dry plantings???

[Lee]

hi guys! got to reading bunch of posts. good to see all the names of the regulars on this NG! i've been watching H&G and all the landscaping programs and gardening by the yard, etc... and i am wondering why the landscapers/gardners are not watering the plants/holes when they plant them? am i missing something? i thought it was customary to be sure the root ball was moist and the hole was moist before dropping the root ball into the ground. the ones i have been watching seem to have bone dry soil, dig a hole in it, drop the dry root ball/plant in and firm the dry soil up around it. and no watering!!!???? if i was totally new to gardening i would follow suit and add no water, but since i have always watered, i still do it... am i lost in the past????? love...granny lee.

[Frogleg]

Some of these programs are simply display setups -- "here's how this tree and this flower and this pathway can transform your landscape." Like cooking shows that have bowls of chopped onion and minced parsley handy, there are certain operations that may seem to boring to go over and over again. BBCAmerica's 'Ground Force' almost always shows at least a sample of properly preparing a planting hole, and thoroughly watering before and after the plant is inserted. A strictly 'landscaping' presentation may want to spend the time showing 2 more shrubs rather than precise instruction on planting methods.