Weave a spindle into your autumn planting

THERE’S no doubt that the very best time of year to plant trees in this country is the second half of November.

But don’t worry if you were intending to get a few in but never got around to it. Our climate is getting milder and you should be all right up until Christmas at least.

The thinking behind planting trees, particularly deciduous trees, in late autumn or early winter is to allow several months for the rain to wash soil around the roots and expel any air pockets left in the planting hole before the tree starts to grow in the spring. Soil temperatures are also a bit higher than in January and February — it’s not good to plant in frozen ground.