If done correctly, a survival rate in excess of 90% can be achieved if the plants are given adequate protection. We recommend that you use mulch mats to conserve soil moisture and reduce weed completion, and clear plastic tree guards with bamboo or hardwood stakes to provide a beneficial microclimate and to keep out animals. It always helps to water after planting, and then once or twice per week until the plants are through their first summer. Don’t plant just before summer unless you have no other option.
Our plants have slow release fertilizer in their potting media, and will find food as they grow in your soil, but you can help them along with a 12 month slow release tablet in the planting hole. If you decide to feed, always use a fertilizer suitable for native plants, and never add more than the recommended dose. Remember a slow plant is always better than a dead plant!