When summer begins to loosen its grip and the first cool mornings arrive, many gardeners assume the gardening season is winding down. The lawn grows more slowly, leaves begin to turn, and thoughts drift toward rakes, pumpkins, and putting the garden to bed.
But for planting many trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers, fall isn't the end of the gardening season at all. It may be the best part of it.
Spring gets most of the attention. Garden centers fill with flowers, seed catalogs arrive, and warm sunshine tempts us outdoors. Yet spring planting has one considerable disadvantage: summer is waiting just around the corner.
Plant in fall, and the whole equation changes.
Cooler Air Means Less Stress
Newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials must perform two jobs at once. They need to maintain their leaves and stems above ground while establishing a new root system below.
During hot weather, that can be a tall order.
High temperatures increase the amount of moisture plants lose through their leaves. A newly planted specimen with a limited root system may struggle to replace that water quickly enough. Add blazing sun and a few rainless days, and a plant can become stressed remarkably fast.
Fall's cooler temperatures reduce that strain. Plants lose water more slowly, the soil doesn't dry quite as rapidly, and transplant shock is generally less severe.
In other words, the plant can spend less energy merely surviving and more energy getting settled.
The Soil Is Still Warm
One of the great advantages of fall planting is easily overlooked: the air may be cool, but the soil is still warm.
Soil temperatures change much more slowly than air temperatures. After months of summer sunshine, the earth retains considerable warmth well into autumn.
That creates an excellent environment for root growth.
Even after the top of a deciduous plant begins preparing for dormancy—or has already dropped its leaves—roots may continue growing as long as soil conditions remain favorable. Those weeks of quiet underground activity can make an enormous difference the following year.
The garden may appear to be going to sleep, but beneath the surface there is still work being done.
Fall-Planted Plants Get a Head Start
Consider two identical shrubs.
One is planted in October. The other is planted the following April.
The October shrub has the opportunity to establish roots during autumn, rest through winter, and resume root growth as conditions improve in late winter and early spring.
By the time summer arrives, it may have had many months to become established.
The April shrub, meanwhile, has only a short interval before it must face the heat of June, July, and August.
That doesn't mean spring planting is wrong. Gardeners have successfully planted in spring for generations. But where winters are reasonably mild, fall often gives hardy plants a valuable head start.
Instead of beginning summer as newcomers, they enter it with roots already in the ground.
Cooler Weather Makes Watering Easier, Too
Fall planting doesn't eliminate the need for watering. Newly planted trees, shrubs, ground covers, and perennials should still be watched carefully until established.
But autumn usually makes the job easier.
Cooler temperatures mean less evaporation from the soil and less water loss through foliage. Seasonal rainfall may also become more dependable in some regions.
A thorough soaking after planting is essential. After that, check the soil rather than simply watering according to the calendar. The goal is consistently moist soil around the developing root system—not soggy ground.
And don't forget plants simply because the weather turns cold. Evergreens in particular continue to lose moisture through their foliage during winter and can suffer if they enter a dry spell without adequate soil moisture.
Fall Is Especially Valuable in the South
Southern gardeners have an additional reason to appreciate fall planting.
Our summers can be brutal.
A shrub planted in late spring may scarcely have time to recover from transplanting before it encounters weeks of heat, intense sunshine, and high water demand. In much of the South, autumn provides a long period of relatively mild weather during which hardy landscape plants can establish themselves.
In areas with mild winters, root development may continue for surprisingly long periods.
That's one reason generations of Southern gardeners have planted woody ornamentals, shade trees, fruit trees, and hardy perennials during the cooler months. Long before anyone spoke of "plant establishment strategies," gardeners noticed what worked.
Sometimes the old ways became old ways for good reason.
What Should You Plant in Fall?
Fall is particularly well suited to many trees, shrubs, hardy perennials, ornamental grasses, vines, and ground covers. It is also, of course, the traditional season for planting many spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses, and tulips.
Hardy native plants can also benefit from autumn establishment, especially when they are well adapted to local soil and climate.
There are exceptions.
Cold-sensitive tropicals and other tender plants may be better planted after danger of frost has passed. Plants near the northern limit of their hardiness range may also need more time to establish before severe winter weather.
The lesson isn't that everything should be planted in fall. It's that gardeners shouldn't automatically assume spring is always the best planting season.
Give the Roots a Good Beginning
The advantages of fall planting can be squandered by poor planting technique.
Dig the planting hole wider than the root ball, but avoid planting too deeply. The top of the root ball should generally be level with, or slightly above, the surrounding soil. Backfill with the native soil unless the particular plant or site requires something different.
Water thoroughly to settle the soil around the roots.
A layer of mulch can help conserve moisture, moderate soil temperatures, and discourage weeds. Keep mulch away from direct contact with trunks and crowns. The familiar "mulch volcano" piled against a tree trunk does no favors to the tree, however tidy somebody may think it looks.
And resist the temptation to pamper a new plant with excessive fertilizer. Establishing a healthy root system is more important than forcing a burst of tender top growth.
Plant for the Garden You'll See Next Year
There is something particularly satisfying about fall planting.
Spring gardening is full of immediate rewards. We plant flowers because we want flowers. We sow vegetables because we are already imagining the harvest.
Fall planting requires a little more faith.
You dig a hole on a cool afternoon, set a seemingly modest plant into the earth, water it, mulch it, and then watch the season fade. Winter comes. The garden grows quiet.
But the plant isn't merely waiting.
Its roots are becoming acquainted with the soil. When spring finally returns, it doesn't have to begin entirely from scratch.
So when cooler weather arrives, don't be too quick to hang up the shovel. Take another look around the garden. Is there an empty corner that needs a shrub? A slope that would benefit from ground cover? A place where you've always wanted a flowering tree or a sweep of perennials?
Autumn may be telling you something.
Fall isn't merely the season when gardens wind down. It's one of the finest seasons for beginning again.
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