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Planting Trees and Hedges
I am the lady living in a new build that has a boggy garden. I managed to get a Gardner to plant my hedge and 2 trees (out of the 4) I wanted. I paid him his money. However I am not really that happy. Firstly, he made me buy 30 bags of soil, and only used 20! Then I noticed he left (said he was going to get burgers for the workers) and left 2 chaps to continue digging and planting the hedge. I notice he planted the hedge right up against the hedge of my neightbour. He did not really give me a 'bed'. Then I noticed the 'digger' did not prepare the clay soil, put the Prunus in, and they are all facing towards my neighbour not my garden! Question, will they turn their leaves towards my garden as they grow or will they stay facing the other way. I am most disappointed. The Olive and Rowan tree. I notice he just dug the hole, put little or no soil in the hole, put the tree in and then put back the clay soil and bedded hard in. No fertiliser, nothing for any of the plants. Saturday and yesterday (in heavy winds and rain), I personally tried to stake the Prunus - to stop them rocking and blowing about. Is this okay, or should I leave them unstaked? I then put "grow more" and bone meal down , tried to fork it in, and then covered all with bark. I am quite ill today, but wanted to care for the plants. Any tips on what I should do - als what is the right way to plant trees and hedges? Thank you all
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It doesn't sound very good to me. Was this a reputable firm with a billhead showing their address etc?
It doesn't sound the right c onditions for an olive to me
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The rocking is a bad thing. Wind rock is one of the primary reasons trees and shrubs fail to establish. They cannot settle if the main plant rocks about, as the roots keep being disturbed, in clay you will have gaps forming around the roots which is not good at all. Clay is difficult stuff and needs a lot of preparation for successful establishment of all but the toughest of plants.
I think you should get in touch with the firm involved and explain you are not happy with the situation and request they put their work right.
Before they come and do that I would take some quite detailed photographs of the work done so far and make sure they're dated.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If it's a tree with a good height on it, you're looking at a hole at least twice the diameter and twice the depth of the root ball. This should have then been backfilled with the soil you bought, not the clay and then firmly staked. Those poor trees will need digging out and redone properly.
Did you see how they put the hedging in? With clay soil, it really does need a trench digging, as the usual method of slit, or t-cutting, will just crack and expose the roots once the ground starts drying out in summer.