If it’s fall and you have time, take a look around. Are the foundation plantings overgrowing the house? Is more screening required for privacy? Do you need evergreens for winter interest? The garden is winding down, and assessing what you need is easier when you’re looking at the garden’s architecture and not all the blooms. So, why is fall planting a good time, and what is the time window? Here are the three top reasons.
In the Fall, It’s All About Root Growth Versus Shoot Growth
As the air cools, the soil stays warm, encouraging root development over shoot development. Root growth continues until temperatures drop to 48°F, but shoot growth slows down around 60°F. The variance in temperatures between air and soil in the fall forces the focus to be on root growth. Roots anchor your plants and provide water and nutrients for your plant’s growth and health, so slowing down shoot development and ramping up root growth is good.
You can plant six to eight weeks before the ground freezes, giving plants ample time to get established and withstand cold weather. Once the soil freezes though, all root growth stops until spring. More information on planting and design can be found here:
- Five Trees for Screening Your Lovable Neighbors
- Winter Color in the Garden
- Five Tips for Adding Berries and Fruit Trees
You Can Water Less (Which Doesn’t Mean to Stop Watering!)
With the fall comes a more sustainable rainfall, allowing for more budget-friendly watering and less work for the gardener. Additionally, plants’ photosynthesis lessens as daylight hours shorten, requiring less water for plants.
When you do water, be sure to water at soil level to drench the roots. Go around the plant using the shower setting on the water wand if you have one; the jet stream setting can disturb the soil. Water your plants twice a week if we haven’t had soaking rain in 10 days. Watering more frequently may be necessary for evergreens susceptible to drying out from winds and colder temperatures. Knowing your soil and how it drains (or doesn’t) is the key to understanding how to water your garden. But with the hot days of July and August behind us, your plants will transition into your garden with less stress and less watering from you.
Get A Jump Start On Spring
Plant azaleas, rhododendrons, pieris, forsythias, and other flowering shrubs to enjoy when spring arrives. Plant perennials that will reward you next year and take that off your to-do list. Fall is also bulb-planting time. If you want spring daffodils, tulips, crocus, and allium (yes, to the allium!), fall is the time to purchase bulbs (they sell fast) and plant in October or November. Planting in the fall gives them the chilling hours needed to bloom in spring.
Not everything you want to plant in the fall may be available, as most herbaceous perennials are hard to find by the end of September, but that only makes watering easier, right? Dividing your planting between spring and fall can give you more time to establish new plants. The same applies to transplanting. Fall is a great time to transplant anything that needs moving in your landscape, or if you still have plants in nursery pots, plant them now.
Gardens take time to grow. They are living, organic, dynamic ecosystems that require a little patience as they establish. By planting in the fall, you can get ahead of the curve and enjoy them all the sooner.
