1. PREPARATION; This means site selection and soil preparation. Site selection is as easy as reading the plant tag or speaking to your Country Gardens salesperson to make sure you select the right plant for the right location. Obviously you will want to plant a shade loving plant in the shade and a sun_loving plant in the sun.

Soil preparation is easy too. When you get the plant home, dig a hole that's the some depth as the root ball and twice as wide as the root ball. The soil from inside is not backfill. For the best results, mix compost or peat moss and cow manure in with the backfill soil. The organic matter and fertilizer should not exceed 1/3 of the backfill soil.

Also mix in Soil Moist polymer crystals with the soil according to the label. A Soil Moist granule absorbs 100 times its weight in water. It absorbs water similar to the way a sponge works. When the surrounding soil dries out, the granule slowly releases the water over an extended period of time.

2. PLANTING; Make sure to plant your new tree, shrub or evergreen correctly. Remember that plants in plastic pots must be removed from the pots. Balled and burlapped plants are planted in the natural burlap but the cloth should be pulled down around the sides of the root ball so that no burlap is above the soil level. Thoroughly water, and then use Hi_Yield Root Stimulator according to its label.

3. FOLLOW UP; this means water and mulch! Water is the single most important factor in a new plant's survival. Knowing how much to water is easy, just make sure that the soil around the plant never completely dries out or stays completely saturated for long periods of time. You'll need to stay on top of watering until the plant is established. This usually takes about one year but can take three growing seasons for more delicate plants in particularly hot areas.

4. MULCHING; Mulch will help you stay on top of watering. After planting and each year, place a three to four inch layer of mulch around your plantings. Bark makes ideal mulch. The mulch will help keep soil moisture in and help keep the sun's drying rays off the soil. This means less watering. As extra benefits, mulch adds natural beauty to your landscape and continues to add organic matter to soil, as it decays_helping the soil and the plant stay healthy.

Mulch also accomplishes the same benefits in flower beds. A two to three inch layer around flowers will help your flowers and help you water less.

5. SUPPORT; Large trees should be staked and tied with guywire to prevent wind damage.

So there you have it, five easy steps on how to plant successfully. Now you can get out there and spruce up your landscape and plant with confidence.