Question After removing a tree or shrub, how long should I wait before planting another plant in the same place?

Answer This really depends on the reason the last plant was removed. Most folks only think about putting in a new plant when an existing plant dies. However, sometimes living plants are replaced. The three primary reasons for removing a living plant are wrong size, changing landscape or invasive.

Sometimes plants turn out to be too big or too small for a specific spot. If perpetual pruning or fertilizing is not an option, then removal is logical. Maybe the plant was in the right spot, but the landscape changed. Nearby trees may cast shade as they grow or a tree whose shade you were relying on may have died. Either way, the sun/shade mix often changes as years go by. Your sun loving junipers may be living, but increased shade can stress them to the point of dwarf status. One of these two plants will likely have to take a trip down the long green mile to the compost bin. Invasive plants are self explanatory. Nobody likes a pushy plant.

While it is obvious that dead plants need to be replaced, replacement protocol depends on the reason the plant died. Common reasons for established plants dying include pests (disease or insects), incompatibility with existing environment and improper culture.

The replacement of dead plants can be immediate. However, the reason for the last plant’s death must be taken into consideration before planting a new one. For example, if your holly was killed by black root rot, then you would not want to plant another holly in the same spot (now or anytime within several years). However, a spirea could be planted in the holly’s spot within seconds.

Living plants can also be replaced within minutes. The only exception would be the replacement of invasive plants. When replacing an invasive plant, make sure the offender is gone. Depending on the invasiveness of the plant, this may take anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple years.

When the stump and/or roots of a tree have been ground up, refrain from planting in that area until the organic matter has decomposed. Depending on the size of the tree, this can take a year or two.

For more planting info, visit http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-601.html or http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/633.pdf If you have questions or don’t have internet access, then call me at 910-893-7530 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org

The Green Mile is the story of a corrections officer at a death row penitentiary during the Depression. One cell block was called the “Green Mile” by the guards because the condemned prisoners walked their “last mile” down a stretch of lime green linoleum to the electric chair. In residential gardens, the “green mile” is the stretch between the compost bin and a landscape bed. Plants go to the bin and compost goes back to other plants. This quote from the corrections officer applies to both green miles. "We each owe a death. There are no exceptions. But, Oh God, sometimes the Green Mile seems so long."