Why fall is a good time to plant shrubs

Spring gets all the attention, but early fall is often the better time to plant shrubs and perennials. The air is cooler, so the plant loses less water through its leaves, while the soil is still warm enough for roots to keep growing.

What the roots are doing

A shrub planted in fall spends its first months putting energy into roots rather than new leaves. By the time summer comes around, it has a bigger root system to find water with, and it handles the first hot spell much better than one planted in May.

A few things that help

• Plant at least six weeks before the ground usually freezes where you live.
• Dig the hole two to three times as wide as the root ball, but no deeper.
• Water deeply once a week until the ground freezes, unless it rains.
• Put down two to three inches of mulch, kept a few inches away from the stems.

Wide and shallow is better than narrow and deep. Roots spread out more than they go down.

Some plants do prefer spring planting, especially ones that are borderline hardy in your area. If you are not sure, ask us when we visit and we will tell you which ones to wait on.