Planting Guide
Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
Location and Selection
Not all evergreens are alike. There is a wide
variety of different evergreen plants to choose from. They can
range from 4" tall creeping groundcovers to 100' tall majestic
giants. Consider the size of the area you want to put an evergreen
into and choose accordingly. Although most evergreens grow more
slowly than deciduous plants, they can quickly outgrow an area
unless you choose carefully.
Also keep in mind that some evergreens thrive in full sun while
others require shade. Our sun tends to be more intense than
other parts of the country, so what may grow in full sun elsewhere
might need some shade here. Beware that sometimes even the tag
on the plant can mislead you. Ask one of our Plant Professionals
for guidance as to where to plant a certain evergreen.
Planting
Dig a hole twice as wide and only as deep as the
rootball of the plant. Be sure to adjust the hole so that the
top of the rootball is 1" to 2" above ground level.
Next, remove the container. Plastic pots can be removed by turning
the shrub upside down or laying it on its side and gently tapping
at the pot until the plant slides out. Refill the hole with
a blended mixture of 1/3 Sunshine Peat Moss or Soil Pep and
2/3 of your garden soil. Firm the backfill by tamping it gently.
Build a watering basin around the shrub high enough to hold
3" to 4" of water. Make the basin at least as wide
as the hole that was dug. Immediately water the plant deeply
by filling the basin with water once, letting it soak in, and
filling it up a second time. If your evergreen is in a lawn,
remove the basin after this initial watering. The use of Fertilome
Root Stimulator at planting time will greatly reduce transplant
shock and encourage your evergreens to resume their normal growing
habits more quickly.
Pruning
Evergreen trees need little, if any pruning. If your pine,
spruce, or fir is thinner than you want, cut or break back the
candles (the expanding buds) in the spring as they grow to make
the tree denser. Any other pruning would be to remove any unwanted
branches entirely by cutting them off at the trunk or at an
adjoining branch.
Evergreen shrubs such as juniper, arborvitae, or yew can be
sheared if desired. Don't shear a plant in fall or winter when
freezing temperatures occur. Don't cut evergreen shrubs back
too far. Looking inside of an established plant, you'll see
that there is no live, green foliage there. If you prune back
hard enough to expose this bare interior portion of the plant,
it will rarely resprout, leaving you with a brown, bare side
of your evergreen shrub.
Pests
Most disease and insect problems should be dealt with as they
appear. Because of the variety of possible problems, proper
diagnosis is very important. Bring in an affected sample to
Bookcliff Gardens where we can diagnose the problem and prescribe
proper treatment.
Feeding
Fertilize with Ross Fertilizer Spikes in the spring. Place
them in a circle around the plant, out even with the spread
of its branches. This gives the plant a slow, even feeding throughout
the growing season. If you have large groups of evergreens,
use Bookcliff Gardens Choice Professional Turf Food. Apply it
in late April after irrigation water is available and again
in mid June. Be sure to water it in well after applying. Iron
supplements may be needed for certain plants. Use Fertilome
Liquid Iron two to four times in the spring and early summer.
Watering
It is impossible to give a watering schedule that will be right
for everyone all of the time. Factors such as the soil type,
how big the plant is, how fast the plant is growing, air temperature,
humidity, wind and light intensity all will affect how often
a particular plant will need watering.
The basic rule of thumb is to water deeply, but infrequently.
Get the water down a minimum of 18" at each watering. This
encourages the plant to develop a deep, drought tolerant root
system. Then give the soil a chance to dry slightly between
waterings. It is common for people to kill or unnecessarily
stress their plants by watering too frequently. The roots of
a plant require oxygen in order to function. If the soil is
constantly waterlogged, there is not enough oxygen available
to the root system and the roots suffocate and begin to die.
Knowing this, our recommendation is to water deeply by building
a basin around plants that are not watered by lawn sprinklers.
It should be wide enough to accommodate the root system of the
plant (generally out past the drip line of the plant) and high
enough to hold three or four inches of water when full. Fill
the basin full, let it soak in, and fill it a second time. Then
don't water the plant again until the soil in the basin begins
to dry. Don't just look at the soil surface; dig down 4"
to 6" to see how dry the soil is. The soil should be showing
some significant drying down at that depth. One little trick
is to scoop up a handful of soil from that depth and squeeze
it into a ball. If the ball holds its shape after you let go,
the soil is still wet. If the ball falls apart, its time to
water. Using this method several times, you will be able to
determine your own watering schedule.
For plants that will be watered with lawn sprinklers, water
as described above at planting time. Then remove the basin.
Most of the plant's day to day water needs will be met by the
lawn watering. However, a deep soaking every month or two is
recommended in addition to the lawn watering. In addition, during
the winter a monthly deep soaking of all newly planted evergreens
(especially Spruce) is a good idea. This should be done for
the first two winters after planting.
Our Guarantee
Thanks for buying a plant from Bookcliff Gardens. Our goal
is that you be successful with every plant you purchase from
us. We'll try to give you as much information and instruction
as it takes to make this happen. If you have any questions,
please ask! We'll do our best to answer them. However, since
this is not a perfect world, and in spite of the best of both
of our efforts, plants sometimes die. If this happens within
the first year after buying the plant from us, we will replace
it; give you an equal amount of credit; or refund your money
if you have your receipt. We limit our guarantee to replacing
a plant only once, and the guarantee does not apply to annual
bedding plants or house plants. If you're having a problem with
a plant, come in and talk to us about it; we'll try to find
out what happened so we won't lose another plant. It's in both
of our interests that the plants you buy from us grow and thrive.
We want you to be successful!
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Bookcliff Gardens
(970) 242-7766
755 26 Road (North 1st at I-70) • Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
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©2008, Bookcliff Gardens
