Think all your garden planting has to be done in spring? Not so! Fall is actually an ideal time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, trees, shrubs, and other ornamental and edible perennials, since cooler weather, fewer pests, and warmer soil mean less stress and faster growth for new plants.
Spring tends to get all the attention when it comes to new plantings. But after a sweltering summer, I so look forward to planting in fall when the air is cooler (making it easier on my garden and me) but the soil is still warm to encourage roots to grow before the ground freezes.
If you’ve been struggling all summer with pests and diseases, the good news is they are much less of an issue in fall. And in my area, we start getting some nice soaking rains as the seasons turn, helping to water in the new garden. One of my favorite “tricks” for filling in a landscape on the cheap is planting perennials in the fall. (Yes, even in my hardiness zone 5 microclimate that gets snow—I live in the high desert of Central Oregon.) All of my local stores start putting their remaining inventory on clearance in late summer, so I can snap up quite a few deals on flower bulbs, trees, shrubs, and other perennials. (Of course, that also means I can’t be as picky with the selection, but what I can’t find locally, I source online—where many of my favorite sites also offer end-of-season sales.) If you get these plants in the ground before your area gets hit with a hard frost, you’ll be treated to beautiful blooms and color in the spring!