Although each plant's needs may vary and some will be more winter-hardy than others, in general about a month before the last fall frost is sufficient in giving the plant enough time to establish itself and take root.
October is the season to plant spring-blooming bulbs, wildflowers, and many standard gardening favorites. The flowers that don't blossom this winter can spend the cold season in the ground, strengthening their root systems in preparation for a springtime bloom.
September is a great time to plant those fall flowers. There are many varieties that can be planted this fall to start blooming early spring.
Generally speaking, spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in the fall (a few weeks before first frost), while summer-flowering bulbs should be planted in the spring (a few weeks after last frost).
Autumn is a great season for annuals, low-maintenance perennials and evergreen shrubs to shine. In fact, some of the most popular flowers, like colorful mums, roses, dahlias, purple pansies and yes, even bright yellow sunflowers, all bloom around September and October.
If frost will not come to your garden until late October, November, or December, you can sow seeds during August. Reliable crops for planting in August include beets, bush beans, carrots, collards, mustard, onions, radish, spinach, and turnips. Fall crops.
In areas with cold winters, such as USDA Hardiness zones 5 and 6, you'll generally want to wrap up fall planting by late October, and by mid-October in zones 3 and 4. But better late than never!
If you're unsure, mid-November is a safe planting deadline for nearly everyone. - Get everything in the ground before the ground freezes. If you still have plants in their nursery pots, get them in the ground before winter, no matter how late it has gotten.
The general rule of thumb is that most plants freeze when temperatures remain at 28°F for five hours. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Seedlings, with their tender new leaves, often give up the ghost when temperatures dip to 32-33°F. Tropical plants have differing low-temperature thresholds.
Late summer and early fall, such as September, is the best time to plant chrysanthemums which are hardy perennials that will grow back each and every year with the proper care. Peonies are also perennials, so after you plant them once in September, they'll come back year after year with the proper care.
Think about ways to add color and draw beneficial insects to your fall gardens. Consider planting nasturtiums, marigolds, asters, cosmos, mums, and anemones. Plan out your fall pots and planters. Summer blooms are fading, but there are many opportunities to add color and visual interest to your landscape.
Gardening in the fall provides a longer period with more 'good' days, as compared to the often tumultuous spring season. Plus, if you plant in fall you'll end up ahead of the game and won't have to rush to get everything done after winter. In fact, a good strategy is to plant perennials when you plant your fall bulbs.
Plant wallflowers, forget-me-not, Bellis, Primula, Viola (including winter pansies) and other spring bedding plants in prepared ground or pots.
You can transplant perennials anytime until the ground freezes in the fall, or wait to transplant them in the spring. Fall is an excellent time to transplant herbaceous perennials because your plants will then have three seasons to establish a good root system before hot summer weather sets in next year.
By the meteorological calendar, the first day of autumn is always 1 September; ending on 30 November. The seasons are defined as spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February).
Some Plants Are Especially Cold Hardy
Many cold hardy perennials, shrubs and trees are excellent candidates for fall planting. In general, plants with USDA cold hardiness ratings of 3, 4 and 5, are the best candidates for fall transplanting in cold winter climates.
' Waiting until fall can be an issue too. 'If you plant a garden late into the fall, the biggest risk is that the plant won't root into the surrounding soil before winter and will be subject to frost-heaving,' Lindsay explains, 'when the rootball slowly works its way out of the ground due to freeze-thaw cycles.
Being a hardy annual, pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) can be sown direct into the soil outside in March, April, or May for summer flowers the same year. Alternatively, they can be sown direct into the soil outside in August or September for flowers the following year.
Fall and winter gardens produce some of our favorite fruits and vegetables: kale, cauliflower, peas, carrots, lettuce, beets, onions, and broccoli, just to name a few! To boot, these plants tend to be some of the easiest to grow, making fall and winter gardens excellent for the beginning gardener.
You can sow seeds for winter vegetable crops, like salad greens, radishes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, English peas and kale. Look for transplants of other cool-season vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Herb transplants also appear in garden centers during winter.