2021 Fall Home

Page 6 2021 Fall Home Improvement LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Sept. 23, 2021 For shrubs, decide whether you want to use them as barriers, borders, foundations, hedges or screens. Shrubs that would work well for one of these features are Alpine currant, burning bush, common boxwood and flame azalea. Research shows it is good to select trees and shrubs that have different year-round features such as fruit in the summer and leaves that change color in the fall. Many trees and shrubs can be purchased online or at garden centers or nurseries. Getting ready to plant When deciding where to plant, find spots where trees or shrubs have plenty of space to grow. Trees too large for the space could cause costly damage when mature. Measure to ensure your planting space is not too close to houses, property lines, sewers and drains. The Tree Center says you should allow 10 feet for small trees, 20 feet for medium- sized trees, 30 to 50 feet for large trees and 100 feet for large, aggressive trees. Once you are ready for planting, it can be done in several steps. Before you dig call JULIE (811) for a locate so you avoid damaging any underground utilities. To start planting, Joe Gardener says you first need to dig a hole at least two or three times wider than the plant. Once you take the plant out of the container, check the width and depth needed. Both are important to the initial planting process. You will want to dig a hole deeper than the plants soil ball. Then back fill soil back into the hole so that when setting the plants soil ball into the hole the top of the ball is level with, or slightly above the surrounding soil level. The loosen soil below and surrounding the soil ball encourages roots to grow. You can use a tool or measuring tape to compare the soil ball height to the depth of the hole. If you plant too deeply, the water just pulls into the center, potentially drowning your plant. Another important step is to break up the root ball, so roots become unrestricted. If you do not break it up, the roots might never “explore” the new area and plants will never fully establish. CONTINUED u