Fall is for Planting!
September 13, 2017 | By webadmin
In many parts of the United States, winter hardiness is the biggest concern for homeowners installing new plants in fall. Here in the Dallas - Fort Worth area, however, it’s the heat stress of summer that is a bigger concern. Winter is fairly mild in our area, making fall a great time to plant.
It is natural that we all experience a surge of energy in spring that compels us to start fresh in the garden. If you have moved to DFW from other parts of the country, planting in fall might feel a little counter-intuitive, but the more you learn about seasonal challenges particular to this area, you will begin to see why it makes more sense to plant in fall.
When a new tree, shrub or perennial gets planted in the ground, it spends its energy first on growing its root system underground. For a long, healthy life, new plantings need a solid foothold, before they start branching out above. When you see an old tree with limbs reaching up and out in all directions, you can be certain that it has an equally extensive root system below ground. This is what you want to encourage in every new plant you add to your landscape.
Since we often get only a few brief periods of severe cold during winter, our fall season provides the longest opportunity for root systems to get established in mild temperatures before the intense summer heat returns.
In addition to the challenging climate here in Texas, we also have soil composed primarily of heavy clay, which presents more problems for gardeners. With smaller perennials and shrubs, it is fairly simple to amend your planting area with compost and other additives to enrich and diversify the soil.
Trees and many larger shrubs will need to adapt to our soil, which means that proper plant selection is crucial to success. Once you've made a choice that is suitable and taken the soil needs into account, timing is the other factor which can make or break your chances of long term plant health.
With proper care, it is possible to plant trees and shrubs year round in Texas. But since fall is one of the most enjoyable time periods weather-wise, which has so many advantages, it is worthwhile to plan your landscape upgrades to reap the benefits of this time frame.
Consider planting in fall if you've been thinking about refreshing your landscape or filling in gaps. A beautiful landscape will enrich your life on a daily basis and we are here to assist you with a plan to create yours.
