Overview

Planting a shrub means digging a properly sized hole, freeing the plant's roots from its container or wrapping, setting it at the right depth, and backfilling and watering it in so it can establish. It's a great starter landscaping project for homeowners adding foundation plantings, privacy screening, or general yard greenery, and needs only basic digging tools.

Tools & materials

  • Shovel or spade
  • Garden trowel
  • Garden gloves
  • Garden hose, watering can, or soaker hose
  • Compost or other organic soil amendment
  • Bolt cutters or wire cutters (if the root ball is wrapped in a wire basket)
  • Mulch (bark or wood chips)
  • Tarp (optional, for piling excavated soil)
  • Wheelbarrow (optional)

Steps

  1. Confirm the spot matches the shrub's sunlight, soil, and mature-size needs, and keep it at least 2-3 feet from the house foundation for airflow and to avoid future crowding.
  2. Call your local utility-locate service (811 in the US) a few days ahead if digging in an area where underground lines might run, especially near the house or driveway.
  3. Water the shrub in its container a few hours before planting to keep the root ball moist and easier to handle.
  4. Dig a hole about 2-2.5 times wider than the root ball, but only as deep as the root ball itself (or 1-2 inches shallower) so the plant doesn't sink over time.
  5. Remove the shrub from its container, or cut away and remove any twine, wire basket, and burlap from the root ball.
  6. Gently loosen or score any tightly circling roots so they'll grow outward into the surrounding soil instead of continuing to circle.
  7. Set the shrub in the hole so the root flare (where the roots spread out from the base of the stem) sits at or slightly above the surrounding soil grade — planting too deep is one of the most common mistakes.
  8. Backfill halfway with the native soil (mixed with a little compost if your soil is poor), water to help it settle and remove air pockets, then finish backfilling and water again.
  9. Build a shallow ring of soil (a berm) around the outer edge of the planting hole to help hold water over the root zone.
  10. Spread 2-3 inches of mulch over the root zone, keeping it a few inches away from the trunk or stems.
  11. Water deeply and regularly for the first couple of weeks (roughly daily, tapering to every few days), then continue regular watering through the first growing season while roots establish.
  12. Hold off on fertilizing right after planting — newly planted shrubs generally don't need it and it can stress new roots.

Safety warnings

  • Wear gardening gloves to protect your hands from thorns, sharp wire baskets, and blisters from digging.
  • Wear closed-toe shoes or boots when digging with a shovel to protect your feet.
  • Use proper lifting technique (bend your knees, keep your back straight) when moving heavy root balls or bags of soil amendment.
  • Be careful with bolt cutters or wire cutters when removing wire baskets — cut away from your body and hands.
  • Call 811 (or your local utility locate service) before digging to avoid hitting buried utility lines.

When to call a pro

  • You're planting a large, balled-and-burlapped tree or shrub too heavy to lift or maneuver safely by hand.
  • The planting site is near known underground utility lines, a septic system, or a sprinkler system and you're unsure how to dig around them.
  • You discover the soil has severe drainage problems (water pools for hours after rain) that need grading or drainage work before planting will succeed.
  • You need a large number of shrubs planted as part of a full landscape design or foundation planting plan and want professional design input.

Cost estimate

$15-$60 per shrub for typical container sizes, plus a few dollars for mulch and compost per plant.

Sources