The tree frogs are in full chorus, singing summer's end. Gardens are winding down. Leaves are beginning to flutter along the sidewalks.
It's fall, which means harvest, cleanup and planting. Planting? Yup.
For reasons both human and botanical, fall is the time to plant. On the human side, fall has far fewer time-critical garden chores than spring.
It's more leisurely. Also, planting toward the end of the season instead of at the beginning helps curtail the temptation to cram in everything but the kitchen sink.
"In spring, it always looks like you've got to add stuff," says Rene Beaulieu, internet content manager for White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Conn. "But by fall, you know where everything is and how big it got."
Also, the weather's nicer. Unlike the baking days in summer, it feels good to work outside again. It helps revive enthusiasm too.
"It's a great time to spruce up some areas with new plants like ornamental cabbage and kale," says Patrick Waldt, grower at Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouses in Towson. "They don't start turning that reddish pink and purple until weather gets cooler."
On the botanical side, plants prefer fall planting. It's less stressful for them, too.
"Often it rains all spring, then goes up to 100 degrees and doesn't rain for two months," says landscape architect Catherine Mahan, principal in Mahan Rykiel Associates in Baltimore. "You end up replacing a lot of stuff. It's not so exciting to plant in fall, because you're putting in bare-twig things, so the result is not so immediately satisfying. But we have much better luck with things taking root and holding when put in in fall."
Advantages of fall
"Some things you can only plant in fall," says Beaulieu. "Dafs, tulips, bearded iris, crocus, peonies, oriental poppies. They are all early bloomers. The rule of thumb is: 'If it blooms early, plant it in fall.' "
That means early-blooming bulbs, corms and rhizomes. Fall is also the best time to plant and transplant perennials, shrubs and evergreens. The air is cooler, so winds aren't as parching, which means plants need less constant watering. Yet the ground is still warm -- much warmer than in early spring -- which encourages fledgling or disrupted root systems to expand rather than shut down. Also, fall planting means plants can concentrate their energy on establishing roots without the added demands of simultaneously sending out top growth. This focus produces larger, healthier root systems that can supply more water and nutrients right from the start for larger, healthier plants. With strong root systems, plants become better established and are therefore less prone to disease. They can also better endure drought, cold and heat.
"With fall planting, you come up with so much more bang for your buck than in the spring," says Karen Kemp-Docksteader, sales and marketing director at Angelica Nurseries, a large wholesale shrub and tree nursery in Kennedyville.
An added bonus of fall plant-ing is the lower cost of plant material.
Garden centers are clearing out their unsold perennial stock with end-of-season sales. Most of these perennials are past their bloom by then, which means it helps to know the botanical names of what you want, or at least double-check pictures and plant names so you know what you're buying.
Free the roots
Many potted plants that have sat in nurseries and garden centers all summer are pot-bound, nearly choking in a wad of accumulated roots.
Before putting them in the ground, be sure to open up root systems.
"If the roots have already filled the pot and are circling around, they will tend to keep circling even when they're in the ground, which, of course, stunts the plant's growth dramatically," says Beaulieu.
With fibrous root systems, work your fingers into the root ball from the bottom, or slice it open from the bottom up to about halfway to the soil surface with a clean, sharp knife. Then work your fingers in and loosen roots. Unwind any that encircle the root ball.
But with woody plants, don't slice the roots since, once damaged, they repair less readily than fibrous systems. Instead, tease them apart gently with your fingers.
Though many fall gardeners plant bulbs right up to Christmas, it's better to get perennials in before the beginning of December to give roots time to reach out and grab onto their new home.
"If it's just perched in there and not rooted, it can get pushed right out of the ground," says Beaulieu.
Mulch considerably moderates freeze-thaw swings, which helps prevent heaving.
Sources
Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouses
120 E. Burke Ave.
Towson, MD 21286
410-825-4300 or 800-584-5300
www.radebaugh.com
White Flower Farm
P.O. Box 50
Litchfield, CT 06759-0050
800-503-9624
www.whiteflowerfarm.com
Homestead Gardens
743 W. Central Ave.
Davidsonville, MD 21035
410-798-5000
www.homesteadgardens.com
