Susan Ashton wrote in message ...
I have suddenly become the proud possessor of 2 oak saplings whose
previous owner needed them shifted in a hurry.

I have 100ft+ of garden, so that's not a problem, and the donor sent her
gardener round to assess where they should go, and to do the deed itself
once I'd given the final go-ahead.

So there they are. My instructions (relayed through hubby, as I was at
work) were to give them a bucket of water the following day (Thursday)
and another one at the weekend.

My questions: Do I need to keep watering them? If so, how often - and
what size bucket?

My news server is very slow, so I hope somebody else has got in
already with the relevant questions and advice. But just in case:

Are they in containers?
How big are the containers?
Have they been growing in the containers since they were leafless?
How big are the trees themselves?

If they're in containers and have been there for a few months, I'd say
just relax and treat them like pot-plants, and water well when the
potting mix has dried out. If they're going to be planted out in the
next few days they won't come to any harm if you forget; but a
thorough watering the night before will help the roots get nice and
flexible so they can be spread on final planting.

Otherwise, popping some acorns in pots may turn out to give better
results. But the saplings are worth trying, especially if, as you
suggest, there's a professional gardener on your side.

If they've only just been put in the containers, make sure the soil or
potting mix is well firmed, keep moist but not drenched, but be
prepared for failure -- which won't be your fault. Keep them in the
shade in case they're losing water from the leaves and can't fully
replace it through a damaged root-system. Plant in their final
positions in the next few days if you can't do it today. Then follow
the last para below.

If, as often happens with these gifts, they're essentially bare-rooted
and just stuck in an old fertilizer bag, I'd keep them in the shade,
chuck in some damp peat or good compost, water as before, and then (in
this order) cut off the bottom corners of the bags to allow drainage.
(Standing water will rot the roots.) Again, if they don't make it, it
won't be your fault: oak seedlings are very tough, and will stand a
lot of abuse, but root damage when the leaves are out can be too much
for them -- the bigger the tree, the riskier.

I'd get them in the ground as my number one priority, spreading the
roots out nicely to avoid strangling in twenty years' time, water in
well, and keep an eye on them, watering regularly when the soil looks
dry for the first two years. A diagonal stake if they seem tall enough
to be rocked by the wind. Best to keep the soil around them free of
other plants for a couple of years, if you can. Decide on the shape
you want: if you want a classic bare trunk, cut off side shoots; if
you want an architectural gnarliness, leave any side shoots on, but
expect a slower increase in height. Either way, they'll look great in
2053!

Mike.