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The Case for Dormant Planting

Between November and March, deciduous trees are asleep. With no leaves to support and no active growth to fuel, a bare-root tree lifted from the nursery bed carries a small, neat root system and a great deal of stored energy. Planted while it is dormant, it settles into its new ground with the minimum of stress, and its roots begin exploring the soil well before spring asks anything of the shoots above.

Bare-root stock is also cheaper, lighter to handle and available in far greater variety than potted trees, which makes it the natural choice for hedgerows, shelterbelts, orchards and woodland edges. The one rule to respect is timing: plant when the ground is workable, but never into frozen soil, standing water or deep snow. If a tree arrives and conditions are against you, heel it in temporarily — lay it in a shallow trench, cover the roots with soil and firm gently — and wait for a better day.

Choosing and Checking Your Trees

Order from a reputable British nursery that supplies stock suited to your soil and aspect. Native species such as field maple, hornbeam, hazel, rowan, wild cherry, crab apple, oak and birch are reliable workhorses, while alder and willow will tolerate wetter ground. If your site is heavy clay, look for trees grown on a similar soil rather than pampered specimens from a light, sandy bed.

On arrival, inspect before you plant:

• Roots should be fibrous and damp, never dry, brittle or blackened.
• The stem should be straight, with a clean, undamaged leader and unbroken buds.
• The root-to-shoot balance should be sensible — a huge top on a tiny root will struggle.
• Labelling should be clear, so you know what you are planting and where.

Keep roots wrapped and out of wind and sun until the moment they go in. Even an hour of drying can set a tree back a full season.

Preparing the Ground Properly

The commonest mistake is digging a hole exactly the size of the roots. Instead, cultivate a generous area — at least a metre across — and fork the base of the planting hole to break up any pan. On clay, fork in plenty of well-rotted organic matter around the planting area, and consider planting on a slight mound so the roots never sit in a sump of winter water.

Do not fill the planting hole with rich compost. A luxury pocket of nutrients encourages roots to circle within it rather than reach out into the surrounding soil. The tree needs to make its home in your ground, not in a pampered island within it.

Spacing and Layout for Woodland and Hedgerow

Spacing depends on what you want the planting to become. As a rough guide:

• Standard woodland trees — oak, ash-type species, sweet chestnut: 3 to 4 metres apart, wider on fertile sites.
• Orchard standards — apple, pear, plum: 8 to 10 metres, allowing for mature spread and mowing access.
• Native hedgerows — hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose, hazel: 30 to 45 centimetres in a double staggered row.
• Woodland whips and scrub edges — birch, rowan, willow: 1.5 to 2 metres, thinned later as the canopy closes.

Group species in loose drifts rather than a rigid grid; a little irregularity looks more natural and gives you flexibility if one species fails. On exposed sites, plant a wind-firm outer band of hardy species to shelter the more tender trees inside.

Planting Step by Step

Work in small batches so roots never dry out. Set the tree in the hole at the same depth it grew in the nursery — look for the soil mark on the stem and match it to ground level. Spread the roots out naturally, then backfill in layers, firming each with your heel to close air pockets. Finish by watering thoroughly, even in wet weather, to settle the soil around every root hair.

Mulch with 5 to 7 centimetres of well-rotted bark or leafmould, keeping it clear of the trunk. Stake only where necessary — larger trees on windy sites — using a short, angled stake that allows the trunk to flex and thicken. Fit rabbit guards to whips, and use tree shelters where deer are active.

Aftercare Through the First Years

The first two summers decide whether your planting thrives or merely survives. Water deeply during dry spells — around 20 litres per tree per week — and keep a metre-wide circle clear of grass and weeds, which compete fiercely for moisture and nutrients.

Check ties and guards each autumn, loosen anything that is cutting in, and firm back any trees lifted by frost. Pruning should be minimal at this stage: remove only broken or crossing branches, then begin formative pruning after the first full growing season. With decent ground preparation and steady aftercare, a bare-root whip planted this winter will be a proper tree before you know it.