Can I plant a tree now if it's pot grown?

I have given up on the cornus florida. After 3 years of not so good growth and curled leaves I have chucked towel in. Some of it's top leaves started dying again and when I had a good look under the geranium leaves at the bottom the trunk was quite rotted - I could pick chunks of the bark off. A lot of woodlice too... Can the base of young trees get too damp?

Anyway. I now have a hole in the ground. For a new small tree. Am I best to wait till autumn or can trees be planted at this time of year if they are from a garden centre? I was thinking of a small fruit tree possibly, malus or cherry. It's in a key spot to provide screen between me and the neighbours!

I feel this year has been frustrating in terms of plants! Some have died or got sick and some have flowered too early! My dahlia and my fuschias keep me smiling!

Kate

 

Sounds like the spot your tree was in is far too wet. Planting another in the same spot will have a similar result
You could try planting on top of the ground and then mounding up around the roots (the idea is to get above the existing water table and provide some semblance of drainage)
AND yes ... you can plant a pot grown plant at any time of the year

 

What he said... ^^

 

Thanks so much for all that advice! It's really helpful. I will clear the spot and dig it over and get some drainage sorted first. I am wondering why it's so damp... I wonder if there's a lot of builder's junk under that area... I will have a dig around. There's also concrete from the base of the fence posts. My garden has some weird drainage as we're on a hill and the house and garden were built out on a concrete platform to level the area. So some areas end up terribly dry but shady and some bits are damp but sunny!

I will stop being so impatient. It was such a spindly tree it provided next to no cover from the neighbours anyway so it's absence isn't that major.

Thanks for the great help!

Kate

 

The problem with the above advice is that, if your ground is not draining at the moment, you are not going to achieve drainage by simply adding compost and gravel. Unless you can add a drainage channel to lower ground, then you are simply going to create a sump which will hold the water and give you the same problem you have now, or worse (you could always create a bog garden? )
I have been using the technique of planting high and 'mounding up' for very many years now with great success. That is the reason for my advice. It does not lead to an unstable tree ... once the roots develop into the surrounding soil the tree is as stable as any other, and the roots are not immersed in water, thereby giving it every chance of success.
And yes ... any plant has to be kept well watered certainly for its first year after planting. In your case I would be careful with this one as over watering can be just as bad as under watering

 

Thanks Sam

My kids have been in summer club this morning so I had a dig round. It's quite damp but not sodden. I'm hoping my digging will air it out a bit. I found some rubble and what looks like lumps of clay which maybe keeping the water in as well. I could plant the tree as you suggest and keep an eye on it? It's really odd as this bed is not in the shade. It may be there is a layer of clay under the top soil the builders bought in keeping the water in.

I also think I had badly over watered the dogwood as I assumed that more water was better! This may have contributed to the rotten trunk I guess. And I think the soil was a bit high on the trunk too. I've never been this rubbish with trees before. Young kids make you take your eye off the ball sometimes!


Kate

 

I garden on heavy clay myself, which is why I have had to resort to taking steps to raise the planting hole of many of my plants, to get above the water table. Japanese maples in particular do not like wet feet

You could also try to raise the bed by the use of old bricks or field stones or timber as edging, add some good topsoil, compost, grit etc and achieve a better draining soil that way. The object is to have a plant which does not sit in moist badly draining soil. There are various ways of achieving that.
Good luck