Newly planted trees can be slow to establish, and in some cases they sometimes never do. Find out what guarantees the nursery and landscape firm offer just in case.

I don’t have access to reports about how Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy’ reacted to local cold weather. I’m SW of Portland, and those in my neighborhood bloomed especially well this spring, but we don’t have cold winds. Are there trees in nurseries near you to compare with yours?

Basic new-tree care, if your tree was planted correctly, is all you can do while you wait and see how it grows.

Planting a tree too deeply is a common error even landscape firms make. Failing to remove the bindings from a rootball before planting is common as well. (You watched them plant it, so you know if that was done.) Pull the mulch back from the trunk until you find the natural root flare. Links here, here and these great slides from Clemson, here explain what and why root flare is important. Changing the soil level or even replanting a tree to correct depth are options.

Identifying the rootball is important also because your watering technique needs to insure it is watered but not too wet. A big rootball, if clay soil, may not interface easily with your native soil, holding water in or meaning water from surrounding soil doesn’t move into the rootball. I’ve seen recently planted ones in a soggy area that have totally dry root balls.

The photo doesn’t show your overall planting area. If this an area with new fill soil and if there a retaining wall at the fence, there could be challenges long-term for a mature tree in this location. OSU publication EC1438 provides tree selection and new-tree care advice.

On 06/04/2021 8:13 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote: