Fall is the best time to plant perennials, shrubs and trees! With our hot summers and mild winters, planting perennials, trees and shrubs in the fall gives plants more time to get established. Then, less water is needed when summer rolls around.
Besides planting in the Fall, there are other things you can do to make sure your plants are happy ans healthy. Our Director of Horticulture, Roger Sanderson, shared these tips:
If the plant tag says “Tropical” or “Tender” there is a good possibility that if left outside your plant might freeze during the winter. Place it in a protected environment, such as a greenhouse or sunny window until after the last frost next spring. The secret to gardening in the thick clay, alkaline soils of North Texas is to place at least 3 inches of a good soil mix (50% or more compost) placed on top of the beds. Once the bed is prepared, place plants only as deep as they were in the pot.When you plant a perennial, shrub or tree, you can cut back roots by as much as one third. If roots circle around each other from being kept too long in a container, they may not ever grow past that initial shape. So, tease, or loosen, the roots before you plant.Make sure any plant planted in the ground is watered thoroughly immediately after planting, even if the ground is wet from recent rains. Watering helps meld the roots and potting soil with the garden soil so that the roots aren’t exposed to air or dry soil.We hope to see you at our Fall Plant Sale next Saturday, September 16 from 10 – 2.
