Winter care: what a dormant tree actually needs

A dormant tree is not a tree that needs nothing. Roots in a pot freeze faster than roots in the ground, so the job in winter is shelter, not warmth: a cold frame, a wall to break the wind, or simply moving pots together so they insulate each other. Water rarely, but do not let the rootball go bone dry — a frozen, dry rootball damages roots that a frozen, moist one survives. Check the pot after every hard frost for lifting or cracking. Nothing else is due. Pruning, wiring and feeding all wait for the signs the tree gives when it wakes.