Weekend Tips For Your Garden: Properly Planting Shrubs In Cheyenne

Before selecting a shrub to plant in your yard, it's good to establish what zone you are as to not waste money, time and a good shrub. Here are some things to consider.  Living here in Cheyenne, and Wyoming for that matter, we have been determined to be in Zone 5. Knowing your zone is important because there are certain shrubs that will not thrive in this zone.

A few, good colorful or green shrubs to plant in this zone include, but are not limited to: Cheyenne "Pink" Velvet, Sunshine Blue or Junipers. These are all pretty hearty and can endure our cold seasons.

Before you plant, you need to establish a few things. First, you need to know what kind of soil the shrubs need and secondly, you need to determine what kind of soil you have. A good way to do this is to dig a hole and fill it with water. If it takes a few hours to saturate the earth, then you know you have a lot of clay in the soil. If it takes moments or minutes to saturate the earth, then you know it is well aerated and or has a high sand content.

After you take the shrub out of the pot, make sure you inspect the root ball. If very compressed and tight, loosen the root system before planting into the ground. Use existing soil, rather than enrich the soil. Experts say that if the soil is too rich, it may discourage the roots from growing into the more shallow areas of the soil and may effect how well the shrub anchors to the ground.

Water the shrub immediately after planting. This is very important and vital to the success of the shrub. Watering directly after planting, minimizes the shock value to the root system.

Lastly, add about 2-3 inches of mulch around the base of the shrub. Mulch will help to stunt weed growth and to help maintain the much needed moisture to the root system.