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When you take over an established garden the chances
are that you will inherit some trees, which, if you
are lucky, will be mature, beautiful and in the right
place. But even if they are not, cutting down a tree
is a drastic measure from which many gardeners recoil.
To be realistic, a garden cannot succeed if it is dominated
by huge trees that literally put everything else in
the shade and absorb all nutrients and moisture from
the soil. One or more of the existing trees will have
to go, with the choice dictated by practical factors
such as direction of light and proximity to the house
as well as the gardener's personal likes and dislikes.
Tree-felling and the proper refurbishment and maintenance
of old neglected trees is specialized work for which
professional help is essential.
The small selection of trees described have been chosen
for their decorative qualities. Most of them make ideal
specimen trees - that is, they merit being planted in
a spot where they attract attention, for example in
the middle of a lawn. When choosing where to plant a
young tree, consider first its place in the overall
design of your garden, taking into account its ultimate
size. Even small trees are much bigger than the shrubs,
perennials, bulbs and bedding plants that grow around
it; simply by virtue of its size, a tree draws the eve.
You can use this quality to emphasize a line of perspective
or to distract from a less interesting or frankly ugly
view, as long as a nice balance is struck between trees
and other plants. The time at which a tree is at its
best is important here. If there is a corner of the
garden dependent for spring colour on bulbs, but comparatively
dull in the autumn, incorporate a tree which blazes
with autumn colour, such as a witch hazel (Hamamelis
mollis). If you find the blossom of the flowering cherry
irresistible, site the tree where it will have no rivals
in spring, but where its fading blossom will be compensated
for by a swathe of summer colour from the border.
An equally important consideration when deciding where
to plant a tree is that in a competition for light and
nourishment from the soil, mature trees will always
win. Do not plant them too close to other plants which
will suffer. Dappled shade from a nearby tree is ideal
for some plants, and very pleasant for human beings
on a hot summer's day; but a large tree too close to
the house can make the rooms dark (and the roots may
damage the foundations, necessitating costly repairs).
There are several factors influencing the choice of
ornamental trees. Evergreens are prized for year-round
interest and, if planted together, for the protection
from wind they provide. Deciduous trees may° have attractively
shaped leaves which change colour in the autumn or pretty
blossom and showy berries. The shape of the tree itself
is important too. Where space is limited columnar or
upright trees are useful, like eucryphias and spruces.
In a formal garden a compact, neat outline looks best,
as with a sorbus, while spreading trees like laburnums
suit informal settings. The importance of a deciduous
tree's skeleton - what it will look like in winter with
bare branches - is related to some extent to the situation.
If the tree is in a very prominent position it is as
well to ensure that it bears scrutiny even without its
leaves.
PLANTING A TREE Even though 3-4-year-old trees
ready for planting arc relatively small, they are large
enough to merit two pairs of hands when planting. The
best time to plant is between autumn and spring for
deciduous trees, in autumn or spring for evergreens.
Do not attempt to work on soil that is frozen hard or
waterlogged. Young trees may have their roots covered
in a ball of soil and wrapped in Polythene; they may
be bare-rooted or in a container. Container-grown trees
can he planted at any time, even in summer as long as
the soil is never allowed to dry out. Inspect bare-rooted
trees before planting, cutting back any dead or diseased
roots to healthy tissue.
1 Make a planting hole 45cm/18in deep and 90cm/3ft
in diameter. If planting on grass, remove the turves
from a neat circle and set them aside.
2 Fork up the soil at the bottom to aerate it and aid
drainage.
3 Put a solid wooden stake, treated with preservative,
in the middle of the hole, knocking it in with a mallet.
place it so that the top will be just below the point
where the tree starts to branch.
4 If the soil is wet and heavy, place a laver of drainage
material 15cm/6in deep evenly over the bottom of the
hole. 5 Chop up the reserved turves, if any, into small
pieces and place them in the hole grass side down.
6 Fork in a 15cm/6in layer of well-rotted manure or
organic compost and replace the soil to the halfway
point. Tread it down.
7 This is where you need a second pair of hands. Person
A holds the tree in place in the hole, gripping low
on the stem, while Person B rests a flat piece of wood
across the hole. Line up the tree so that the old planting
mark on the stem is level with the wood. It may be necessary
to add or remove soil beneath the tree to get it to
the right depth.
8 With the tree held upright against the stake, gradually
replace the remaining soil in the hole. Give the tree
a shake from time to time to help the soil settle.
9 When the roots are covered, strew 2 Cupfuls of sterilized
bonemeal over the rooting area and cover with 3-4 shovelfuls
of peat.
10 Continue filling up the hole with soil, treading
it down occasionally, until the old planting mark is
just visible and the soil level.
11 Attach the tree to the stake with a strap, placing
a rubber buffer between stern and stake. As the tree
grows, the strap will need to be loosened accordingly.
CARE OF TREES Give young trees a moisture-retentive
mulch every autumn or spring. Suitable materials are
wellrotted compost, leaf-mould or peat, applied over
the rooting area to a depth of l 0cm/4in. Young trees
need generous watering, especially in dry spells and
if the soil is light III texture. Feeding is not usually
necessary because the mixture in the planting hole releases
its nutrients over a long period of time.
Mature trees do not normally need watering. They may,
however, need feeding. Signs of undernourishment are
discoloured or undersized leaves, or premature leaf
fall. Apply
a general fertilizer in granular form to the roots.
Bore 30cm/12in deep holes in the soil at 60cm/24in intervals.
Pour the granules into the holes through a funnel to
within 4cm/1 1/2in of the surface and top up with soil.
PROPAGATION Although the method of propagation suitable
for specific trees is described in the individual entries
that follow, in many cases raising trees is a lengthy
and skilled process beyond the scope of most amateurs.
Grafting is a particularly demanding technique used
for many species. A scion or shoot from the tree you
wish to propagate is joined to a suitable rootstock
by one of several methods. In approach grafting, for
example, a shallow slice of wood is taken from both
the scion and the rootstock and the two wounds are bound
tightly together until they unite, which usually takes
about 3 months. At this point the top of the rootstock
and the bottom of the scion are cut away. Different
methods are appropriate to different species.
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