22 
The Garden Magazine, March, 1921 
preserve as much of the root growth as possible. The stock 
should not be allowed to stand openly exposed to the injurious 
effects of wind and sun after lifting and before packing. For 
short shipments, of one or two days, stock can be packed equally 
well in excelsior, sphagnum-moss or straw, but for longer ship- 
ments material should not be packed in excelsior, for it dries 
out too rapidly. 
On receipt of nursery stock which has been shipped in boxes 
or crates, it should be so covered with canvas that there is a 
minimum of exposure to drying out processes. Stock received 
on the grounds where it is to be used, should be removed at 
once from boxes or crates, and if not planted immediately must 
be “heeled in” or in some other way be kept from drying out. 
Transplanting Collected Stock 
Collected stock needs more careful attention than nursery 
stock. Collected material usually has a larger spread of roots 
than plants grown in nursery rows, and as it has never been 
previously transplanted or root pruned, it suffers more severely 
through loss of root system. Top pruning must, therefore, be 
more severe for collected plants than for nursery material, to 
offset the greater loss of roots. Collected stock usually requires 
a longer period in which to become well established in its new 
location. When the loss in transplanted stock is ten to fifteen 
per cent., the average loss in collected stock may be as high as 
twenty per cent. The usual period required for establishing 
nursery stock in its new location is two years; the usual period 
for establishing collected stock ranges from two to four years. 
Season of Year for Transplanting 
Planting seasons in different localities are influenced by many 
factors, among which soil and climatic conditions are the most 
important. Heavy soils are more friable during the fall, while 
during the spring they remain cold and wet until quite late. 
In such soils, if but little planting is to be done, it is better to 
plant during the spring months for the reason that clay soils 
tend, through frost action during the winter months, to heave 
out material which is planted in the fall. There is little actual 
difference between the desirability of spring planting and fall 
planting. There are arguments on both sides of the question 
and, with the exception of those plants which are adapted for 
transplanting only at a specific season, the writer suggests that 
planting should be done whenever the soil is ready to receive 
the plants, whether it be spring or fall. This is especially true 
in the loamy soils. Transplanting should not be done too late 
in the spring, as growth will then be too far advanced for the 
plants to be moved with safety, and the season will become hot 
and dry before they become well established. It is for this 
reason that plants taken from a colder to a much warmer 
climate should preferably be transplanted in the fall. 
General Preparation of Planting Beds 
Beds for shrubbery should be dug at least twelve inches deep, 
and ample width and depth provided for trees, varying ac- 
cording to their size. The soil should be made loose and 
friable so that it will cover the roots thoroughly. Well-rotted 
manure should be incorporated in planting beds, but never 
directly in contact with the roots, especially of Evergreens. 
Heavy soils should be lightened, if possible, by the addition of 
sandy loam or straw manure; and light soils should be improved 
by the addition of vegetable matter. Poor preparation of plant- 
ing beds or foundations for lawn areas means an increased ex- 
pense in the cost of maintenance during the succeeding years 
after the completion of the original work. Thorough prepara- 
tion can be accomplished only through the use of good, friable 
topsoil and an adequate supply of well-rotted manure. It is 
an easy matter in all planting work, especially that done in 
clay soils, to do so-called “pocket planting” and to feel that the 
initial expense has been very greatly reduced. In all planting 
areas bordering refined lawns this method of planting is not 
desirable. It causes a “soil-bound” and stunted growth of the 
root system, and does not provide the adequate food supply 
which plants growing freely in a loose and friable soil can 
obtain. 
Drainage for Transplanted Stock 
The character of the soil in which plants are to be placed 
should be considered carefully. Sandy soils which have ample 
drainage, and clayey soils which naturally retain water, require 
distinctly different treatment. It is invariably necessary in 
clayey soils, especially with larger trees, to provide artificial 
drainage. In sandy soils, on the other hand, an extra supply 
of water must be added, especially when stock is transplanted 
during the latter part of the spring season or in the warmer 
climates. A plant should not be placed in a “pocket” ex- 
cavated in shale or clay, which will afford little or no drainage; 
and it is, of course, better not to plant on a small mound which 
will lose moisture rapidly during the dry season. The common 
practice of “hilling” earth around the stem of the plant, which 
sheds water away from the roots, is to be discouraged. A 
shallow, basin shaped depression should be left around the 
stem. This will hold the water until it soaks down to the 
roots. But suitable allowance must be made for later settling 
of the loosened earth. 
Depth for Transplanting 
The question is often asked as to how deep stock should be 
set when it is transplanted. This is a query which has no 
single answer; the depth naturally varies according to the 
special requirements of various types of material. For example, 
some of the more tender Perennials (like the Shasta Daisy, the 
Foxglove, and the Cardinal-flower) should not be set as deep 
as some of the hardier types (like the Phlox, the Larkspur, and 
the Hardy Sunflower). The suggestions here, however, are 
general. A plant in its new location should stand at about the 
same level as it stood before. There is more danger in setting 
a plant too deep in a clayey soil than in a sandy one, for it is 
vital that the air should reach the roots. More stock is injured 
by deep planting than by shallow; and it often will be found 
well to set the plant with the crown or top of the roots an inch 
or more nearer the surface than it was before. 
This is specially true in the case of trees which, as frequently 
observed, are easily killed by filling in earth around them. In 
the case of shrubs it is not a serious matter, except with Rho- 
dodendrons and Azaleas. These two plants are strongly 
characterized by having roots that remain near the surface. 
Roses of all kinds, however, are better set deep, for they readily 
throw out new roots above the old. Deep planting thus 
incidentally helps to conserve the supply of moisture so essential 
to success with the Rose. In the case of budded Roses it is 
necessary to have the union at least two and a half, or three 
inches below the surface of the ground, in order that suckers 
may not spring up from the stock and choke the engrafted plant. 
Vines, particularly Grape vines, it is also well to plant deep. 
In fact, Grape vines are often led under the ground for a rod or 
more to spring up at a distant point where it is desired to have 
them grow. 
With Perennials in general, extreme care must be exercised. 
Those like the Iris, with leaves that spring from a point near 
the ground, are made to decay by earth heaped about them. 
Those with thick, fleshy roots particularly should be planted 
only according to a careful observance of their habit of growth. 
The Peony does not make good bloom if the eyes are sunk much 
more than two and a half inches below the surface. In the 
transplanting of the roots of the Larkspur, it should be borne 
in mind that the crown at the base of the plant should be 
covered with good top soil to a depth of approximately two or 
three inches. In all transplanting calculation should be made 
of the possibility of the earth settling around the plant. 
