Start with the right spade — it changes everything

If you buy only one tool for tree planting, make it a proper digging spade. Not a border spade, which is too small for the job, and certainly not a graft, which is designed for lighter work. A full-size digging spade with a sharpened, flat blade and a sturdy ash or fibreglass shaft will let you cut a clean-sided square hole in heavy clay or compacted pasture. That clean cut matters more than most people realise: roots struggle to push through smeared, glazed sides of a hole dug with a blunt tool, especially in our wet British soils that pan easily.

Look for a spade with a forged head rather than a pressed one, and a socket that runs well up the shaft. A treaded blade saves your boots and gives you real leverage when you hit a band of flint or a buried brick. Keep a bastard file in the shed and touch up the edge every few plantings; a sharp spade halves the effort and leaves a tidier hole.

The supporting cast: fork, mattock and bar

A garden fork is the natural companion to the spade. Use it to loosen the base and sides of the planting hole so roots can move out freely, and to break up any compacted layer beneath. For stony or heavy ground, a mattock is a revelation — a single swing cuts through roots and lifts stones that would blunt a spade in minutes.

On compacted sites, a steel planting bar or crowbar is worth the investment. It lets you lever out rocks, probe for hidden obstacles before you commit to a hole, and open a slit for bare-root whips where a full spade-width hole would be overkill. Three tools, one bar, and you can plant on almost any ground in Britain.

Making good the planting: stakes, ties and guards

Planting is only half the job. On exposed sites — and that includes most of our windy western and upland gardens — a tree needs support for its first few years. Choose a sturdy stake, ideally a square or round timber stake that will last a decade, and drive it in before you backfill so you do not damage the rootball. A proper tree tie with a buffer collar prevents the bark from rubbing; check it every spring and loosen it as the trunk thickens.

Guards matter too, particularly if you have deer, rabbits or grey squirrels about. A spiral guard protects the stem, while a mesh tree guard keeps browsing animals off the growing tips. For hedgerow whips, a simple cane and spiral guard is often enough, but for standard trees in open ground a taller guard is money well spent.

• Sturdy timber stake, driven before planting
• Adjustable tree tie with a soft buffer
• Spiral guard for the stem
• Mesh guard for browsing pressure
• Mulch mat or a ring of well-rotted compost

Watering and mulch: the unglamorous essentials

Newly planted trees need water, and in a dry British summer that means more than a quick splash. A watering can is fine for a handful of trees, but if you are planting a small wood or a shelterbelt, invest in a hose reel and a couple of large watering cans or a wheeled water butt. A tree needs roughly ten to twenty litres a week in its first two growing seasons, delivered slowly to the root zone rather than sprayed over the leaves.

Mulching is the quiet hero of tree aftercare. A generous ring of well-rotted bark or compost, kept clear of the trunk itself, suppresses weeds and locks moisture into the soil. A good mulch mat does the same job with less bulk and looks tidy in a formal garden. Either way, keep the collar of the tree free so the bark does not stay wet and rot.

Pruning and shaping: saws, secateurs and loppers

For the first few years, your pruning kit is mostly about removing dead, damaged or crossing branches and establishing a clear leader. A decent pair of bypass secateurs handles twigs and small branches up to about a centimetre; loppers take you up to three or four centimetres. Beyond that, reach for a pruning saw.

A good pruning saw is the tool people most often skimp on, and the one they regret. Look for a curved blade with triple-ground teeth and a comfortable handle; a folding saw fits a pocket and stays sharp. For larger limbs, use a bowsaw or a pole saw so you can work from the ground rather than balancing in the canopy. Always cut cleanly just outside the branch collar and never leave a stub — trees heal best from a tidy wound.

Looking after the tools themselves

Your kit will last decades if you treat it well. Clean soil off blades after every use, dry them thoroughly, and wipe metal parts with an oily rag before storing. Sharpen spades, forks and saws regularly; a blunt tool is a dangerous tool and a tiring one. Store everything under cover, hang long-handled tools off the floor, and keep handles waxed or oiled once a year.

Buy the best you can afford, one piece at a time, and let the collection grow with your woodland. A good spade, a solid fork, a sharp saw and a reliable watering setup will see you through planting a hedge, a shelterbelt or a small copse — and they will still be earning their keep when the trees are tall enough to shade the shed.