Why Fall is the Perfect Time to Plant Perennials

Perennial plants and trees are an important part of sustainable gardening, including veggie patches, flower beds, and backyard orchards. Perennials are those plants that come back year after year (at least three years, usually longer) without replanting them.

Annual plants, which live only one growing season, require enough nutrients in just a few months to complete their life cycle. Perennials, on the other hand, are nearly as demanding on the soil because they have years to reach maturity.

The slower nutrient uptake makes perennials much more sustainable to grow than annuals, and their longevity makes them great anchors for garden spaces. Unlike most annuals, many perennials do marvelously when planted in the fall instead of the spring.

Why You Should Plant Your Perennials in Fall

While spring is usually considered the ideal time to plant things, some serious advantages come with planting in the fall. For young perennial plants, it can be an ideal situation because…

• …as plants move into dormancy, they require less water to survive. Getting these plants established won’t be challenged by heat stress and drought issues. As long as they get some water once every week until it freezes, they should be okay.
• …as plants move into dormancy, they won’t be putting out new growth above the ground, so the plants can focus on root growth. That means when the growing season comes next spring, they’ll have given their roots lots of attention to get established well.
• …as the temperature drops, there are fewer pests and diseases to contend with. The cold keeps the plants from being attacked by lots of problematic insects and diseases while they are young and getting their roots established.

Source: HortTube with Jim Putnam/YouTube

What You Need to Know About Planting in Fall

Though planting in the fall is less intense maintenance-wise, there are some important things to know before putting plants in the ground. To ensure the best chance for success when planting in the fall, you need to know…

• …that plants will need to be watered once a week, be it by the gardener or rain, until the ground freezes. Once the ground freezes, the show is over until it thaws in the spring.
• …what USDA Growing Zone the garden is in and that the perennial plant being cultivated is well-suited for it. Some perennial plants are grown as annuals in zones too cold for them to survive. These shouldn’t be planted in the fall.
• …plants should go in the ground at least 6 weeks before ground freezes. This gives the roots ample time to get to work before the deep freeze shuts things down for the year.
• …to mulch well, as in about four inches thick. This helps to keep the ground moist, insulates the root zone of the plant, and protects the soil from being compacted by heavy winter rains.
• …top growth is not going to happen in the fall, so don’t look for it. Planting in the fall is all about giving the plant a chance to focus on root growth before it tries to grow both above and below the ground.

What Not to Plant in the Fall

Lastly, there are some perennial plants that would do better if planted in the spring rather than the fall. It’s best to…

• …be careful with broad-leafed evergreens like rhododendrons and camellias in late fall. They need some time to get themselves going before going into dormancy. These should be planted in the spring.
• …avoid species that normally get damaged in winter. Plants like that commonly lose limbs and get maimed a bit through the winter and would do better to get themselves established over the year before their first winter.
• …delay planting anything that’s borderline for the USDA Zone. If the perennial is at the boundary of its growing range, then it would probably do better to wait for a spring planting.

Plant Perennials

Planting perennials is a great way to give a garden a backbone. The annual plants can be changed every year. The perennials give the garden stability, so they should be chosen thoughtfully and given the best start possible. They’ll provide years of enjoyment.

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