Most people think that the best time to plant is spring. They are right. The second best time to plant is fall. In fact, the fall is almost as good as spring in most respects and better than spring in other respects. There are a few plants that should not be planted in the fall, but the list is very small and even these plants can be planted in the fall if they are not freshly dug. An example of this would be Magnolia. Magnolias have a very fleshy root system, which means that they don’t have a thick bark covering on their roots like other trees. Because of this fleshy root system, they do not enjoy being dug and transplanted in the fall. Too much injury is caused by the transplanting and they don’t have time to heal before the winter weather sets in. However, if a Magnolia was dug in the spring and balled and burlapped and sat in the nursery all season or if it was grown in a pot, it is fine to plant it in the fall.
The reason that spring and fall are great for planting is that the weather is cool so the plants are not transpiring as much and thus losing moisture at a rapid rate. There is more moisture through rainfall and other sources in the spring and the fall. In the spring we have melting snow and spring showers. In fall we usually have fairly large amounts of rainfall. Some people actually feel that fall is better than spring because the plants have time to get acclimated to their new surroundings, then they go dormant so they are not using as much moisture or sugars, and then they “sleep” until spring when they have plenty of natural rainfall, and time to root in before the summer heat and drought hit.
At Reder Landscaping we still have a nice selection of trees, perennials and shrubs in the nursery. We are also having a fall sale. All perennials and shrubs are 30% off and most of the trees are also 30% off. Come on in and see what is available. We have at least until Thanksgiving to get the plants into the ground.
Keep planting.