My own views on the correct season for planting open-ground-raised shrubs fluctuate with the weather. In a wet season I have successfully moved rhododendrons, junipers, and laurel in June and July. However, pinned down to a single season I would settle: for early spring. Winters on my exposed garden can be brutal in the extreme and linked with a cold wet clay soil the shock is too much for all but the most robust genera. I prefer to let .the nurseryman carry my charges through the worst months, then as the soil warms give me the responsibility.

In fact, I proved to my own satisfaction that just five minutes exposure to a drying March wind reduces the viability of woody plants appreciably. In the case of conifers the dehydration proved fatal in one out of every four seedling thuja lined out as a hedge.

Choose a day when the stubbornest clay runs like silk from the spade, then fine root hairs can be firmed into position with the least damage. I prefer a dull humid day if there are several shrubs to plant up as strong winds or bright sunshine will dry exposed roots in a matter of minutes.

People who advise putting the stake in position before planting may be correct, but if the stake interferes with firming I leave it until this most important task is done. When the hole is ready, trim any damaged roots back to sound wood. Secateurs are the best tool for doing this unless you have a very sharp knife.

Parcels of shrubs always seem to arrive at the most inconvenient times, even when I specify early spring delivery. Sometimes the garden is deep under snow, at others hard or waterlogged, making immediate planting impossible. When frost or snow are the limiting factors, open the top of the parcel but leave the roots intact as packed by the nursery, and stand the package in a frost-free shed until the weather moderates. When excessive wet or pressure of work prevent the shrubs going directly into permanent positions then they must be heeled in on a sheltered border.

Some twigs or even branches may have been damaged in transit; cut these back into sound wood then treat the wounds with a sealing compound of Stockholm tar or Arbrex.

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