Installing tree stakes - calling all you landscape gardeners

[Dave 123]

Hi @Dave 123

I am sure you are right, the tree will survive regardless. However the amelancier is the only tree in my front garden and I want it to look as handsome as possible. I was concerned because it was growing quite tall and whippy and after three years the roots were still rocking in the ground.

Last week I went back to Bluebell arboretum in Smisby, Leics and they advised me to take 2' off the top and stake it better. The stakes that I have put in look a bit over the top but they said they are old fashioned about stakes and they are getting lots of reports of broken trees now staking is less in favour than it used to be.

Here are before and after pictures as well as a picture of the tree in flower in April. I blagged an offcut for the cross member from Travis Perkins in Lichfield and bought a chisel wrecking bar and a club hammer. I also sacrificed an inner tube for the tie. I soaked the ground and chose a new spot for one of the stakes when I hit some drains. I did saw 6" off the top of the stakes because they were bumping up against the branches. It's all functional and I hope will only be in place for another couple of years while the tree fattens out a bit.

Thank you everyone for all your help and for dissuading me from buying a sledgehammer. I doubt very much that I could have wielded it at the same time as holding the stake!

That ought to do it. They were right about taking the top 2' out.
I used to have a beauty of an Amelanchier in a house I used to live. As soon as the flowers opened a hurricane would arrive!

Give it some good soakings and a good mulch of well rotted manure. Also, tell it to buck its ideas up or it's out, that'll make it jump!

 

[alicat]

Yep, they said to keep it well watered and to give a mulch of manure. That's tomorrow's job.

And I do tell all my plants that they had better grow because I paid good money for them. This one took it a bit literally!