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Trees to plant


Best Trees to Plant - 15 Options for the Backyard

Put Down Some Roots

1/17

Trees add much-needed shade, privacy, color, and value to your backyard. Check out this list of longstanding favorites that you can easily incorporate into your lawn design for stunning results.

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Dogwood

2/17

A dogwood tree brings beauty and interest to your backyard all year long. It flowers during spring in a profusion of white, pink, and red blossoms, and then features a lush and compact canopy of foliage in the summer. Most varieties display red foliage in the fall before dropping leaves to show off attractive branching in the winter. There’s a variety for most any zone in the United States, making it no surprise that dogwood is one of the most popular flowering trees in America.

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Saucer Magnolia

3/17

Emblazoned with pinkish-purple, saucer-shaped flowers in the early spring, saucer magnolia is a backyard showstopper. Growing 20 to 30 feet tall and thriving in Zones 4 through 9, it’s an ornamental that's suitable for almost any yard.

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Sugar Maple

4/17

If you’re looking to add fall interest and color to your backyard, sugar maple is a great selection. Growing 60 to 75 feet tall, the sugar maple boasts a spreading canopy that puts on a vibrant show in autumn. Considered both a shade and an ornamental tree, it’s no wonder this is an American favorite for the yard.

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Silver Maple

5/17

In as little as five years, the silver maple tree will transform your backyard into a shady retreat. The silver undersides of its leaves not only give the silver maple its name, but also lend the tree a shimmering silver appearance in the breeze. It has a vast root system and large trunk, so be mindful to plant it away from sewer lines and walkways.

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'Green Giant' Arborvitae

6/17

Backyard privacy is important in so many places, but it's especially crucial between houses and yards in housing subdivisions. 'Green Giant' arborvitae has become a popular privacy screen for plenty of reasons: A fast-growing evergreen, it is exceptionally hardy, tolerates almost any soil, and has a beautiful conical shape. It’s great for a hedge, a screen, or as a single specimen in the backyard.

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Weeping Cherry

7/17

Few trees are as romantic and elegant as the weeping cherry. With cascading branches festooned with white or pink blossoms in spring, this graceful tree will quickly become the highlight of any backyard. Growing 20 to 30 feet tall, with a 20- to 25-foot spread, it’s small enough to fit almost anywhere.

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Red Oak

8/17

The red oak gets its name from the brilliant leaf color it shows off in the fall. Popular for both its hardiness and beauty, it’s also a fast grower—reaching up to 75 feet tall in maturity—with a rounded canopy. For larger backyards requiring shade, red oak is an excellent choice.

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American Holly

9/17

Whether you’re looking to provide evergreen privacy for your yard or enhance your property with a singular ornamental stunner, American holly delivers. Small, white springtime blooms give way to red berries (actually drupes) in the fall, which remain throughout winter. Holly offers both visual interest and food for wildlife, attracting birds and other small creatures to your yard.

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Eastern Redbud

10/17

One of the first signs of spring is the brilliant purplish-pink flowering of the eastern redbud, but its branching pattern makes this tree just as beautiful in winter as it is the rest of the year. Growing 20 to 30 feet high, with a 30-foot spread, the eastern redbud will make a dramatic display in any backyard.

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Tulip Tree

11/17

The tulip tree, liriodendron tulipifera, does double duty as a shade tree and an ornamental. It is bursting with tulip-shaped flowers in springtime and flaunts brilliant yellow leaves in the fall. A fast-growing hardwood, the tulip tree can grow more than two feet in a year. It is has few pest problems and can be grown in Zones 4 through 9, making it an ideal choice for backyards throughout the country, providing they can handle its height.

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Paper Birch

12/17

If you are looking for a tree that will quickly make an impression, consider the paper birch. The tall and lean tree is a fast grower that can reach up to 60-feet tall. Its green leaves turn golden yellow in the fall, which creates a contrast with its white peeling bark. Native to northern North America, the paper birch can be grown in zones 2 through 7.

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Crabapple

13/17

You can enjoy the colors of a crabapple tree practically year round. In spring, flowers bloom in shades of white, pink, or red depending on the variety. At the end of summer you will notice the small apples fruiting, which last into winter even after the vibrant red and orange leaves fall off the tree. Grow it in Zones 4 through 8 in full sun with well-drained soil for a dense tree.

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Fringe Tree

14/17

Suitable in hardiness zones 3 through 9, the fringe tree can grow in most of the United States. It makes a showy appearance in early spring with its feathery white flowers, hence its name. While delicate looking, the fringe tree is tolerant to pollution which makes it a great pick if you live in a city or high-traffic area. You can expect the tree to grow 12 to 20 feet tall and wide.

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Washington Hawthorn

15/17

If you want to attract birds and butterflies to your yard, consider planting a Washington hawthorn. This smaller deciduous tree—it grows no taller or wider than 30 feet—has fragrant flowers in the spring and small red fruit from summer through winter that draw in the wildlife. It also offers gorgeous foliage in the fall. 

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Serviceberry

16/17

Serviceberry, or shadbush, is a small native tree that looks great in a landscape for every season. Tolerant to most conditions, this can be grown in zones 2 through 9. This will be one of the first trees in your yard to flower in early spring, and then fruit berries in summer. In the fall you'll get to enjoy bright red and orange leaves. 

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A Tree Grows Indoors

17/17

Love the look of these stunning trees? While they’re obviously too large to bring inside, there are plenty of trees that are small and easy to grow in your house.

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Trees to Plant in Nebraska

Tree Type

- Any -ConiferousDeciduous

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Arborvitae, Eastern

Thuja spp.

Coniferous

Eastern arborvitae is a relatively common landscape tree in the eastern half of Nebraska often used in foundation plantings and as screens along property lines. Mature trees may reach 30-40’ in time, but in cultivation typically grow only 10-25' tall, depending on the cultivar used. 

Ash

Fraxinus sp.

Deciduous

Green ash is abundant in Nebraska’s native woodlands and was commonly planted throughout the state after Dutch elm disease. However, the introduction of emerald ash borer has left the species in peril. We no longer recommend planting any native ash trees in Nebraska.  

Birch, River

Betula Nigra

Deciduous

River birch is a fast-growing, medium-sized tree native to much of the east and southeast US and best known for its exfoliating, salmon-colored bark. It is frequently used as a landscape tree in eastern Nebraska. 

Buckeye, Ohio

Aesculus glabra

Deciduous

The buckeye tree is named for its round, shiny-brown nuts born in a spiny capsule that somewhat resembles a “buck's eye”.

Catalpa, Northern

Catalpa speciosa

Deciduous

Northern catalpa is primarily used today as a large ornamental shade tree. It is widely planted in urban areas as a street and lawn tree. Conservation uses include plantings in mined-land reclamation projects and shelterbelts.

Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana

Deciduous

Chokecherry is common throughout much of the US and southern Canada and grows across Nebraska.   It is typically a suckering, multi-stemmed large shrub, but can be a small tree reaching up to 25’ tall.

Coffeetree, Kentucky

Gymnocladus dioicus

Deciduous

Kentucky Coffeetree is one of the best trees for Nebraska. This native, pest free tree is an alternative to ash and elm which have been ravaged by insects and disease. It also has a nice golden-yellow fall color, don't you think?  

Cottonwood, Eastern

Populus deltoides

Deciduous

Most people can relate nostalgically to large cottonwoods that shaded favorite camping or fishing spots, that whispered their rustling leaves in the slightest breeze, and which released their cottony seeds like a snow squall on late spring days.

Dogwood, Corneliancherry

Cornus mas

Deciduous

Although the origin of the name “dogwood” is not completely understood, it had been referred to as the “dog tree” since the 1500s. Most dogwoods are shrubby in nature, but a few can become small trees.

Dogwood, Pagoda

Cornus alternifolia

Deciduous

The species is native to forest edges in the northeastern US from Minnesota to Maine and south to the mid-Atlantic states. 

Elm, American

Ulmus americana

Deciduous

For the first hundred or so years after settlement, American elm dominated community skylines across the state especially along streets where its tall, arching habit provided leafy canopies for blocks at a time. 

Euonymus, Winterberry

Euonymus bungeanus

Deciduous

Also known as spindletree, winterberry euonymus is best known for its fall colors of pink, orange, and red found in both its leaves and fruit capsules.

Fir, Concolor (White)

Abies concolor

Coniferous

Concolor fir is the most reliable and easy to grow fir for Nebraska. It has become relatively popular as a landscape tree and has also been utilized in some shelterbelts on favorable sites.

Fir, Douglas

Pseudotsuga menziesii

Coniferous

Douglas fir is one of the most important timber trees in the United States and is the backbone of the western timber industry. The Rocky Mountain variety is more adaptable to the Great Plains and has been grown successfully across Nebraska, primarily as a landscape tree but sometimes in shelterbelts. 

Ginkgo

Ginkgo biloba

Deciduous

Ginkgo is a very unusual tree. Often referred to as a living fossil, ginkgo leaves appear as fossils dating to more than 200 million years old.  Some of these fossils have even been found in Nebraska.

Hackberry

Celtis occidentalis

Deciduous

Hackberry may be the king of hard-working trees. It can provide a canopy of shade for decades at a time, and ask for almost nothing in return. Additionally, its deep root system makes common hackberry useful for preventing soil erosion on disturbed sites.

Hawthorn, Cockspur

Crataegus crusgalli

Deciduous

The hawthorns are a diverse and confusing group of plants with at least 200 distinct species occurring throughout the Northern Hemisphere. There are dozens of species native to North America, including several that are grown as landscape trees.

Hawthorn, Downy

Crataegus mollis

Deciduous

Native to the Midwest including eastern Nebraska and Kansas, where it can be found in the savanna understory and prairie edges.

Hemlock, Eastern

Tsuga Canadensis

Coniferous

Eastern hemlock is a shade-tolerant native of the eastern US growing from Minnesota to Maine and south to the higher elevations of Georgia. The tree is not abundant in Nebraska but is occasionally found in protected landscape plantings, especially where a shade-tolerant evergreen is desired. 

Hickory, Bitternut

Carya cordiformis

Deciduous

Bitternut hickory is native to much of the eastern US and reaches its western limit in eastern Nebraska. It is the most commonly encountered hickory in Nebraska’s native woods and is occasionally used in parks and other community plantings. 

Hickory, Shagbark

Carya ovata

Deciduous

Along with bitternut, shagbark hickory is one of two native hickories in Nebraska’s eastern woodlands where it is often found growing on relatively moist slopes in association with oaks and lindens.

Honeylocust

Gleditsia triacanthos

Deciduous

Honeylocust is a very tough and adaptable tree that is native to woodlands, pastures and fence lines of the eastern Great Plains.  Thornless and fruitless varieties have been developed by the horticultural industry and are used extensively in landscaping. The trees are very hardy and are often used in parking lot islands and along sidewalks.

Hornbeam, American (Musclewood)

Carpinus caroliniana

Deciduous

American hornbeam, also known as musclewood or blue beech, is a small, slow-growing understory tree native to hardwood forests of the eastern US and Canada. The tree is perhaps best known for its smooth and sinewy steel-gray bark and the muscle-like look of its maturing trunk and larger branches (thus one of its common names). 

Juniper, Rocky Mountain

Juniperus scopulorum

Coniferous

As its name implies, Rocky Mountain Juniper is a common evergreen throughout the Rocky Mountains, extending into the Pine Ridge and Wildcat Hills of the Nebraska Panhandle. RM juniper is widely used in shelterbelts, wildlife plantings and landscape plantings in the western Great Plains.

Linden, American (Basswood)

Tilia americana

Deciduous

American linden, also known as basswood, is native to the Missouri River basin of eastern Nebraska and extends along the Niobrara River reaching as far west as the Black Hills of western South Dakota. 

Locust, Black

Robinia pseudoacacia

Deciduous

Black locust is one of the most adaptable and easy-to-grow trees for the urban landscape. Due to its showy aromatic flower, it has often been planted as an ornamental, but this practice should be discouraged due to the potential for spread by root suckers.

Maple, Amur

Acer ginnala

Deciduous

Amur maple is an introduced, deciduous large shrub or small tree. It can be grown as a multi-stemmed clump or trained into a small tree with a single trunk. It can also be sheared into a hedge.

Maple, Boxelder

Acer negundo

Deciduous

Boxelder maple is one of the widest occurring trees across North America, extending from Mexico well into Canada and from the east coast of the US to the west coast.

Maple, Norway

Acer platanoides

Deciduous

Norway maple is native to central and northern Europe including parts of Norway, indicating its significant cold tolerance.

Maple, Red

Acer rubrum

Deciduous

Red maple’s attractive shape, clean habit, and red fall color have made it one of the most commonly planted trees across the eastern United States including eastern Nebraska.  The tree has a remarkably wide native range occurring from Minnesota to Newfoundland south to Florida and Texas, and most points in between.

Maple, Sugar

Acer saccharum

Deciduous

Sugar maple is one of the most important trees of New England where it is tapped to make maple syrup and is a primary component of that region's beautiful fall color.  Though not quite native to Nebraska, sugar maple has proven to be a reliable grower when given good care and favorable site conditions.

Oak, Black

Quercus velutina

Deciduous

Native to southeast Nebraska, black oak is similar in shape and form to red oak, the key differences being smaller, darker leaves and a darker, more furrowed bark. This is a great native tree deserving of greater planting!

Oak, Bur

Quercus macrocarpa

Deciduous

Bur oak is considered by many to be the king of Great Plains native hardwoods.  It is the most common native oak in Nebraska occurring naturally along many rivers and streams in the eastern third of the state and can be found in pockets here and there as far west as Hitchcock and Dawes counties.

Oak, Chinkapin

Quercus muehlenbergii

Deciduous

Next to bur oak, chinkapin oak is the second most adaptable white oak that can be grown in Nebraska. It has a wide geographic distribution occurring naturally from Mexico to southern Canada and is native to the southeast part of Nebraska.

Oak, English

Quercus robur

Deciduous

As its name implies, English oak is native to England and actually occurs throughout much of Europe extending into western Siberia, attesting to its tough and adaptable nature.

Oak, Gambel

Quercus gambelii

Deciduous

Gambel oak is a scrubby species native to southern Rocky Mountains and four-corners region of the southwestern US.  The oak can vary significantly in size and form from depending on its location.

Oak, Northern Red

Quercus rubra

Deciduous

Red oak is Nebraska’s second most abundant native oak occurring on the bluffs of the Missouri River from about South Sioux City to Falls City and extending a few dozen miles westward along some of its major tributaries.

Oak, Pin

Quercus palustris

Deciduous

Pin oak is a moderately large tree with normal heights ranging from 70 to 90 feet with diameters between 2 and 3 feet.

Oak, White

Quercus alba

Deciduous

White oak is abundant across much of the eastern US reaching its western limit at about the Missouri River where it just reaches into southeast Nebraska. It's an excellent ornamental tree because of its broad round crown, dense foliage, and purplish-red to violet-purple fall color.

Osage Orange

Maclura pomifera

Deciduous

Osage orange was first cultivated in the south in the early 1800s. It was brought north by Professor Jonathan Turner, a biology teacher at Illinois College, and promoted as a living fence by John Wright, editor of The Prairie Farmer

Pawpaw

Asimina triloba

Deciduous

Pawpaw is a forest understory tree native to much of the eastern US, reaching its western limit in the oak-hickory forests of southeast Nebraska. It is best known for its large, edible, yellow-green fruits with custard-like pulp. It’s occasionally used as a landscape tree in southeast Nebraska.

Pine, Austrian

Pinus Nigra

Coniferous

Austrian pine is a medium to large conifer that is native to southeastern Europe, especially the higher elevations of the Balkans and Turkey. It has been used extensively in shelterbelts across much of the central and northern Great Plains and is also used in park and landscape plantings. Diseases are now limiting its use in eastern Nebraska. 

Pine, Eastern White

Pinus strobus

Coniferous

Eastern white pine is a fast-growing and relatively long-lived, soft-needled evergreen native to the northeastern US and Canada.  Its occasionally used for windbreaks and screens and has become a popular landscape tree in eastern Nebraska communities. 

Pine, Jack

Pinus banksiana

Coniferous

Jack pine is a scrubby, northern pine native to much of Canada and south to the Great Lakes and northern New England. It grows further north in Canada than any other native pine. It is extremely cold hardy and drought tolerant and has been used in shelterbelts and conservation plantings in Nebraska where little else will grow.   

Pine, Limber

Pinus flexilis

Coniferous

Limber pine is a medium-sized evergreen native to the Rocky Mountains from Canada to New Mexico where it’s typically found at elevations of 5,000 to 12,000 feet, often reaching the tree line.  A few disjunct stands reach out on to the western High Plains including the Pine Bluffs area of western Kimball County, making it one of only two pine species native to the state, the other being Ponderosa pine. 

Pine, Pinyon (Colorado Pinyon)

Pinus edulis

Coniferous

Pinyon pine is native to the Four Corners area of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona where it is typically found growing with junipers on drier sites. It has been used in landscape and screen plantings in western Nebraska, especially the southern Panhandle. 

Pine, Ponderosa

Pinus ponderosa

Coniferous

Ponderosa pine is native across much of the western US and reaches eastward into western Nebraska. It is a fairly fast-growing tree and has been a popular choice across the state for windbreaks and general landscape use. 

Pine, Red

Pinus resinosa

Coniferous

Red pine is a medium-sized evergreen native from eastern Canada south to Minnesota and east to New York. It is typically found on hills, slopes, ridges and plains, often in sandy soils. It is sometimes planted in Nebraska. 

Pine, Scotch (Scots)

Pinus sylvestris

Coniferous

Scotch Pine, also known as Scots pine, is a fast-growing, conical to columnar, medium-sized conifer with distinctive flaking orange to red-brown bark. Once common and popular across the Midwest, scotch pine is being decimated by Pine Wilt and is no longer recommended for planting in Nebraska.  

Plum, American

Prunus americana

Deciduous

American plum is native throughout much of the central US, including the Great Plains. Though typically a shrubby, multi-stemmed plant, it can become a small tree with age reaching up to 20’ tall.

Redbud

Cercis canadensis

Deciduous

Redbuds are best known for their magenta-pink pea-like flowers that bloom profusely before leaves emerge in the spring. It’s a beautiful small tree with a very naturalistic form, often multi-trunked and wider than it is tall.

Redcedar, Eastern

Juniperus virginiana

Coniferous

Eastern redcedar is a native tree that has long been used in windbreaks, shelterbelts, and conservation plantings across the Great Plains. Due to lack of management and naturally-occurring wildfires, it has rapidly spread into grasslands and riparian forests. Redcedar should be used with caution and planted only where needed for quick sheltering or where little else will grow. Management plans/practices should be in place prior to planting.

Serviceberry, Downy (Juneberry)

Amelanchier arborea

Deciduous

Downy serviceberry is a small forest understory tree native to much of the eastern US and reaching its western limit in southeast Nebraska along the Missouri River. It is occasionally used as a landscape ornamental.

Silver Maple

Acer saccharinum

Deciduous

Silver maple was heavily planted as an ornamental in many urban areas because of its ease of transplanting and establishment, adaptability to a wide range of sites, rapid growth, and good form. More recently, the tree has fallen out of favor and new plantings are rare. 

Spruce, Colorado (Blue)

Picea pungens

Coniferous

Colorado spruce (also called blue spruce) is a pyramidal conifer native to Colorado and the central Rocky Mountains. It has been extensively planted across Nebraska in shelterbelts and landscapes and is one of the most common evergreens in communities, especially in central and western Nebraska. 

Spruce, Norway

Picea abies

Coniferous

Norway spruce is a large pyramidal evergreen conifer native to the mountains of northern and central Europe (including Norway). It has been used extensively as a landscape tree in eastern Nebraska where it’s distinguished by its large size and its pendulous, droopy branches.  

Spruce, White (Black Hills Spruce)

Picea glauca

Coniferous

White spruce, also known as Black Hills spruce in our region, is an extremely hardy evergreen conifer native across the northern boreal region from Alaska and northwest Canada to Newfoundland, and dipping south into the US from Minnesota to northern New England. There is an isolated population in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which is where the common name Black Hills Spruce comes from. The tree has been planted in significant numbers across Nebraska where it is used in windbreaks, wildlife plantings, residential landscapes, and community plantings. 

Swamp White Oak

Quercus bicolor

Deciduous

Swamp white oak has become one of the most popular oaks for planting in recent years. The swamp white oak is an excellent tree for planting in the yard or as a woodland tree. The tree is native to much of the eastern US, extending from New England into central Iowa.

Sycamore, American

Platanus occidentalis

Deciduous

A tree that can warm your heart even on the coldest day of winter is the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). American sycamore is also known as American planetree, buttonwood and buttonball tree. American sycamore is native to 36 states, including Nebraska. You can go to just about any eastern Nebraska community and find at least a few larger sycamore trees. On farms it was (and still is) often planted for shade.

Tulip Tree

Liriodendron tulipifera

Deciduous

As can be guessed by both its common and scientific names, tulip tree is named for its tulip-like, yellow-green flowers that are born at the end of branches shortly after leaf emergence each spring.

Walnut, Black

Julgans Nigra

Deciduous

Black walnut is by far the hardiest and adaptable nut tree that can be grown in Nebraska.  The species is native to much of the central and eastern US and occurs naturally in river-edge woodlands of eastern Nebraska and follows the Niobrara River as far west as western Cherry County.

Willow, Black

Salix nigra

Deciduous

Black willow is one of the most common tree-form native willows encountered in the Great Plains. As such, it evolved as an important food source and habitat for local and visiting wildlife.  

Planting fruit trees in autumn: timing, recommendations, advantages and disadvantages of planting in autumn

CONTENTS: Which fruit trees can be planted in autumn Recommendations for planting seedlings Advantages and disadvantages of autumn planting

Many gardeners prefer to plant fruit trees in the autumn, as such an agrotechnical event has its own number of advantages and further pleases the owners with a rich harvest.

What fruit trees can be planted in autumn?

The following trees are excellent for planting in autumn:

Moreover, planting in the fall is well tolerated by many varieties of plums. Gardeners believe that almost all types of trees are suitable for planting in the fall, but there are representatives of fruit trees that are too sensitive. Such species are too susceptible to winter cold and do not adapt well to frost. For example, peach, cherry, apricot. It is also not known how fruit trees will behave, which were delivered from other climatic regions and have not yet endured wintering. They just may not take root, so it's better not to risk it.

The most successful autumn months for planting new fruit trees in the garden are September and October. Autumn for trees is physiological rest, so they take root well. Also, the beginning and middle of autumn are a comfortable period for seedlings in terms of adaptation, the plants practically do not get sick.

Recommendations for planting seedlings

Before planting a seedling, you need to choose a place. It is important to understand that a fruit tree is planted, and it should be comfortable in the garden throughout its life. Every gardener knows that the harvest will depend on how the young tree grows, develops and feels. After all, the roots can grow several meters underground, and the crown can be too sprawling with powerful branches.

When planting a seedling, it is necessary to take into account what is nearby:

It must be remembered that autumn planting has its own nuances. For this period, 1-2 year old seedlings are best suited, the shoots must be ripe, lignified along the entire length, and the buds formed. The viability of a tree directly depends on its root system. The roots should hold tightly in a coma of the earth, but not braid it.

In autumn, two important rules are observed. The planting of a young tree is carried out together with a clod of earth. You need to plant a seedling a month before frost. Small trees will be able to grow absorbent roots and get stronger before the arrival of a capricious spring.

Autumn planting differs from spring planting in that the roots of the plant are not shortened in autumn. The composition of the soil and the location of groundwater are taken into account. In the process of planting, the roots of the plant are protected from drying. For two-year-old seedlings, the diameter of the pit should be a meter or a little more, and the depth should be half a meter. If the garden is located on not too fertile soil, then the depth of the planting pit increases to a meter.

In order to plant a seedling with high quality, you need to observe some important details. The root neck is placed 4-6 cm above the soil. In the future, the soil may compact and settle and, accordingly, the young tree will sink a little deeper. In the process of planting, you need to monitor the roots, they should not twist and turn up. When backfilling with fertile soil, it is necessary to ensure that the soil carefully covers all the branches of the roots.

Advantages of autumn planting

Disadvantages of planting fruit trees in autumn

In some cases, seedlings are best planted in the spring. For example, if there is an increased percentage of rodents in a given area. Also, winter is rich in unpredictable situations for weak seedlings, and they can die from snowfalls, strong winds and frosts. Therefore, you need to take into account the weather forecasts for the coming winter. If young trees are unattended in winter, then it is possible that they can simply be stolen.

Planting fruit trees in the fall has many advantages, and if you follow certain rules, the acquired seedlings will take root perfectly in the garden and will delight the owners with an excellent harvest.

You can familiarize yourself with the assortment of seedlings of fruit trees presented in our Garden Center in this section.

Planting trees and shrubs. Basic rules and guidelines

Planting trees and shrubs is one of the most important operations in the process of growing them. In many ways, it depends on this process whether the seedlings turn into beautiful plants, acquire a sad appearance, or die altogether. It is worth understanding the reasons that are decisive for a successful landing or transplant.


It is worth paying maximum attention to the following factors: choosing a planting site and the health of seedlings adapted for a given climatic zone, competent planting work within the allotted time, proper subsequent care.

Planting time
Selecting planting sites
Preparing planting holes
Planting trees and shrubs. Methods
Fixing trees and shrubs
Planting large trees

Time to plant

When spring comes, you should hurry, because at the moment when the leaves begin to unfold on the shoots of seedlings, their survival rate is sharply reduced. This is why the spring planting boom is swift and fleeting. The autumn planting period can be considered more measured and thorough. It is unprofitable for plant nurseries to leave seedlings in the fields, so in autumn the range of planting material is the widest, while it becomes possible to choose the best.

Here we are talking about seedlings with an open root system released from the ground. In this state, in dry weather, they can be outdoors for no more than 15 minutes. After this time, the most delicate root endings, which are the basis of the root system, absorbing water, begin to simply dry out and, as a result, die off.

Based on this, when purchasing planting material with an open root system, it is necessary to take care in advance not only of its protection from drying out, but also stock up on suitable containers for this.

For small plants, boxes are also suitable (for example, plastic ones with small ventilation holes), and for medium-sized plants, garbage bags of 20 - 40 liters will be indispensable.

Large seedlings will require a double polyethylene film up to 1. 5 m wide. where the seedlings are laid, and their roots are sprinkled with earth.

In this state, the seedlings remain until planting; after their excavation, it is highly recommended not to leave the roots open for more than 15 minutes.

Buried seedlings can be stored like this for quite a long time without losing their viability.

The best time to plant shrubs is in autumn, and trees in spring . The idea of ​​this rule is that shrubs planted in early autumn, i.e. during September, they have time to take root in a new place before the winter cold, while the trees do not have time to do this and are damaged by frost in winter. The conclusion is that the best option would be to leave the tree seedlings in the pit until spring.

Open-rooted seedlings are best both purchased and transported in cool cloudy or even rainy weather.

Selection of sites

First, you need to evaluate the conditions in which the planted ornamental plants will develop according to the following parameters:

The conditions will make it possible to determine the range of trees and shrubs in the future, and the determination of the size of such plots will make it possible to calculate the required amount of planting material.

The most common mistake is getting too close. The reason for this lies in the lack of knowledge about the size reached by the plant at a mature age. According to the authoritative opinion of some experts, it is recommended to make the following calculations when designing seats:

Distance between tree planting sites

For most trees (with the exception of columnar trees) it is necessary to add the height of mature trees A and B, and then divide the resulting sum by two - this is the optimal distance between the centers of planting holes.

Distance between planting sites

Several examples can be given for the most famous trees and shrubs - the table shows the height for the conditions of the temperate zone of the European part of Russia and corresponds to the plant age indicated behind the "\".

Planting trees Height / age
Prickly spruce (typical form) up to 25 m / 80 years
Pedunculate oak up to 25 m \ 100 years
Sycamore Maple, Holly up to 20 m / 60 years
Tatar maple up to 9 m \ 20 years
River maple, Ginnala up to 6 m \ 15 years
Large-leaved linden up to 25 m / 80 years
Siberian larch up to 25 m / 80 years
Willow white \silver weeping form up to 20 m \ 80 years
Norway willow up to 8 m \ 20 years
Willow brittle globular up to 10 m / 30 years

Shrubs for planting Height / age
Common hazel up to 3 m \ 10 years
Euonymus up to 2. 5 m \ 10 years
Sea buckthorn up to 5 m \ 10 years
Privet up to 3 m / 8 years
Mock orange up to 3 m \ 10 years
Potentilla \ Kuril tea 0.4-0.9 m \ 5 years
Rhododendron 2 m \ 5 years
Japanese spirea 0.6 m \ 5 years
Bumold spirea 0.15 - 1.5 m \ 5 years

Such a huge range of heights in small species of shrubs is associated with the presence in each species not only of a large number of decorative forms, but also of specially bred varieties.

It is possible to correctly determine the height of trees at any age of interest (for example, at 10, 20 or 40 years old) using regional growth tables in the field of forest management.

Preparing the planting holes

It is imperative that the dimensions of the planting holes correspond to the characteristics of the root systems of both ornamental and fruit plants. But it is worth noting that even in trees such as oak and pine, whose skeletal roots can go into the soil to a depth of 5-6 m, the bulk - up to 90% of small suction roots are located in the upper 40-cm soil layer. Because of this, even when planting large trees with a clod, the depth of the planting hole rarely reaches 1 m, and often corresponds to 60–80 cm.

Much more important for plants is the ability to develop lateral roots, which, with constant branching, develop the upper layers of the soil horizon, which are not only rich in nutrition, but also well aerated. A huge number of soil bacteria live in these soil layers, their number reaches 5 million per 1 cubic meter. see, and mushrooms, without their vital activity, the roots of plants simply cannot exist. That is why the landing pit should be as wide as possible, but within reasonable limits.

For individual trees and shrubs, as in group planting, pits are dug separately for each plant, while for creating hedges and borders it is necessary to prepare trenches.

Digging a hole for planting

1. Using a bayonet shovel, the sod (the top layer of soil along the perimeter of the future planting hole) is cut, which in the case of trees should be at least 1 m, and for large shrubs - 60 cm.

2. The upper fertile layer of soil is removed along with the sod, which is folded on one side of the pit.

3. The underlying soil horizon lying under the fertile layer is excavated, which, unlike the upper layer, contains humus and mechanical composition. In some cases it is lighter / sandy, but more often it is heavy / loamy. The amount of soil from the underlying horizon is much larger and it is piled up on the other side of the pit.

4. The walls of the excavation pit are made steep, and the bottom is loosened to a depth of 15 to 20 cm.

5. On soils where the underlying layer contains heavy loams, it is necessary to install drainage systems that serve to drain water from the bottom of the pits that accumulates from precipitation and spring snowmelt.

Digging a hole for planting

The width of the trench directly depends both on the size of the plants to be planted and on the scheme of their planting:

Planting trees and shrubs. Methods

There are several methods used when planting trees and shrubs. Consider the 2 most differing in their technology: planting with bare and closed root system .

Planting plants with an open root system

Pre-prepared pits should be filled with 1/3 of the earth mixture immediately after excavation. A fertile layer of soil with sod folded on one side of the planting pit must be slightly crushed with a shovel and laid on the bottom.

Less fertile soil from deeper underlying soil horizons needs to be improved. If this soil has a heavy loamy character, then it is worth adding a similar amount of sand in terms of volume, but if it is sandy, the same amount of loam. As a loam, the best solution would be to use soddy soil, bottom silt of lake sediments or other soil of heavy mechanical composition.

Next, add 2-3 parts of organic humus. Peat, leaf, grass compost or lowland peat are suitable here. High-quality humus has a dark brown, almost black color. All of the above components are thoroughly mixed with the addition of dolomite flour / slaked lime and complete mineral fertilizer.

Composition of the soil mixture: 3 parts organic humus, 1 part loam, 1 part sand, 1/2 part dolomite flour or 1/5 part slaked lime with complete mineral fertilizer added to it.

The planting hole must be filled to about a third of its depth, leaving the remainder of the soil mixture on the surface until planting begins.

Sufficient water must be prepared immediately before planting.

After being removed from the pit, the seedlings are placed in the center of the pit so that their root system, without bending or resting against the walls of the planting pit, diverge evenly in different directions. When the roots are too long, they are cut with a pruner or simply carefully cut with an ax.

It is necessary to monitor the root neck of plants, it should be located above the soil surface. This is implemented as follows: from a 1/3-filled pit, the required amount of land mixture is selected or added to it. To achieve the most even arrangement of the roots at the desired level, a tubercle is arranged in the planting pit, on which the roots are laid out (Fig. 4).

Planting seedlings with an open root system

After planting the seedling in the hole, it is backfilled to about 2/3 of its total depth, so that the soil mixture covers most of the plant's root system. Next, a large amount of water is poured, and the pouring must be continued until the water level reaches 2/3 of the depth of the landing pit, after which it is finally covered with a dry earth mixture.

During the entire time allotted for planting, the seedling must be kept upright by lightly twitching and pulling it up. To prevent shrinkage of the root collar of the seedling below the level of the soil surface, the pit is covered 15–20 cm above this level.

The above method of planting is a practical guarantee of plant survival, because the slurry formed in the root zone envelops their lobes, thereby ensuring excellent contact between the suction root hairs and soil aggregates.

All other planting methods with an open root system, including the most common dry planting followed by abundant watering, have a much lower survival rate of seedlings due to weaker contact of the root ends with the soil and the subsequent formation of air sacs in the root zone.

It should be noted that when pouring water directly into the pits, it is possible to prevent the formation of dirt around the planting site, which cannot be avoided when watering from above.

At the final stage, it is necessary to form a planting mound around the annular roller - it will retain water in the root zone during irrigation.

It would not be superfluous to mulch the surface of the mound with peat compost or other similar material to prevent the formation of a crust on the soil surface that disrupts its aeration and slows down the evaporation of moisture.

Closed-root planting

Close-rooted seedlings allow planting almost all year round. Of course, no one will plant small and medium-sized plants in snowy and harsh winters, and for large-sized trees, winter planting with a frozen lump for a long time was the only method widely used in Russian practice.

The technology used for planting container seedlings is quite simple and fundamentally not much different from the above-described planting of seedlings with an open root system. Thus, taking it as a basis, we will try to consider the specific features of planting container plants.


First, you need to know that the soil / soil mixture is included in the list of quarantine materials that are prohibited for transportation across state borders, therefore, when officially supplied with seedlings from nurseries in Europe, they are placed in containers with peat or other permitted transportation through border material. This material is completely unsuitable for the further growth of the transported plants, which is why these seedlings should be removed from the containers as soon as possible and planted in a permanent place in open ground (or containers with a soil mixture suitable for plants).

Recently, companies supplying seedlings from foreign nurseries have been repacking planting material at their bases, and usually ornamental plants with a good soil mixture in containers are already on sale.

But direct deliveries are also possible.

Before buying a plant in a container, you need to make sure the quality of the soil mixture, provided that you have to keep the seedling in it for 2-3 weeks before planting in a permanent place.

Before planting, the seedling must be carefully removed from the container and inspected. If the roots have come out of the coma and spun along the walls of the container, they must be cut with multiple vertical movements using a sharp knife around the entire circumference of the coma or several shallow triangular slits should be cut in the coma along its lateral surface.

Further actions are practically the same as planting seedlings with an open root system:

It is recommended to use root formation stimulants for better establishment of seedlings planted by the 2 methods described above. Their working solutions are prepared at the rate of 0.0001% concentration, and solutions of a higher concentration can cause root tissue burns and their death.

Anchoring trees and shrubs

In their natural habitat, trees and shrubs are held in the ground by roots that tightly cover a large amount of soil space. Seedlings are deprived of this support and need to be fixed after planting.

Planted shrubs in most cases hold quite well in the soil due to the low center of gravity of their shoot system. The center of gravity of the trees is much higher, as a result of which, after planting, young trees need to be fixed.

Strengthening plantings should be done with supports:

Planting large-sized trees

It should be said right away that planting and transplanting large-sized mature trees is a very laborious process, and, at the same time, requires large material costs. Despite this, large-sized plants are very popular due to the rapid achievement of the decorative effect of landscaped areas.

- Large trees 2.5-4.5 m high can be planted / transplanted on their own using small-scale mechanization.
- Planting trees over 4.5 m will definitely require special machinery and equipment, so it would be more correct to contact companies specializing in this type of activity.

As mentioned above, the winter transplantation of large-sized plants with a frozen lump in most cases gives positive results, but on condition that it will be carried out at stable frosts of at least 10–15 degrees.


Spring replanting before leafing out is considered the most favorable for large trees, but its period is very short. The soil frozen during the winter period makes it very difficult to dig out large-sized trees scheduled for transplantation. During the thawing process, it becomes necessary to pack the lump in a special container to give it additional strength.

The period of autumn transplantation, unlike the spring one, lasts quite a long time - from the moment the leaves fall down to the establishment of low temperatures. This allows you to perform all the necessary work in large volumes. With stable moderate frosts in the autumn period, it becomes possible to apply the method of transplanting (planting) trees with frostbite.

In this case, there is no need to pack the lump in a special container, and this greatly reduces the cost of work. In autumn, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the planted trees need to be warmed by the root system for the winter period.

All species that shed their leaves in late autumn (eg poplar, white locust, black alder or winter forms of oak) do not survive autumn transplanting well and are best planted in spring.

Summer replanting of trees in their leafy state is the most risky and requires protection of plants from exposure to high temperatures and direct sunlight.

Satisfactorily tolerate transplantation in adulthood deciduous tree species such as linden, poplar, maple, horse chestnut, ash, oak, apple, pear and plum, in the south - mulberry, and conifers: spruce, fir, thuja and juniper .

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