Cultural Suggestions 167 



The planting of evergreens is always a more hazardous under- 

 taking than the planting of deciduous trees, for the reason that 

 the foliage of evergreens transpires constantly. This means that 

 it is constantly demanding moisture from the earth, through 

 the tree's network of fibrous roots; and consequently any injury 

 to these roots or any drying out of them is a death-dealing 

 catastrophe. 



This is why evergreens are always shipped from nurseries with 

 an earth root-ball, carefully wrapped and sewed up in burlap. 

 Their roots must never be vmcovered, even for a minute, during 

 the whole process of digging up, moving and setting out again. 



Obviously needle-leaved evergreens cannot be pruned without 

 destroying their from, therefore every bit of root must be guarded 

 carefully, for it means life itself to them. There can be no 

 cutting away at tops to make up for loss at roots. Broad- 

 leaved evergreens however, such as holly, may be stripped of 

 their leaves at planting. This brings about the balance by 

 reducing the leaf action until new root growth is made, just as 

 cutting back does for a deciduous tree. 



Some broad-leaved evergreens, however — such as rhododen- 

 drons and their family — have their own special predilections too 

 numerous to enter into in a general planting talk. These, by 

 the way, are among the things best planted in the spring accord- 

 ing to the consensus of expert opiaion. 



All shrubs and trees, whether evergreen or deciduous, must 

 have an excavation the full diameter of their root-spread made 

 to receive them. It should be deep enough to bring the tree 

 down into the ground as far as the earth mark on its bole above 

 the roots shows it to have been before ; and all the roots should be 

 laid carefully in place by hand, allowing them to take the posi- 

 tion and directions which they seem naturally to wish to assume. 



