Shrubs Spring Planting

Spring is when shrubs are the focal point of the garden because of the delightful blossoms that cover their forms. Deciduous shrubs such as Dogwood,  Azalea and  Star Magnolias are the shining stars of the garden as their blooms flower out in a wide array of color and their fragrances fill the air.

Planting shrubs should be done when the weather warms up to about seventy degrees to insure that the tender root systems do not get damage by frost or freeze. Most prefer a slightly acidic soil and a good watering when put into the ground.

The holes you should dig for the each shrub needs to be two to three times larger than the root ball so the roots have room to spread out. The more spread out the roots are, the healthier your shrubs will be.

Using soil that is removed from the hole you will plant your shrub in, mix an equal amount of compost, manure that has been aged, and sand. Include a slow release fertilizer that will continue to feed your shrub over an extended period of time.

Shrubs as a general rule prefer full sun light but can be placed in areas that are shaded part of the day. Grouping shrubs together is no problem. This can be done by the variety of shrub or by the color combinations you want in your yard. The leaf structure of each shrub is an added visual dimension to your landscape and can be taken into consideration as well when deciding where to plant each shrub.

Some shrubs, such as the lilac provide blooms that have heavenly scents. The lilac is a shrub that is extremely hardy and can be used in several geographic areas around the globe.

Shrubs grown on their own root stock will send out suckers. These shoots can be cut off and used to propagate more shrubs by simply planting them in rich soil, watering them well and keeping weeds away so that the shoot gets all the nutrients it needs to become a strong, mature bush.

Regular pruning keeps shrubs in the shape that you want them to have. Another reason to prune judiciously is to keep the plant healthy. Another reason to prune judiciously is to keep the plant healthy.

Any diseased part of the plant should be removed and burned so the disease does not spread to other shrubs or trees. Sculptures are quite the rage with some gardeners and learning to prune to get a certain effect is an art of its own. Most often this is performed by professionals that know how, when and where to cut the shrub to create the sculpted look that is desired.

Keep in mind that these are just general rules, check out individual shrubs characteristics: