My "trench" in the prior step is really only a mini-trench, for I'm not done digging yet. Having cleared away the sod from a long strip of ground, now I'll begin digging the holes, so that I can install the shrubs. But some more measuring is required first, beginning with the rootball.
The rule of thumb for planting shrubs is the planting hole should measure twice the width of a shrub's rootball, but not quite as deep. In the case of small, container-grown shrubs, you can generally measure the rootball by running a tape measure across the pot, since the rootball usually fills the container.
Now that we have a measurement for the rootball, we'll put it to use in Step 5....
