Bare-root plants are dormant, with no leaves, and unpotted. The season runs from approximately November to April, / May depending on weather. Some larger or slower-growing plants will already be a few years old on supply, and ready to thrive straight away in your garden.

On receipt, soak the roots in water for at least two hours (overnight is better). If you can't plant straight away, they should be fine for up to a week if left in a cool, dark, frost-free place - keep the bag around the roots with some water inside or heel into a bucket of damp compost. Don't worry if the roots have been cut quite harshly - this is done to encourage the plant to grow.

Select an appropriate spot for your plants, making sure that you give them enough space to grow to their full size. Dig a hole twice the width of the roots, forking over the bottom to loosen the soil, and add some good quality fertiliser such as Blood Fish & Bone (wash your hands afterwards!).

Aim to plant at the same depth as the soil mark on the trunk. Holding the tree or plant upright in position with one hand, slowly backfill the hole with soil, and gently shake the plant, so the soil falls back around the roots. Use your heel to compact the soil around the plant to ensure good contact around the roots.

If you're planting into pots, place some old rocks, stones or gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage and ballast. Use the best compost you can buy - our Premium Professional Compost mix is particularly good - and some sand or grit to aid drainage. You are again aiming to plant to the depth of the soil mark. Firm down as you fill, and press down hard with your heel when the pot is full.

For all trees, we highly recommend using our Tree Planting Kits. Each contains 3 tanalised wooden tree stakes, 3 soft rubber tree ties and a sachet of Root Boost Mycorrhizal granules.

You only need to support the bottom half of each trunk, so push 40cm of each stake into the soil next to each tree. With the soft tie, make a figure of eight around both the trunk and stake, and fasten it off. The tree will now be better protected from strong winds. Root Boost contains millions of Mycorrhizal fungi which will colonise the roots of bare-root plants - proven to aid root growth, leading to better, quicker establishment and improved health. Spread this on the roots and in the soil when planting, and ensure that it is in close contact with the roots.

Water the plants weekly - especially in dry weather - for the first 8 weeks or so. When the soil and air warm up from late March onwards, you should see the plant burst into life. Do not allow plants to dry out in the first four months after planting. Once established for one season, they will become much more tolerant to a lack of water, as the root system develops.

There is no real need to prune for the first two years. Whilst a lot is talked about pruning, the best advice is to prune to the shape and size you want. Remove any broken, diseased or crossing branches in late autumn or winter once the plants are well-established, to control size. Prune established trees in summer using good quality secateurs, removing weak shoots, and cutting out those that cross over each other, to create an evenly spaced bowl shape. For more information, see our YouTube channel - HERE or our video below