well ... whats your vision.. your goal???

in 3 to 5 years... you could have 6 like the second pic at the link ...

or you could have one big clump ...

do understand ... these plants have vast potential over 10 years ... they can and will become huge... unless you learn how to renovate them every so often ...

i cant really see... planting them as a gang ... lol ..

plant this small.. i have had better luck.. potting them.. to grow a root mass and planting them in fall ... but that adds a whole level of complication ... ask if you might be interested ..

i would plant them.. by digging a hole.. and inserting the plant.. watering.. filling in hole.. water again ... and throw some mulch around.. and make sure they NEVER dry again in the heat of summer.. insert finger and find out ... and perhaps a deep drink late in fall ... and then they would be free range forever after ... nothing.. no water.. no fert. no nothing ...

you can not kill these things except in two ways ... loving them to death .. or not watering a recent transplant so that it never gets ESTABLISHED ...

once established.. run them over with the truck.. etc ... lol

soooo.. whats your vision ???? what do you want to do???

ken

ps: sometimes.. with such small stock ... i use a rather large stake ... so i dont step on them.. before they are big enough to see ... just to know where they are ... though the mulch ring usually indicates such ...

Here is a link that might be useful: second pic

If these are Cornus sericea and they like the site you will soon have a thicket - space them out.