FALL IS FOR PLANTING!
About twenty years ago, the garden industry made an attempt to educate consumers to the benefits of a fall planting. Their efforts became known as the “Fall is for Planting” promotion. The American Nursery and Landscape Association, for this purpose, provided garden centers like ours with various promotional materials, leaflets, buttons, posters, banners and other materials to educate consumers that the fall season is an excellent time of the year to plant trees, shrubs, perennials (hardy mums), lawns, and spring bulbs.
Given the fact that each September many gardeners still inquire when looking at shrubs, “It isn’t too late to be planting is it?”, it seems we need to have an even greater emphasis on education. The obvious question then: What makes the end of the gardening season (fall) such an ideal time of the year to be planting?
The answer lies in the advantages that fall offers in promoting root system development for newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and lawns. With the end of the growing season, and the onset of winter dormancy the total energies of a plant are focused on what happens below the soil line-root development. The seasonal vegetative growth and flower development for trees and shrubs is only in response to what has already taken place below the soil line – the development of an extensive fibrous root system required for providing a plant with nutrients and water. Therefore the warmth of fall soil temps and the additional rainfall needed to encourage root development makes September, October and early November such an ideal time to be planting. An added benefit is the fact that seasonal fall temperatures make working outdoors much more enjoyable compared to cold spring temps and the heat of the summer months. For your consideration of trees and shrubs for fall planting here is a list of plants that are noted for their fall foliage or other features as noted:
SHRUBS TREES
Amur Maple-red to orange
Beautyberry-yellow w/berries
Rubra Maple-red-orange-yellow
Burning Bush-red
Sugar Maple-orange
Caryopteris-blue flowers
White Ash maroon
Cranberry Cotoneaster-red w/berries
Serviceberry-red-orange
Doublefile Viburnum-red
Pin Oak-orange red
Fothergilla-yellow-orange
Red Oak-russet
Goldflame Spirea-crimson
Linden-yellow
Miss Kim Lilac-burgundy
Kwanzan Cherry-yellow to orange
Russian cypress-bronze
Hawthorn-orange
Sweetspire-wine red
Winterberry-red berries
The professional sales team at Adams can show you these and other trees and shrubs that will add the color of natures’ fall paint brush to stimulate your landscaping.
Good fall planting!!!