If you ’ve ever ordered young trees or shrub in the mail , you ’re likely already intimate with plain - root glasshouse origin . Typically ship accord to your climate geographical zone , these items ordinarily arrive in spring or sometimes other autumn . Obviously , the preferably you plant each of these succeeding giants in their last locations , the well off they ’ll be . The same goes for woody specimen that have been implant in pots .
For my part , ever since I became anavid sapling aggregator , the numbers of potted trees I ’ve kept around have increased . I do n’t have elbow room to plant most of these on my own property . rather , I ’ll parent them until I can find someone who is unforced to take them on . While I wait , I ’ve had to find way to keep all of these trees informal , even in prolonged , freezing temperatures .
What ’s more , when my local nursery offer an ending - of - twelvemonth headway sale , I invariably land home extra crone hazels , spicebushes and serviceberries I just ca n’t resist . These deal plants ’ root systems are more or less better protected than those of their bare - tooth root counterparts , but they still need enough tax shelter — especially during the chilliest months of the year , when frost stupefy a very tangible threat .
Temporary Digs
If you live in a moth-eaten mood like I do , winter is already underway . But what if you ’ve run shortly on time to properly install your saplings or new shrubbery ? Or what if you have n’t decided exactly where you want everything to go ? You may be able to buy yourself some excess fourth dimension — and stave off serious frost price — if you list in all of that unplanted greenhouse gunstock .
heel in but means planting in a irregular trench , usually for a short period of time . The word “ heel”is said to have come up from former English terms meaning to cover or conceal . But heel in could also refer to the similar Old and halfway English words for lean or leaning to one side .
Since they are actively growing , plants that are heel in during spring and summer months must be water and more cautiously look after than those that are heeled in during winter . tree and other woody plants that are heel in for winter expend these insensate months in dormancy . They ’ll remain in this hibernation - like State Department until the days begin to lengthen and temperatures become systematically fond .
photo by Susan Brackney
Getting Started
Ideally , the spot you choose for winter sheltering should behave as a windbreak for your woody plants . If you have a shed , garage or other outbuilding , consider digging near one of these . Your heeling - in emplacement should also provide adequate drain . Do n’t have a suitable outbuilding to drudge about ? you may create an alternative windbreak with rows of straw bales .
As long as the background has n’t frozen self-coloured , you should be able-bodied to comprehend a comparatively deep , quintet - shaped oceanic abyss . If the ground is a little hard , you may be able to soften it up by tightly insure the area you wish to grasp with charge card . bequeath this in home over a few sunny days can avail warm up the ground enough for you to be able to work .
Planting Your Stock
For woody stock hold in in pots , you ’ll want to position these in the deep so each mass is mostly buried and the plant themselves protrude above the soil crease at about a 45 - degree angle . ( slant plant in this way further helps to protect them from abrasive , wintertime idle words . ) Next , carefully jam grunge in between each batch so they ’ll stay in position.photo by Susan Brackney
likewise , au naturel - root blood line should also be placed in the trench at an slant . natural covering root entirely with filth , but take care not to eat up your plants ’ delicate poll orbit .
For additional insulant and to help guard your reheel - in plants against rime heaving , you could skirt them with a few inches of bark mulch . ( But , again , quash covering crowns . ) in the end , you might desire to mark the country with colorful flags or stakes , so your gather - in trees and shrubs will be easy to see and unearth when spring arrives .
photo by Susan Brackney
Other Options
What can you do if digging outside turns out to be a no - go ? If youdohave an unheated garage or like outbuilding , you could temporarily plant your glasshouse stock in a turgid bathtub or trough to protect against cold and frost . In this character , you ’ll cover bare - root or potted woody plant as you would have in the outdoor oceanic abyss . But since you wo n’t have dirt at the ready , you ’ll take to use barque mulch or a similar stuff instead .
