Fall Planting

Fall is the perfect time to think about your garden. Not only is a great time to plant perennials to get them established before the ground freezes, but it is also a bearable time to be outside. After our hot summers it is a treat to get outside, enjoy the cooler weather, and work on our gardens that have been neglected during the hottest months of the summer. But, why plant in the fall? Planting in the fall as the weather cools down allows your perennials to establish a root system rather than putting energy into leaf and flower production; wetter weather means less supplemental watering for you, cooler temps mean less bugs and weeds for you to manage all ensuring a strong beautiful plant in the spring

Perennials are a great addition to a fall garden. Any perennial will do well when planted in the cool weather fall brings. Nurseries are starting to get in fresh stock of perennials, trees and shrubs, which means you can find a great specimen. You also can find sale prices on perennials that have been in the nurseries a little longer – this allows you to buy more plants for less cost. Either way you should be able to find a perennial that can fill in that hole in your garden, and get it established before winter giving you a head-start on your spring gardens. Some plants you should consider plant this fall are: autumn joy sedums, ground cover sedums and thyme, ornamental grasses, native and water-wise plants. If you are looking for color early next spring consider: phlox, helleborus, iris, astilbe, and coral bells.

Fall is also a great time to plant shrubs and evergreens. Most shrubs will respond well to being planted when the weather is cooler and wetter. Get these plants in containers or in the ground 6 weeks before a hard frost, and they will establish plenty of roots to make it through winter. Planting now could mean that you will get a full bloom cycle on spring blooming shrubs, or fall color on the foliage of the deciduous shrubs. Evergreens are great to plant in the fall because they can dress up an area, and look great all winter long. For fall color try spirea (it has beautiful blooms in the early spring as well), burning bush, smoke bush, or dogwood. There are hundreds of options of evergreens to plant, some interesting varieties are: Vanderwolf pines, mugo pine, juniper (you can often find topiaries that will look great in patio containers), or a weeping spruce or cedar.

Trees do well when planted in winter, and you can often find great deals on trees that have been in stock all summer. Consider your area before planting a tree, and always make sure to read the label of the tree you are purchasing. Some trees come in very small pots, but will mature into 30 – 60 ‘ trees. Always make sure the tree you are buying suits your needs for an area. For beautiful fall foliage and early spring color try ornamental fruit trees like: crab apples, weeping cherries or ornamental pears. These trees will get huge bursts of color in the early spring, and will get lovely fall foliage, the crab apples will even get nice ornamental fruits that hold on to the tree and their color into the winter. You can also plant some trees that will have nice fall foliage, now is a great time to find: maples (try Japanese maples, they can stay small and have beautiful foliage all summer long), ginko, or aspens.