Planting out

It is possible to start a new plant from seed, but you can also let someone else do this, and buy the plant from them in a pot. This means you need to plant out. If you sow seed in a pot to keep on the window sill, you will need to plant it out at some point.

First, there is the actual buying of the plant. You may have a gap in your garden you want to fill, or you want a specific plant, or you are visiting a plant place and see something (I normally do the last!) You can buy from garden centres, or even supermarkets, or stalls, or anywhere really. "Plants... wander over and have a look!"

When getting a plant, apart from cost, consider how big the plant is going to grow. Is it tender? What colour is it? And does this plant itself look healthy? Are there plenty of shoots and leaves? Is it flowering? That may mean that you may not get many more flowers this year, unless there are buds on it as well. But at least you know what colour the flowers are.

Once you get the plant home, give the plant a good watering in the pot immediately, especially if you don't intend to plant it straight away. Shops don't always water their plants enough, and anyway, customers prefer a fairly dry pot to get home! But planting out is a bit stressful for the plant, and plants like water, especially at the roots.If the plant has been kept inside, and it's cold outside, it might be a good idea to harden the plant off. That means leaving it outside in the pot for a few days (but bring it inside over night if there is a sharp frost). I tend to plant out the same day I buy a plant, as I suspect that it will be happier in the ground than in a pot. But of course you may not have time to plant out immediately.

When you want to plant it, decide where you want to put it, bearing in mind how big the plant is liable to grow, both upwards and sideways. Dig a hole the same size as the pot. Put your fingers either side of the plant's stem, then turn the pot over with your hand now underneath, supporting the plant. Look at what the plant looks like underneath the soil. If there is a solid mass of roots the shape of the pot, then the plant is pot-bound. It's best to prise away some of the roots outwards, as otherwise the roots may carry on growing round and round in the same shape! The other extreme is that all the soil comes away in your hands and there is a miserly collection of roots left at the end of the stem. This means that the garden centre has repotted recently, and you can't do much about it - just hope it grows! A healthy plant will have a decent root ball, with some roots reaching the edge of the pot (but not too many).

Turn your hand round until the plant is the right way up again (!) and put it in the hole. Give a good watering inside the hole. This is called "puddling in" and puts the water where it's needed, round the roots. Refill with earth. (I continue to be surprised that you can dig a hole, put a plant in, refill the hole, and there's no soil left over...) Firm down the soil round the plant. Plants take up water from their roots, and if there are air pockets round the roots, they can't get at the water. If the plant is expensive or precious, you can add a little fertiliser around the plant.

And that's it, really. If the weather is dry, make sure that the new plant is watered for a bit. Transplanting upsets plants a little, and they take time to pick up growing again. If the plant is tall, or starts growing tall, then you may need to stake it. Put a bamboo or something next to it, and tie the plant to the stake, but not too tightly! The stem may get bigger, and the tie can then dig into it.

Plants prefer to be planted out, or transplanted, into damp soil, or get rained on the next day. Plants take in water at their roots, and if roots get damaged or dried out during planting, or afterwards, the plant won't start up its growth again, and it may die. "Puddling in" (see above) helps a lot, so does a lot of watering of new plants during dry weather. But in spring and autumn, the ground is often damp, so these are good seasons for planting. In winter, it can be too cold, especially if the ground is frozen! And of course all tender plants must be planted out after the last frost (beginning of May for my garden, except for exceptional years). Mid-summer, during a heat wave, is challenging... But you can plant out a hardy plant at any time of year successfully. Most of the time.... You always lose some.

A similar activity is transplanting. Here, you have a plant in your garden (or possibly someone else's garden, with their permission, of course!) It is in the wrong place. You like it and you don't want to throw it away, but it needs to be moved. Dig up the plant, making sure that there is earth round the roots, if at all possible. Dig a hole where you want it to go and carry on as above.

You can also divide plants. You may have a large clump of a plant. Sometimes the middle of a clump will even start dying off, while the outside is vigorous and healthy. Using a trowel (or even a spade for a big plant) cut downwards through the plant and roots, and remove part of it. That part can then be transplanted somewhere else. Water well to re-establish it. Please note, you can't divide a plant with a tap-root, because you can't divide the root in two (and it would die if you tried to!) Also you can't divide a plant with a single stem, for a similar reason. After you divide a plant, both halves should have stems, leaves and roots, to work.