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Fall Planting Guide: 6 Key Steps

Planting shrubs and perennials in the garden during fall

As the leaves turn and the summer heat subsides, autumn delivers the ultimate opportunity to upgrade your landscape. Plant during this strategic window to build a resilient, vigorous garden ready to take off early next spring.

Why Plant in the Fall?

Start planting perennials in late August and continue putting trees, shrubs, and spring bulbs in the ground until late October, before the ground freezes solid. This season provides ideal growing conditions: cool air and steady rainfall minimize moisture stress, while warm soil stimulates rapid root development. Your plants establish deep roots securely before winter dormancy sets in.

How to Select Healthy Plants at the Garden Centre

A thriving garden begins with selecting premium plants in store. Look for these essential quality indicators while shopping:

  • Inspect the foliage: Pick plants with deep green, firm foliage free of discoloration, pests, or disease signs.
  • Examine the structure: Choose plants with strong stems and a balanced, well-developed branching habit.
  • Check the root system: Gently slide the plant out of its pot if possible. Look for firm, light-coloured roots and avoid root-bound specimens with circling root mats.

Nutrient-rich soil and compost for autumn planting

What to Plant This Fall

Select proven hardy varieties suited to our growing zones for guaranteed success:

  • Trees and hedges: Maples, birches, oaks, and serviceberries. Planning a living privacy screen? Check out our practical guide on how to plant a cedar or shrub hedge.
  • Shrubs: Hydrangeas, spireas, dogwoods, and viburnums.
  • Perennials: Asters, black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), coneflowers (Echinacea), and stonecrops (Sedum).
  • Ornamental grasses: Miscanthus, feather reed grass, and fescues. Read our full advice on planting and caring for ornamental grasses in the garden.
  • Spring-flowering bulbs: Tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and alliums. Follow our expert tips to plant and care for flowering bulbs to ensure early-spring colour.

Applying protective mulch layer around newly planted shrubs

6 Key Steps for Planting Success

Apply this step-by-step method to ensure optimal rooting for all your new plantings:

  1. Dig and prepare the planting hole: Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball, keeping the depth identical to the container. Amend the excavated soil by mixing in equal parts mature compost (such as marine compost or manure) or a specialized planting soil formulated for trees, shrubs, and perennials to improve soil structure and porosity.
  2. Hydrate and apply mycorrhizae: Water the plant thoroughly in its original pot a few hours before planting to fully saturate the root system. Apply mycorrhizae directly to the bottom of the hole and across the root ball to ensure immediate contact with active roots. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers in fall to prevent frost-tender new growth.
  3. Set the plant in place and stake if needed: Gently loosen outer roots if they are compacted. Center the root ball straight in the hole, ensuring the root flare stays level with the surrounding ground. For trees exposed to strong winter winds, add a stake using broad, flexible ties without binding the trunk too tightly, and remove the stake after one year.
  4. Backfill the planting hole: Fill the hole with your blend of enriched planting mix and native soil. Tamp down firmly with your hands or foot around the root ball to eliminate air pockets that could dry out delicate roots. Form a shallow watering basin around the outer edge to capture moisture.
  5. Water deeply and thoroughly: Soak the planting area immediately after backfilling to settle the soil securely around the root ball. Maintain generous weekly watering until the ground freezes solid, even after leaves drop, giving roots the essential water reserves they need for winter.
  6. Apply protective mulch: Spread a 5 to 7 cm layer of bark mulch over the root zone to retain moisture and cushion against temperature fluctuations. Keep mulch pulled back a few centimetres from the base of the trunk to prevent rot.

Should You Protect New Fall Plantings for Winter?

Plants put in the ground in fall need extra care during their very first winter. Put these protective measures in place starting in November:

  • Shield tree trunks from rodents: Install white plastic spiral guards or fine wire mesh around the base of young tree trunks to prevent voles and rabbits from gnawing the bark under the snow.
  • Set up windbreaks against prevailing winds: Build snow fencing or install burlap, geotextile fabric, or thermal plant blankets mounted on sturdy wooden stakes on the side facing prevailing winter winds. Never wrap covers too tightly against evergreen foliage, allowing air to circulate freely.
  • Soak roots before the ground freezes solid: Provide a final deep soaking just before the soil freezes completely. This stored moisture protects evergreens and shrubs from drying out under bright winter sun.
  • Use snow as natural insulation: Gently shovel clean snow around the base of new perennials and shrubs; snow provides the best natural thermal insulation against extreme cold snaps.

Visit your local garden centre today to find premium fall plants and get tailored advice from our horticultural experts.