How to Plant in Autumn

In autumn plants begin to die back and go dormant. Deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves. Your landscape is looking a bit bleak, and you think that this is not a time to plant anything. But you are wrong. Autumn is the time to plant many of the flowers that will bloom in the spring and even some trees and shrubs. Fall is a busy time of the year for any gardener, and you need to know how and what to plant to have a successful and beautiful garden in the spring.

Instructions

1. As the weather begins to cool in early autumn, plant your lilies. This includes all types of lilies -- day lilies, Asiatic and Oriental. All lilies like humus-rich soil. Plant them in a sunny location in holes or trenches about 5 to 6 inches deep. Mulch well.

2. Mid-autumn is the ideal time for sowing grass seed or putting down new turf grass. Grass will germinate in the autumn and then establish a good root system during the winter, giving your lawn a strong root system that will be able to withstand the hot summer months. When planting grass seed, be sure to cover the area with straw or hay to protect the seeds. Turf grass should be watered well after laying.

3. Plant bare-root trees. Dig the hole for your tree about three times larger than the total size of the roots with the hole being wider than deeper. When filling in the hole, do not mound the dirt up around the trunk of the tree. Water well and mulch without pushing the mulch up to the trunk of the tree.

4. Plant shrubs. Be sure to dig the hole about three times larger than the root ball. Water and mulch.

5. Plant roses. Potted roses can also be planted in mid-autumn. Water before filling the hole. Mound the dirt up around the base of the rose but do not cover the crown. Mulch well.

6. Plant sweet peas in pots. Sow seeds for sweet peas in pots to be kept indoors. This will give you strong seedlings for transplanting in early spring.

7. Plant annual seeds such as snow-in-the-mist and larkspur. Seeds planted in mid-autumn will produce plants and blooms in early spring. Be sure to mulch.

8. Plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Plant after the ground has cooled and before the first frost, usually in late-October or November. Dig the hole for the bulb so that the bottom of the bulb will be about two-and-a-half times as deep as the diameter of the bulb.

Tips & Warnings

• Autumn is a good time to force bulbs indoors for a display of blooms just in time for the holidays. Choose such bulbs as amaryllis, paper whites, and even hyacinths and tulips. To keep squirrels and chipmunks from eating your bulbs, sprinkle some crushed red pepper in the planting hole. You can also plant cloves of garlic throughout the area where you have planted bulbs. Note: Squirrels and chipmunks will not eat daffodils.

• If you have a series of freezes and thaws during the winter months, check your bulbs for heaving. This means that the bulbs will literally heave up out of the ground. If this happens, push them back into the ground. Cover with extra dirt and mulch if necessary.

References

• Richard Rosenfeld; A Garden for All Seasons; 2003.

Resources

• Oriental Lily: Plant Profile
• Asiatic Lily: Plant Profile
• Keeping Unwanted Critters Out of Your Garden