. A wide hole lets roots run outward; a deep one encourages the trunk to sink.
• Rough up the sides of the hole with a fork if they are smooth and glazed from the spade.

Planting, step by step

Hold the tree so that the old soil mark on the stem sits level with the surrounding ground. Look for the graft union — the knuckle where the variety meets the rootstock — and make sure it stays above soil level. Burying it can cause the variety to root and behave quite differently from what you bought.

Spread the roots out naturally and backfill in stages, firming gently with your heel between layers so there are no air pockets. The tree should feel secure but the soil around it should not be compacted like concrete. When you have finished, water it in thoroughly, even if rain is forecast. A good soak settles the soil around every root hair.

Skip the rich compost in the planting hole. Enriched soil encourages roots to stay put rather than venture out into the surrounding ground. The soil you dug out is almost always the better choice.

Staking, mulching and the first two summers

Stake only if the site is exposed or the tree is taller than about 1.5 metres. A short stake driven in at an angle, or a vertical stake reaching no more than a third of the tree's height, allows the trunk to flex and thicken. Tie with a soft, wide tie in a figure of eight so the bark is not rubbed, and remove the stake after two or three years.

Mulch in a ring about a metre across, using well-rotted bark or garden compost to a depth of five to seven centimetres. Keep it clear of the trunk — a mulch collar touching the bark invites rot. Then water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons. Young trees need the equivalent of a full watering can a week in a hot, dry July, delivered slowly so it soaks in rather than running off.

Where rabbits, deer or squirrels are about, fit a spiral guard or a small mesh cage. Losing the leader of a whip to a nibbling rabbit sets a tree back a full year.

A few planting pitfalls worth avoiding

• Pruning too hard at planting. Remove only broken, crossing or dead branches. Serious formative pruning can wait until the following winter.
• Feeding in the first year. A newly planted tree cannot use it and it can burn young roots. Feed from the second spring if growth is poor.
• Buying on impulse. Check the rootstock and the eventual height and spread before you dig. A cherry on a vigorous rootstock will outgrow a small front garden within a decade.
• Planting in a dip. Water collects in hollows and drowns roots. If your site is heavy clay, plant slightly proud and mound soil around the rootball.

Plant well, and a bare-root tree rewards you twice over — once in the quiet satisfaction of a job done properly in winter, and again, year after year, as it thickens, flowers, fruits and shelters the birds and insects that find their way to it. There are few better afternoons in the gardening year than the one spent with a spade, a bundle of roots and a stretch of open ground.