Have I missed the bare root window?

I want to make a sort of very loose, informal, mini-maze. The idea is the kids come down off the 2 tier fort/platform thingy, through the newly installed tractor tyre arch, and end up in a sort of informal maze thingy before eventually emerging in the main part of the garden.

I've seen what looks like a good deal on shrubs for this arrangement (the criteria being that it would be formal, so the usual suspects like box and privet are out of the equation), but they are bare root, and I'm not sure if I've missed the window for this year.

What do we think?
http://www.leadthegoodlife.com/shrubs/flowering-shrubs/all-seasons-shrub-collection.html

 

Probably getting a bit late, but for that price I'd give it a go.
Nigel

 

If you can still get them, and you will have to water through the summer, if cheap give it a go

 

You can get away with planting just about all year round, I have! The only exception would be roses really. Go for it Clueless, give them a feed when planting and keep them watered when necessary.

 

Just remember that Lead the good life have a very poor reputation

 

its late with our warm spring , but this time last year you could easily plant bare root till the end of April .

plenty of water through the summer as very little root so you cant let them dry out as they will struggle, normally the roots would be growing before the leaves appear thats the problem as you will have leaves before roots .

Spruce

 

You could try the old French trick of 'pralin', Clue. Mix up a lovely gungey bucket-full of manure, clay and water to a smooth paste and swish the bare-roots round in it, then plant as normal. It gives the roots really good, instant contact with a growing medium.

 

this reminds me of "puddling" plants in with a hose or watering can

 

Yep, 'puddling' with knobs on, Spruce It's especially good on clay soil where it's difficult to get fine soil all round the small, fiddly roots!

 

I think they have been lifted for some time and will have been hanging about and will be in dire condition ...

No bare-root nursery will lift plants now, so if they were lifting-to-order (as should be the case for bare root) then the nursery would be saying "Sorry, too late for this year".

Plan B? You want some cheap shrubs? What have you got in mind and how big do they need to grow to, eventually, and how big (small!) do you need them to be at the outset?

The things in your link are going to be 6-footers in a decade ...

One thing you probably could buy, cheaply, is Cell-grown - and they would be OK to plant (although in my experience growing them on for a year, in pots, with protection makes a lot of difference to the time taken to get to a decent size). You would be unlikely to get a mixed-set cheaply, more likely to get all-the-same at a better price.

I paid around £1 each for the cell-grown plants I have bought (probably had to buy 50-off to get that price though).

Sorry .. rabbiting on! ... do what sort of plants would be suitable?