Someone will advise you, I'm sure but I just wanted to say that there are 3 gorgeous young liquidamber trees on the corner of a nearby street, all different shades. I don't know which they are, but mine is a L. Worplesdon from a famous
nursery and has never been much good for colour. I don't know whether I just got a dud one or whether it doesn't like the soil perhaps, but it seems strange that 3 trees are doing so well around the corner!

Thank-you for your reply Pennyfarthing I think it's a
L. Styraciflua I have seen it a few weeks ago when it was just starting to get colourful, sorry to hear yours didn't become colourful, like you say is it the soil.

You should get planting instructions with the tree if you are buying from a nursery. Is it bare root or in a pot. Either way you will need a good sized planting hole with bonemeal mixed in the bottom and sprinkled down the sides of the hole. It is slow release and will encourage new roots to grow.

Just a word about the colour (as mentioned by Pennyfarthing). L. 'Worplesdon' is a bad choice if you want good autumn colour, for this variety simply doesn't produce it. Other varieties turn brilliant shades, but not this one.

Dig over the area you want to plant the tree in, Roy the foot, and add some organic matter (well rotted garden compost or composted animal manure, things like that) and let it settle for a week before you plant out. I personally never use bonemeal (can't see the point, it takes years to break down, but it does, of course, get rid of ground up bone, and we've got plenty of it available, and improves very slightly the humus content of the soil). Don't add any fertilisers or feed at this time of year. You can fertilise in spring if you wish to (fish blood and bone or growmore or similar), but adding organic matter to the soil before planting will dramatically improve the availability of nutrients to the tree without much extra.

Thank-you Scotsgran I'm actually buying it off of a farmer that has bought some old nursery land with young trees on it, so he will dig it up when it's ready and then I can plant it immediately , Roy.

Thank-you Bamboo all taken on board I think it's a L. Styraciflua and I have seen it at the turn of colour so fingers crossed, Roy.

Yours should do the same then - L. 'Worplesden' is a variety of L. styracifulua, but other varieties of this do have good autumn colour.

Keep fertiliser to a minimum at this time of year. More important is good cultivation of the ground to allow free root growth. Fertiliser can be added in spring as the new leaves emerge and that's also the time to be aware of long dry spells, so careful attention to watering, too

Thank-you Hortum cret that sounds good, I can't wait to get it now.

Bamboo when someone asked on Facebook if bonemeal was a good idea for fruit trees the RHS replied that as it is mainly phosphorous and that is mainly for root production it would be good to use it at the planting stage. Otherwise ( I take it they did mean at times other than the planting stage) using an organic fertiliser like Blood, Fish and bone would help growth and fruit production. The NPK% on each is Bonemeal, N4p20 and K miniscule or just not there. Blood, Fish and Bone is around 5.5.5.
I have always used Bonemeal at planting time and have good solid shrubs presumably because they have good root systems. Roy when you plant your tree I would advise you to insert a piece of plastic pipe from the bottom of the roots to the surface. Adequate watering in its first year will be beneficial. This again is a tried and trusted idea.

Thank-you Scotsgran that's very informative and the bit about the drain pipe I've never heard of,but it sounds a brilliant idea which I will do, Roy.

You are welcome Roy. If we get a hot summer like the one we have just experienced getting water to the roots will be vital.

I know what the RHS advice is, Scotsgran, and bonemeal is not the same thing as fish, blood and bone, as you say. I used to use bonemeal in all planting holes, as you describe, and as recommended - until I did the RHS (!) M. Hort course over ten years ago, when what I've said about bonemeal is what our lecturer told us was the reality. I haven't used it since, lol, well other than using up what I'd got already.
As for the pipe, yep, recommend that - lurking in my garage is an unused piece of down pipe for guttering, from which I chop lengths when I'm planting trees and large shrubs. Invaluable piece of waste, that pipe!

My son once disagreed with part of a lecture being given by an eminent professor. To give the professor his due he did apologise at the follow up session, after checking what this young fellow had said. His excuse "he was reading from notes which had obviously been mis typed by his secretary". I will stick with the current RHS advice. I know from personal experience that it does work.

Also check the soil pH--Liquidambars dislike lime, and will need sulfur and/or extra organic matter in chalky soils.

Thank-you Tugbrethil I'll check it out I think it's neutral Roy.