Shrub and Tree Garden Guide for Mid-Spring: Planting, Pruning, and Feeding

Jobs to Do

Preparing Soil for Planting

Mid-spring is better for planting some shrubs mentioned in early spring, and others shouldn't be planted until now. Prepare soil by forking, clearing winter weeds, and mixing in fertilizer.

Planting

Finish early spring planting. Plant hardier grey-leaved shrubs by late mid-spring and most evergreens anytime. However, during cold sunny periods with open-ground plants to heel in, wait for weather improvement. Warm, showery springs ideal for planting; drought with cold wind is as damaging as summer heat drought.

Shrubs, roses, and trees from seed sown last spring can now go to permanent positions.

If planting in bad conditions is unavoidable, insulate plants: mix coarse sand and granulated peat into wet soil to mop up and drain simultaneously. Evergreens lose water through leaves constantly; while roots settle, they won't absorb water to replace top growth loss. Result: brown leaves/needles, especially windward side. Daily overhead water spray essential in cold/windy dry weather, plus wind barrier and soil watering.

Disbudding

Disbudding is a pruning form—removing shoots at 2.5-5cm (1-2in) long. Fan-trained peaches and wall vines treated this way in spring and later as needed. For peaches/nectarines: each side-shoot keeps one new shoot at base, one halfway as 'feeder' (or replacement), and tip growth (leader). Rub off all rest except shoot next to fruit—pinch back to one leaf. Do gradually in ~3 stages to avoid tree shock. Ensures new shoots for next year's crop and prevents bare leggy non-fruiting shoots.

Vines disbudded in spring: one shoot per spur, one at main branch/rod end. Where pairs exist, rub off weaker. Remaining shoots on peaches and vines tied in as they grow, spaced evenly.

Cutting Back Hard

Evergreen hedges too tall and bare at base: rejuvenate by removing ~half height. Laurel hedges: more drastic if warm wet weather now—cut to stumps 30-45cm (12-18in) tall. Hedge lost for a season but quickly produces new growth, kept bushy from start.

Deadheading

Cut finished flowers on rhododendrons and pieris—otherwise energy goes to seed instead of new flowering shoots.

Potting

Vine-eyes rooted in late winter: ready for potting into 13.5cm (5in) pot of good compost. Keep protected.

Feeding

Prepared sites: mix bonemeal at 120g/sq m (4oz/sq yd), ideally a week before planting, otherwise day before. Avoid mixing fertilizer with soil during planting—roots contact fertilizer → 'burning' and dieback.

If not done in early spring, feed roses, summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering clematis now; also general compound fertilizer to hedges and shrubs cut back hard for rejuvenation.

Blueing

Early mid-spring: for blue hydrangeas (not pink/red), water soil around plants with aluminium sulphate and iron sulphate solution. Mix 7g (¼oz) each in 4.5L (1 gal) soft water, stand a few hours, give each plant 9L (2 gal) over root area. Apply weekly until flowering, then one more dose early autumn.

Watering

Watch new plantings, especially in dry cold springs: evergreens, wisteria, hydrangea, plants near walls/fences. All vulnerable to few days without water unless in wet soil. Gentle hose shower for a couple hours every few days until rain helps survival through dry periods.