Gardening tips for February: Plant fruit trees
Plant a fruit tree this February and retire to watch it grow


Fruit trees are such easy things to grow, and their lives so full of anticipation and reward, that we should plant them more often. Plant something you can't readily buy in a supermarket: a little homework goes a long way. Dig a square hole the depth of the rootball and fork over the bottom of the pit. Tease the outermost roots a little, then place the tree in the hole, placing a rake handle across it to ensure all is level. Stake if necessary, then backfill the hole, leaving the best topsoil until last. Tidy up and retire for tea.
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Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
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