The best planting time

It is still cold in our climes. Outside we wrap ourselves in warm jackets, scarves and caps. But to plant large woody plants, the conditions are just right. At the beginning of the year, trees and other woody species are still in their dormant phase. Without foliage they do not perform photosynthesis and have reduced their metabolism to a minimum. If it does not freeze, the best time to move is when the plant is not under too much stress. “The fact that it is well trained, i.e. that it is transplanted at regular intervals, plays another important role in this,” explains garden designer Peter Berg. “To ensure that the roots quickly find a foothold and food again, we loosen and prepare the soil accordingly, then nothing stands in the way of good development”.

Ecologically sensible garden design

Nowadays it is more important than ever to plan the design of a garden well. In times of a constantly warming climate, large deciduous trees take on a special significance. They offer us much from which we and other living beings can benefit. In summer, they form a light shade that provides protection for humans, animals and smaller plants from the increasingly intense sunlight. They improve our microclimate by cooling the environment and evaporating water, but also by binding it in the soil. The leaves of large plants filter fine dust from the air. They absorb CO2 and give us oxygen to breathe. “Large trees are indispensable for ecologically sound garden design,” explains Peter Berg. “They only become really beautiful when they get older and are particularly sustainable thanks to their long life span.”

Who’s the boss of the garden?

In a garden, there are often woody plants of different species and sizes. In the Japanese approach to garden design, there is a “boss” here. It is the dominant tree of the plantation due to its habitus, its overall appearance and its location. “For me, the strongly structuring effect of trees is always decisive in plant design,” says the garden designer. “As well as their often impressive autumnal colouring, which turns them into scene-defining elements in the garden with great aesthetic appeal. Furthermore, it makes a big difference in the dimensions, whether you only work with perennial or hedge height or also go to house height. The use of large trees creates another dimension. Thus a greater harmony of the overall design is achieved and at the same time the building is integrated in an ideal way.

A possibility to buy time

Whereas in the past, when a child was born, a tree was planted and allowed to develop slowly, today the aim is to have a garden that is as finished as possible. In England, the term “instant gardening” was developed for this purpose. In our fast-moving times, we do not want to wait decades until the trees in our garden have reached their ideal size.

We need a privacy screen or shade as soon as possible. The use of large woody plants already at the time of planting is therefore a wonderful way to buy time. Fortunately, in good tree nurseries you can find dreamlike specimens in all sizes for every taste. “Of course the price increases with the age and size of the tree” Peter Berg throws in, “but where else is this great opportunity to save many years of time”.

You can find a nice article on planting trees and shrubs here in the ARD media library. To the video

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