Selecting and Planting Trees

Once planted, shrubs and trees will be around for decades, so choose wisely.
Be sure to select trees and shrubs that will grow well in your climate.
Your local nursery can provide you with the information you need.
Choose plants with healthy, vigorous top-growth that have a good root
system with no signs of disease, pests, or damage.  See more below 

Prepare your garden for the planting season by using a cultivator to
scratch in a 3-inch layer of compost, rotted manure, and chopped leaves.

Rocks and boulders in the landscape work well as an accent, but no
matterhow much you water them - they never grow!

Dump "fish fertilizer" over rocks  to grow moss on them - but
be prepared for an invasion of local cats!

Compost

Well-made compost is a soft, crumbly, brownish or blackish substance resulting from decomposition of organic material. It has limited value as a nutrient source but great value as an organic soil amendment, which improve aeration and drainage of clay soils by acting as wedges between particles and particle aggregates. In a sandy soil, organic amendments help hold water and dissolved nutrients longer.

As organic matter decomposes, it releases nutrients, which add to soil fertility. But the nitrogen released by decaying organic matter isn’t immediately available to plants. First it must be converted by soil micro-organisms into ammonia, then into nitrites, and finally into nitrates, which can be absorbed by plant roots. Composting takes time, effort and space. But if you have a ready supply of plant waste or a small garden that could be supplied by continually maintained compost pile, the time and effort might be well spent.

Remember that a poorly maintained compost pile will be slow to yield its reward and may also breed flies and give off an obnoxious odor.

In its simplest and least efficient form, composting consists of piling up grass clippings, leaves, and other garden debris – plus vegetable kitchen refuse – and permitting them to decompose. In 6 weeks to 6 months, depending on temperature, moisture, and size of materials, the compost will have broken down sufficiently for use.

Selecting and Planting Trees

Want a more natural look?

Nothing in nature is "regular" or "geometric". Instead of planting a screen of just one type of bush, consider a variety of low-growing evergreens in various heights, colors, shapes, and textures. Add season flowers for interest and year-around appeal.

Be sure to give the trees and shrubs you plant plenty of room. One mistake people often make is to plant trees or shrubs too close to each other. Remember, these plants will grow up and out, and they need room. Deciduous trees should not be planted too close to the house, either, as  they may interfere with the foundation or wiring, drop leaves into the gutter, and be more trouble than you ever intended. Don’t plant a tree too close to your neighbor’s property, either. When buying tees, check for how wide they grow as they increase in height.

Many evergreens are ideal for foundation plantings. Pyramidal yews and arborvitae and junipers may be used as strong vertical forms at the front of a house or on either side of an entrance. Large conifers planted to windward sides of open space can shield a home from the wind and actually reduce heating costs and make outdoor activities more pleasant. Don’t forget broadleaf evergreens when choosing plantings for your yard. These plants often produce flowers or berries and maintain their leaves throughout the winter.