Plant Your Bare Root Trees & Shrubs Now

This winter, we can take advantage of the coming rains as well as the often lower cost and greater selection of bare root trees and shrubs by planting them now.

In winter, many of our deciduous plants go through a period of dormancy, where they lose their leaves and store up energy for spring. Local and on-line nurseries often offer new varieties and deals (sometimes 1/3 or 1/2 off normal container plant prices) on bare root trees and shrubs, such as deciduous fruit trees, Japanese maples, shrubs, roses, grapes and cane berries.

These plants come with their roots “bare” of any soil and packed in a material to keep their roots moist. They are lighter to lift and easier to plant, but they do need to be watered thoroughly and kept moist once planted. For tips on planting bare root trees, see this article in Fine Gardening.