If the trees are planted in large groups, the ordinary crop can be given. When trees are planted as specimens or scattered, such as along the street, digging the soil in a circle around the tree to a depth of three to four inches will help the tree grow. To conserve moisture in the soil around newly planted trees, the soil can be mulched with leaves, straw, trash, or a layer of dust formed by turning and pulverizing the soil to a depth of one inch. This will avoid watering in most cases.
Only in rare conditions will it be necessary to water or water the trees when mulching. Of course, this does not apply to districts where all cultivated trees must be artificially irrigated by irrigation. As the trees grow, they will need pruning. This annual requirement can be met by checking trees during the summer, when the amount of crown removal can be more easily determined than in the winter months. However, winter is a favorable time for pruning, and many park rangers in the city are engaged in this work. The amount of pruning is up to individual judgment, but should be based on the desired tree shape.
As for planting shrubs, the best results are obtained when planting is done in beds or groups. Shrubs grow best when in the company of others. Compare plants placed singly on the lawn with those in a group that enjoy cultivation with a deep hoe or shovel one or more times per year. If the shrubs are to be arranged in groups or colonies, the area they are to occupy should first be thoroughly flattened as if it were flowers, after which it can be planted in the usual way. Newly planted bushes should be severely cut back at planting time. This treatment reduces the number of buds to feed and tends to make growth much more vigorous than if it were not so pruned.
Generally one third to one half of the top should be removed. While this may appear to spoil the bush, it is actually its creation. The plant will be bushier and can be trained, as it grows, into the desired shape. When the shrubs are planted in the spring, it may be easier to do this pruning before the shrub is set in the ground. When planting in the fall, it is usually best to postpone trimming until early the following spring. A privet hedge should be planted several inches deeper than it was in the nursery and then severely trimmed back. The more severe the pruning, the denser the resulting hedge will be.
