Fall Planting is all about lessening stress. Less stress for gardeners, plants, and pollinators!
Many people only think about planting in the spring, yet there are so many reasons to plant in the fall, here are our top 5.
1. Get a Jump Start on Spring Growth
Planting perennials in the fall gives them a head start on growth the following spring. Root systems will start to grow once the ground thaws, long before the soil can be worked by human hands and any new plants can be put in. This early start means first-season perennials that can actually show their flowers!
2. The Cool Weather
If the hot, sweaty weather isn’t for you, try gardening in the fall! The crisp, cool air makes for an enjoyable, leisurely experience working in the garden.
3. Crucial Support for Pollinators
With earlier blooms comes earlier nectar sources for pollinators, who struggle to find food at the end of the gardening season. Anytime that you can provide early-spring (and autumn) food supplies for birds, bees, and butterflies, you’ll be doing your part to protect the human food supply as well, as we rely on pollinators to put food on our own dinner tables!
4. Less Water
The colder weather helps to eliminate evaporation and shorter days mean that photosynthesis actually slows down, resulting in your new plants requiring less water than if planted in the spring.
5. Camouflage Early Spring Blooming Bulb Foliage
By partnering fall planting, spring blooming bulbs with perennials, the dying bulb foliage will be engulfed by the perennial and allow them to naturally die back to provide strength for next year’s bloom. When most fall bulbs are blooming, perennials are in their dormant stage. As the bulb nears the end of its bloom time, the perennial will start to grow, and subsequently cover the bulb tops when the bloom is gone. It also saves time by digging a hole once and getting 2 seasons of color.
