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Planting Landscape Trees and Shrubs
HOME YARD & GARDEN • DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE
PURDUE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • WEST LAFAYETTE, IN
Michael N. Dana and Philip L. Carpenter

Trees and shrubs add beauty and value to residential and commercial property. They help modify microclimates around buildings and outdoor living areas. Best of all, trees and shrubs are not difficult to establish and maintain.
To achieve success with landscape trees and shrubs, correct plant selection, proper timing of planting, and correct planting techniques should all be employed. Selection includes choosing the proper species and selecting the appropriate root condition for successful transplanting. Timing the planting operation can be crucial to the survival of many tree and shrub species. In addition, proper planting techniques are important for economy of effort in the planting operation and for the long-term survival and vigor of the tree or shrub. It is all a matter of knowing what, when, and how to plant for success.

Plant Selection
The selection of any plant for a landscape should be based on the functional role the plant will play in the overall landscape. Aspects such as a plant’s mature size, canopy form, environmental requirements, and root growth pattern are all important. Numerous Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service publications can help you plan your own landscape and make good planting choices. See the list of Related Publications at the conclusion of this bulletin.
The condition of the root system at transplanting is a critical characteristic to consider when choosing a plant for your landscape. The root condition will determine how the plant should be handled. Trees and shrubs are usually nursery grown, and such plants are pruned and trained to develop strong canopy forms and root systems. They most often succeed in their new location. Avoid moving plants from the wild because many of the roots are cut off of a wild plant in the moving operation, and they seldom transplant successfully.
Nursery stock is available in several root forms: bare root, machine-balled, balled and
burlapped, and containerized (container-grown or potted), Figure 1. When plants are dormant, they can be safely dug without soil adhering to the roots. These are bare-root plants which are usually the least expensive nursery plants. However, success with bare-root plants requires that the purchaser provide protection from drying out and mechanical damage. Only smaller deciduous trees and shrubs should be handled as bare-root stock. Bare-root plants may have their root systems densely packed in moistened sphagnum peat moss and wrapped with plastic. Those plants are called machine-balled, and they are handled much like bare-root stock except the peat ball is not removed at planting.
Balled and burlapped (B & B) plants have been dug from a production field and have a ball of soil around the roots. The soil is wrapped in burlap and may be bound with twine or pinned together with nails.
Containerized plants are sold growing in a pot. They may have grown in the container for a year or more in a nursery, or they may be bare-root plants which were planted in the pot earlier in the same growing season. Also, the plant could have been field-grown, dug as a soil ball, and placed in a pot. Both B & B and containerized plants are usually more expensive than bare-root or machine-balled plants. However, since soil is moved with the root systems at planting time, fewer roots are disturbed, thus allowing for a greater likelihood of survival. All landscape plants can be handled as B & B or containerized plants.

Timing: When to Plant
Trees and shrubs generally do best if planted in the early spring before or just as new growth starts. The second best time for planting is in the fall, because plants are essentially dormant in the fall and the conditions provide the greatest chance for successful establishment. However, containerized stock or B & B plants can be planted at any time the soil can be