Share |

	on-line shopping

	retail greenhouse

	out and about and doing good things!

Home » Plant Care Articles

Plant Care Articles

Planting Fall Perennials

Planting Fall Perennials

The benefit of establishing perennials in fall is that the plants will come up earlier than the traditional spring planting out dates (as they “wake up” hardened off, as opposed to “tender” coming out of warm greenhouses in spring), and also will have more growth and blooms compared to spring planted perennials. In addition, fall is a good time to re-assess your landscape and fall perennials are often on sale!

The critical variables for successful fall planting are: choosing plants that are hardy for our area, and planting material that has entered into fall dormancy in tune with the season.

Winnipeg and surrounding areas are considered zone 3 according to the USDA zone rating system. Many local gardeners also plant zone 4 varieties, provided a more sheltered site or an urban setting. Some varieties frequently listed above zone 3 are proven to regularly survive in our region - for example Russian Sage, which in most literature is rated at zone 5. All this to say that zone ratings are not categorical but rather dynamic! At SGH, we constantly evaluate zone ratings based on our own, staff and customer gardens, as well as information from our vendors and gardening literature. Plants displayed outdoors at SGH in fall are considered hardy in our area based on the above criteria. We can also recommend specific varieties that have a long history in southern Manitoba gardens.

In mid August we set all of our hardy perennials in outdoor displays to establish the beginnings of dormancy in step with nature. Perennials remain outside right through the fall planting season. These plants begin to get a little scruffy as they settle down for fall - this is a good thing and shows that they are preparing for winter! The important sign of health is a strong root system.

Perennials can be planted right through the month of September in our region, and hardy shrubs even longer. When planting, dig an appropriate hole and add compost to the bottom (a handful for smaller plants, an inch or two for larger plants). Gently remove plants from pots. Break open the root ball, using scissors if necessary, to open up the roots just enough that you hear a little “crack” or “crunch” as the roots loosen. This will encourage the roots to unwind and establish quickly. Plant and firm the soil around your perennial, then water generously. Leave the tag or otherwise mark the planting so you know where to look come spring (always a lot of fun checking to see what is coming in the early spring!). Check back to see if the plant needs further watering, which may be required if we have warmer, drier conditions.

One final rule of thumb is to leave all stems standing - it is a bad idea to cut back perennials in late summer or fall as trimming encourages tender new top growth at a time when the energy needs to go towards the roots. Fresh fall growth is also vulnerable to frost damage which can reduce the odds of wintering.

It is hard to predict what kind of fall we will have, but one hard lesson learned from fall 2009 is that a long warm fall is not good for hardy perennials in our area: plants did not go deeply into dormancy before cold (with out snow cover) arrived in December. Even long established perennials were hurt by these circumstance. One way to protect against atypical weather (or even the rigors of our regular post Halloween conditions!) is to mulch. If you decide to mulch, choose light, airy materials such as loose leaves. Avoid heavy mulches such as straw. Put mulch down once several hard frosts have occurred (definitely not earlier) and remove in late April.

Sage Garden Herbs 3410 St. Mary’s Road Detailed plant care info for many varieties is available under “Live Plant Listings & Care Instructions” on our website.

Back to Archives