Plant perennials in fall for burst of color in spring
The mornings are definitely chilly now and evenings make one long for a cozy sweater to bundle up in. Our summer planting days are over and most people don’t think about planting perennials at this time. Well, summer might be on the way out but if you want a great perennial show in your flower beds next year, fall is the best time to plant your perennials. There are some definite advantages to fall planting.
Cooler temperatures mean less transplant stress and better soil moisture retention, both of which help ensure plants survive being set out. Most insects have matured by this time, and there are fewer larvae to eat tender leaves and stems. Those that are still around are less active and eat less. Perennials really benefit from the lessening sunlight of autumn.
Shorter daylight hours signal a plant to prepare for winter. Therefore, less foliage grows and the small root systems of new plants have less to maintain. Fall-planted perennials are able to focus most of their energy on strong root growth, as opposed to spring plantings, which put theirs into foliage. Even in the dead of winter, when we think they are inactive, the root systems of fall plantings continue to develop. Stronger root systems produce hardier and healthier plants that really take off in the spring.
It’s well-known that most spring planted perennials take three years to become established enough to put on a good show. The first year they settle in and get established. The second year they begin flowering, and the third year they really begin to look worthwhile. You can usually wait a year less with fall-planted perennials. The following spring a fall-planted perennial is ready to wake up and grow. Often they will begin flowering the first summer, and the second year they are just glorious. The difference is in the stronger, more-mature root system that is able to allow the plant to thrive. There are only a couple things you need to remember about fall planting.
Don’t fertilize the plants when you set them out or you will create tender foliage growth that will make it very susceptible to frost. Continue to water until the ground is frozen. Protect the root zone from damaging freeze and thaw cycles by mulching after the ground is frozen solid. Do these things and your new plants will continue developing under that blanket of snow, ready to burst into life come spring.
What to do this week
Be on the watch for frosts. Cover ripening tomatoes with an old blanket or sheet and don’t forget to take it off midmorning or pull the plants and hang them upside down in an unheated garage — the tomatoes will continue to ripen.
This is a great time to save seeds from sunflowers, marigolds, cosmos, zinnias and other annuals for next year’s garden. Pick the ripened seed heads and let dry indoors. Label and store in air-tight containers.
Visit your local nursery for bargains — perennials, shrubs and trees are cheap now. Plan and plant that new bed you’ve been dreaming about. Remember to continue watering until the really cold weather sets in.
Leave the ripening seed heads of ornamental grasses on the plants for winter interest and for bird food.
After frost has killed your container plantings, empty your pots into the compost pile — soil and all. Wash the containers and store in a dry place.
Pull on a sweater, make a pot of tea and spend an hour in the garden just sitting. You’ll see the garden in a whole new light — the changing angle of the sun intensifies colors, glazing them in the amber tones of autumn. This is a great time to reflect on color combinations.