Fall is a great time to plant. With the crisp cool air temperatures of the season change, it is easier on plants to establish themselves.
During the autumn season, the soil is still warm from summer, thus allowing roots to more-easily establish. On the flip side, planting in spring doesn't allow plants to grow until the soil warms up. Fall also tends to have more good weather days for planting than spring—when rain and other unpredictable weather can make working the soil near impossible. Fall showers are generally plentiful, but it's easy to deeply water plants if it doesn't rain at least an inch per week.
The window for ideal fall planting ends about six weeks before we get a hard freeze, thus we will generally stop planting perennials, ornamental grasses and other tender plants by the end of October. However, many trees and shrubs can be planted into the winter after they have gone dormant and before the ground freezes too deep.
If you like lots of color in the spring, spend the time to plant your bulbs this fall. Remember, bulbs need 10 – 12 weeks of cold temperatures to develop roots to grow buds. And don’t forget some bulbs will attract wildlife (deer, rabbits, etc)... So understand what may come along with those beautiful spring colors!
