A.  General Information
         Trees are important to start your landscape. Even if it's one tree, planted well, it can impact your yard more than any other landscaping item. Planting trees first shapes planting beds and gives them a head start on growth while you work on other parts of your landscape. When chosen carefully, trees put privacy where you need it, add shade, decorate patios and entries, deflect wind and establish a background for your landscape. Consider if you want year round trees, like evergreens, or trees that shed leaves once a year, deciduous trees. Evergreens give more privacy but usually grow slower than deciduous. Deciduous trees are good to have for making summer shade.

Before you plant a tree in your yard, you have to find out its ultimate size and how long it will take to reach maturity. You should also know of any characteristics the tree has that make it undesirable for the purpose you have in mind. Like, you wouldn't want a tree with big root systems that buckle paving to be planted right next to your patio or parking area. Find out if trees have invasive roots so you can avoid planting them around septic and drainage systems. Then, you need to know how to take care of your new trees before you plant them. Don't choose a high-maintenance tree if you want a low-maintenance landscape.

Some trees are sold as container-grown. They have lived their whole lives in nursery pots. Some are sold as balled-and-burlapped, also known as B&B. They start their lives in tree farm fields. After they get dug up with tree spades, their root balls get wrapped with fabric for shipping. Then there are bare-root types, like fruit trees, that come with roots carefully surrounded with packing inside a plastic bag or set in sawdust. Usually, container-grown trees are smaller than ones wrapped in burlap. Since they don't have to be taken out of the ground, container-grown trees are less likely to go into shock and lose their leaves when planted. They're mostly easier for consumers to handle and are available for a longer period of time during the growing season. The best times to buy B&B trees are early spring or late fall. To plant woody trees and shrubs, autumn is the best time. Cold weather slows growth above ground, so a plant's energy goes into expanding roots under the ground. Also, cold weather doesn't put as much stress on new trees as hot weather does. Regular watering is not as important. Insect and disease problems are fewer in fall and winter than in spring and summer. Overall, planting in the fall gets better results and gives you a jump on next spring.

B.  Planting a Container-Grown Tree
         First you need some materials to work with. You'll need: a round-point shovel, a hose connected to water supply within reach of your work space, organic matter, like bagged compost, a wheelbarrow, mulch, and gypsum (for clay soil). Begin by digging a hole and make it 1 ½ to 2 times as wide as the tree's container. Make the hole as deep as the container is tall. If you're planting in a spot with heavy clay soil, scrape the sides of the hole with a shovel to roughen them. A slick-sided hole acts like a big clay pot and restricts root growth. Add gypsum to clay soil also. To make things easier, put the soil in a wheelbarrow or on a tarp as you're shoveling.

Next you have to mix amendments into the removed soil. Compost and bagged, composted manure are good organic amendments to use. The amended mixture should contain half native soil and half organic matter. Gently slide the tree from its container. If you can't get it off without tugging, cut the container with a utility knife. When the container is off, lay the tree on its side. Gently score the root ball with a sharp shovel or utility knife to help the growth of new roots outside the pot-shaped mass of roots. Limit the scores to keep the root ball intact.

Place the tree in its hole. The top of the root ball should be level with adjacent, undisturbed soil. In spots with heavy clay soil, trees should be planted higher so the root ball sticks out an inch or two above the soil surface. Gently swivel the tree so it looks best at the angle you'll see it from the most. Fill the hole with amended soil mixture. Add soil around the root ball pressing it firmly with your hands as you go. If you're planting it during hot weather, water the soil as you fill the hole, then add a little more soil the next day, if needed. Don't stomp on the soil; that makes it harder for water and air to reach the roots. Form a moat around the tree with the left over soil. Make it as wide as the hole. The moat walls should be 3 inches wide and tall. Mulch the area inside the moat and fill with water from a slowly trickling hose. Place the hose at the base of the trunk to soak the root ball. The moat lets the water go down to the roots and not just run off the soil's surface. The moat will melt eventually, but it won't be needed by then.

C.  Planting a B&B Tree
         Some things you'll need to work with are: a round-point shovel, water supply and hose within reach of work space, organic matter, like bagged compost, a tarp, and gypsum for clay soil. First, dig a hole and make it twice as wide as the tree's root ball and as deep as the root ball is tall. If you're planting in a spot with heavy clay soil, scrape the sides of the hole with a shovel. Mix amendments into the removed soil. The resulting mixture should be half native soil and half organic matter. In a spot with high rainfall and heavy clay soil, mix native soil with organic matter at a ratio of 4:1. Cut back all metal or plastic fasteners from the root ball and peel back the top third of the burlap after the tree is set in the hole. If the B&B root ball is in a wire basket, do not remove it. It helps keep the root ball intact.

Place the tree in the hole. Peel back the fabric to reveal the top third of the root ball. Leave the fabric in place unless it is nonbiodegradable plastic. That will need to be removed before the ball goes in the hole. The top of the root ball must be level with adjacent, undisturbed soil. You can check this with the handle of a shovel. In clay soil, trees have to be planted so the root ball is an inch or two above the soil surface. Fill the hole with the amended soil mixture. Add soil around the root ball, pressing it firmly with your hands as you go. If you're planting in hot weather, water the soil as you fill the hole. Don't stomp on the soil because that destroys soil porosity. Form a moat around the tree with left over soil. It should be as wide as the hole and 3 inches wide and tall. Make it sturdy by patting it down with your hands. Mulch the inside and fill the area with water from a trickling hose placed at the base of the trunk. Fill the moat slowly several times, letting water soak in every time. The moat will wash away eventually, but by then the tree won't need it.

D.  Damages from deer
          Deer tend to damage landscape plants by browsing on foliage and branches.  Also, male deer rub antlers against the stems of trees or stage mock battles with shrubbery.  To have some control over this, use plants that deer tend not to eat.  Erect physical barriers, or use odor or taste repellents.  Plants deer tend to eat are arborvitae, yew, birch, apple, dogwood, daylily, and hosta.   Plants deer tend not to eat are lilac, forsythia, juniper, spruce, spirea, barberry, potentilla, peony, and daffodil.  Thorny plants and plants with fuzzy or leathery leaves are also less likely to be eaten.  However, hungry deer eat just about anything.  Using plants that sucker or recover quickly from damage, such as bush honeysuckle, reduces negative effects of deer feeding.
           Fencing is the most effective way of reducing deer damage.  For small areas, a four-foot fence is good enough.  For larger areas, fences should be at least eight feet high.  Cover low growing plants in vegetable gardens with wire mesh.  Be sure to use mesh that doesn't let deer become entangled or injured.  Electric fencing is effective but because of the cost, maintenance needs, and potential human hazards, it is not practical.  Individual plants can be protected by wire cages, tree wraps, or barriers of sturdy stakes pounded into the soil around and two feet away from main stems.
          Odor and taste repellents, like human hair, deodorant soap, garlic oil, and hot sauce can be applied to branches and foliage to discourage browsing.  Repellents are not effective against antler rubbing.  The effectiveness of repellents depends on the product used, weather conditions, how frequent it is applied, familiarity to the deer population, and feeding pressure.  If properly applied, products with egg solids appear to be most effective.  Most repellents become ineffective over time as deer become accustomed to their presence.  If repellents are tried, use several and rotate them.  Remember, repellents are not fences.  Repellents also include noise devices, motion lights, and reflective materials. Aesthetically, many of these options may be undesirable or may be prohibited by local municipal ordinances.  They are not effective in the long term.