Gardening: Clump plants together

I was thinking seriously about hanging up the secateurs for winter and laying in a few weeks' supply of DVDs when our silk tree kicked the bucket.

It was on the cards - like numerous other silk trees in our area, it had developed that incurable and fatal fungal disease that attacks albizia and was beginning to look as though euthanasia would be a good option.

The Partner euthanised it with his chainsaw while I whimpered - I still remember the first silk tree I ever saw (on the corner of Hargreaves St and College Hill in Auckland) and my absolute delight over its glorious blooms. I quickly consulted the gardening editor at Next Magazine, where I was working at the time, and she identified it immediately. A couple of years later I got one of my own.

I suppose it's done well to have lasted 10 years, but its death not only left a serious gap outside the bedroom window and in my heart, but also wrecked my idea of a few weeks of hibernation.

First, I had to collect the seed pods and save the seeds so I could have a go at growing seedlings. I've never been a seed-saver so this will be a learning curve - watch this space.

Then, in case my seed-saving and seedling production didn't work, I had to look for something else to plant there (you can't plant another silk tree because the fungus stays in the soil).

That's when I was forced to acknowledge that winter is not holiday time for real gardeners. Every website I visited told me that late autumn/winter is exactly the right time to choose and then plant shade and feature trees. The choosing part is easy enough, and a pleasant occupation for a tired gardener who wants to put her stockinged feet up in front of the fire, but the planting bit inevitably follows and you can't do that with just your socks on.

As well as the gap where the silk tree was, we have an area of around 20m waiting to be planted so we'll need about 15 trees. They'll be planted in triangular clumps (odd numbers, not even, according to the landscapers' mantra) and I'm going for a mix of evergreen and deciduous, native and exotic.

By the time I've selected, defended my choices and saved up, it'll be time to supervise the planting.

We'll get our evergreens in now so they can settle in and maybe even grow a bit before winter really gets a grip.

Fortunately, planting trees is not rocket science. Soak the container - it'll make it easier to get the tree out without stressing it or yourself - and dig a hole twice as big as the root ball. Throw in compost. Throw in the tree. Throw in a stake to tie it to. Throw in soil to the same level as it was in the container. Tromp, water and, if it's a windy spot, hammer in three more stakes around the outside and tie the centre stake to them. Game over.

In a few weeks we'll add the deciduous trees and a few more fruit trees. They're nice and easy to handle when they're bare. Same procedure, and remember, for all new trees use soft, stretchy ties so you don't damage them when tying them to the stakes. When you're done, off with the gumboots and on to the sofa.