Now's the time for bare root planting

Bare root planting season is about to get under way, and it can continue, in the absence of frost, through to the beginning of bud burst and new growth next spring.

- BY TOM PATTINSON

It's possible because deciduous plants in particular, fruit, ornamental and practical such as hedging, are shedding their leaves and going into a state of dormancy that continues beyond midwinter until increasing temperatures and daylight kick start new growth.

Gardeners regard October/November as nature's planting time because although the air temperature above soil level is not conducive to growth, a modicum of warmth remains in the soil, enough to encourage new root development before winter frosts.