Warm, moist soil is ideal for planting a container-grown tree. That means early autumn, when the weather is still quite warm despite the rains, is ideal because the conditions mean new roots will grow quickly to settle the tree. You can plant a tree at any time of the year - except when the soil is frozen or waterlogged.

First, select a location that will allow your tree to grow without danger of it dropping leaves into guttering or ponds, or shadowing light-loving plants. Make sure it is far enough away from your house so the root structure will not interfere with the building's foundations.

Water the tree well in its pot. Dig a hole two to three times as wide as the diameter of the pot and six inches deeper. Mix the excavated soil with well-rotted organic matter - a tree-planting compost, for instance - and add a four-inch layer to bottom of the hole. Firm it down. Add another two inches, leaving it loose to help with drainage.

Take the tree out of its pot gently by laying it on its side, tapping the rim of the container and then sliding out the tree. Tease out any roots that were circling around the bottom or sides of the pot so they grow away from the root-ball.

Use a fork to make a series of small holes around the sides of the planting hole so new roots can spread into the soil more easily and help the tree establish. Position the tree in the centre of the hole (next to the stake if you're planting a tree of five feet or taller).

Add a six-inch layer of the excavated soil and compost mixture around the root-ball. Empty a full watering can of water into the planting hole to make sure that the base roots of the tree do not dry out.

Continue adding the soil mixture to the planting hole in layers of about six inches at a time, firming and watering each new layer. Regularly check that the tree is upright. Continue until the soil is level with the top of the tree's root-ball, without covering it over.

Add a three-inch mulch layer of coarse bark chippings or manure around the trunk to keep the area free from weeds and to conserve moisture. The layer of mulch should be lower nearer the trunk to divert water towards the growing roots.

If you’re using a stake, attach its top to the tree using a special adjustable tree tie with a protective spacer to hold the tree securely, while preventing it from rubbing against the stake in windy weather.