Alan Titchmarsh on mistake all gardeners make this month with their trees

We’re just about to celebrate the New Year. You might think a little premature, but it starts at the beginning of November rather than January.

This is the time when deciduous and shrubs lose their leaves and can be moved and transplanted to where they are to spend the rest of their lives. ago, this was the only time that leaf-shedding trees and shrubs were sold by – the trick of growing them in containers so that they could be transplanted at any time of year did not really come in until the 1960s.

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Nowadays, most of us use plant container-grown stock rather than bothering with the bare-root kind, but I reckon that can be a mistake. For a start, bare-root plants are cheaper as they have not needed the watering, care and attention demanded by container-grown plants which, inevitably, puts up their prices.

And although with certain specimen shrubs and trees, buying a container-grown plant is a good idea, with other subjects such as young trees, fruit trees and hedging plants, bare-root stock is every bit as good as the more expensive option. Moved now, such plants have a chance to establish their roots in earth that still has a little of summer’s warmth about it and which is unlikely to dry out before they have started to grow next spring.

Plant well and wisely between now and next March, when growth recommences, and you’ll save yourself a small fortune.