Planting in autumn: is it the best time?
Yes, but it depends on the soil and the plants.
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All gardeners will tell you, autumn is the best planting season for many plants. They will benefit from the necessary moisture and warmth to develop a good root system before growth resumes in spring. They will flower earlier and be better able to withstand the challenges of the dry season. In autumn, deciduous trees and bushes can be planted until December (in containers, clumps, or bare roots), as well as evergreen bushes and conifers in early autumn. It is also the right time to plant grasses, hardy perennials, fruit trees, and even some perennial vegetables like Good King Henry, lovage, or artichokes.
However, it is important to note that not everything can be planted in autumn: very young plants and more fragile or less hardy plants will need to wait until spring, especially in heavy, poorly drained soil.
→ Let’s discover everything you need to know about autumn planting in this advice sheet.
Why plant in autumn?
First of all, a quick reminder of what autumn is: it is the period between 22 September and 21 December during which temperatures are not yet too cold, humidity is present, days are shortening, and plants gradually begin to reduce their metabolism before winter dormancy.
In autumn, the soil is still a bit warm, humidity is very high, and the evapotranspiration of plants is significantly reduced. This is therefore the best time for plant roots to develop well before winter.
In spring, on the contrary, the soil is often still cold, frosts are still present, and the lengthening days tend to “wake up” the plants, which will produce foliage at the expense of roots that will not be sufficient to sustain the plant during summer droughts.
Planting in autumn allows for strong trees, bushes, perennials, or biennials that will start earlier in spring. The onset of growth and flowering will be earlier. In the case of fruit trees, you even gain a year for fruit production.
Days are getting shorter, the soil is still warm… It’s time to plant!
What should be kept in mind during autumn planting?
- Autumn lasts for 3 months, but one shouldn’t get too complacent, as winter often arrives faster than expected. Planting should be done a few weeks before the frosts. During negative temperatures, plants enter dormancy and do not produce roots. Planting well before the frosts allows the plant to prepare for the following year;
- More delicate or less hardy plants (such as Mediterranean plants) should not be planted in autumn. They need a full growing season to establish themselves and be able to withstand the following winter. Plant them in spring! Additionally, avoid planting young perennials or bushes with very fine roots. Keep them for the following spring! In general, forget about autumn planting, especially in heavy and compact soils, for more delicate (less hardy) plants and those that prefer well-drained soils. Winter moisture at their roots may cause them to rot;
- Do not apply fertiliser! Indeed, adding fertiliser can interfere with the plant’s future dormancy phase. Prefer a top dressing of manure or apply it in the following spring;
- Provide your young plants with good mulching (dead leaves, lin chaff, wood chips…) to protect the base of perennials, biennials, or newly planted bushes;
- No need to worry if you do not see any signs of growth from your plant. This is normal; at this time of year, the action is happening underground. Moreover, do not cut back your perennials at this season! The plant will need the nutrients contained in the vegetative part to return to the roots.
Don’t forget to mulch!
What plants should be planted in autumn?
Ornamental Garden
This is the ideal season for planting trees and bushes in containers, clumps, or bare roots if they are sufficiently hardy. It’s the right time for roses, hedge shrubs, and evergreen trees and shrubs, including conifers. However, prefer the very beginning of autumn for the latter.
This is also the right season to plant biennials, hardy perennials, groundcover perennials, and ornamental grasses. Do not plant less hardy perennials and those with weak-looking roots in autumn.
It is also the best time to plant bulbs that will bloom the following spring: daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths, crocuses, hyacinths, cyclamen, alliums…
Among the essential autumn plantings: roses, evergreen shrubs like Choisya, hardy perennials like Hellebore, and spring bulbs
Orchard
In terms of fruit, this is the right time to plant fruit trees, soft fruits (raspberries, currants, blueberries, blackcurrants…), as well as strawberries, especially bare-rooted ones.
Planting a mulberry tree
Vegetable Garden
Autumn is not a dreary season in the vegetable garden. It is also the time to plant: artichokes, Good King Henry, grey shallots, lovage, sorrel, horseradish, rhubarb, asparagus…
Some sowing can also be done in autumn: certain cabbages, spinach, lamb’s lettuce, orache, peas, claytonia…
Among the plantings or sowings in the vegetable garden: rhubarb, shallots, and lamb’s lettuce…
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