September 14, 2026
A bare-root tree is cheap, light to carry and often establishes better than the same species grown in a pot. What it cannot do is wait. Lifted from the nursery bed while dormant, it has only a few months before spring pushes new growth, by which point its roots need to be in the ground. Across the UK that window runs roughly from November to March, and the months inside it are not equal. What you do in each one matters.
November: Prepare the Ground
Ordering comes first. Bare-root stock is lifted to order, and good nurseries sell out of popular natives — oak, birch, hornbeam, rowan, hawthorn — well before Christmas. Ask when your trees will be lifted, and whether you are collecting or having them delivered.
While you wait, sort the site. Bare-root trees establish in proportion to how little competition they face, so clear a metre-wide circle of grass, bracken or bramble at every planting position, and plan to keep it clear for the first two or three growing seasons. On a larger plot, that means a mowing strip cut in late summer, or a careful application of herbicide by someone qualified to use it.
Then check the ground itself. Dig a spade's depth and look. Heavy clay that holds water like a bucket will drown roots over winter; free-draining sand will need mulch and summer watering. Neither is a reason to give up, but both change how you plant. And do not plant into frozen ground or standing water.
December: The Best Planting Month
December usually gives the best combination of still-warm soil, dormant trees and settled weather. If you can plant in only one month, choose this one.
Dig a hole wide enough for the roots to spread without bending or cramping. In heavy clay, a square hole beats a round one — roots find the corners and break out more easily. Keep the soil you take out, and do not line the hole with compost or fertiliser. Rich pockets encourage soft top growth at the expense of the roots you actually want.
Then the rule that decides whether a tree lives for forty years. Hold it so the root collar — where trunk meets root, usually visible as a slight flare and a soil mark from the nursery bed — sits level with the finished ground. On a slope, measure from the downhill side. Backfill in layers, firming gently with your heel as you go, closing air pockets without compacting wet clay into brick.
Test it: a gentle tug on the trunk should meet resistance. If the tree lifts, firm again.
January: Volume Planting and Cold Snaps
January is the month for volume — woodland schemes, hedgerow gaps and shelterbelts, often planted with small transplants and a spade rather than a hole dug for every tree.
For whips on grass or rough ground, notch or slit planting is quick and reliable when done properly. Push the spade in vertically, lever a slot open, drop the roots in so the collar sits at ground level, then firm with the heel of your boot, working from the tree outwards. Two firm presses are usually enough.
Watch two things. Frost can heave small trees out of the ground and leave roots exposed, so walk the planting after a hard spell and press any lifted trees back in. Wind is the other: a tree that rocks in the wind never settles properly. Stake larger stock low, with a flexible tie that allows some movement, because a rigidly staked tree grows a weaker trunk. Check ties in spring, loosen them as the trunk thickens, and remove them after two or three seasons.
February: Late, but Still Worth It
February planting works, particularly in mild western and southern areas where the soil rarely freezes hard. The trees are still dormant, though some species are beginning to stir, so expect slower establishment than a December planting and water carefully through the first summer.
It is also the month for heeling in. If trees arrive and the ground is frozen, or the site is not ready, dig a shallow trench, lay the bundles in at an angle, cover the roots with soil and firm it. They will keep for weeks, provided the roots stay damp. Roots are the first part to die: an hour in a cold wind does more damage than a fortnight in a trench.
March: Closing the Window
By March, buds are swelling and the roots need to be in soil. Planting after mid-March is possible but risky, especially on dry or exposed sites, because the tree has to grow roots and leaves at once with nothing in reserve.
If you are planting this late, pick a wet week, mulch straight away, and plan to water through two summers. Keep roots wrapped and damp right up to the moment they go in. Given the choice between planting now and holding stock until November, heel in and wait
Photo: Pexels / Pixabay
