The best time to begin planting trees and shrubs is six weeks before the first sign of hard frost. Roughly September through November ideally to allow the roots to become established before the ground freezes and winter sets in.
Just like planting trees in fall is ideal, the best time of year to plant shrubs is during this period – from September to November. What is this? Fall planting is best because the climate has cooled down from the summer heat, but the soil is still warm enough to encourage root development.
By Marianne Willburn, gardening expert and author. Butterfly Bush, Hydrangea, Forsythia, Beauty Berry, Viburnum, and more! A shrub by definition is a woody, multi-stemmed plant, either deciduous or evergreen, that can grow from just a few inches high to over ten feet tall.
In many parts of the country, trees and shrubs can be transplanted all year, but no matter where you live, fall is the very best time. The cool air and warm soil temperatures are the perfect combination for establishment.
Those flowering bulbs are calling! Don't put down those garden gloves for the year just yet! Believe it or not, October happens to be one of the most fruitful times of year to plant spring-blooming bulbs, hardy vegetables, and shrubs of many varieties.
The date that your ground actually freezes varies from year to year, of course, and some areas won't have frozen ground at all. If you're unsure, mid-November is a safe planting deadline for nearly everyone. - Get everything in the ground before the ground freezes.
When to plant? Fall officially begins with the autumnal equinox in late September. The best time to begin planting trees and shrubs is six weeks before the first sign of hard frost. Roughly September through November ideally to allow the roots to become established before the ground freezes and winter sets in.
1-2 weeks after planting, water daily. 3-12 weeks after planting, water every 2 to 3 days. After 12 weeks, water weekly until roots are established.
Never shear a shrub in fall (or ever, actually, but that's another article) and leave major pruning or renovation for late winter/early spring, or immediately after bloom for spring-flowering shrubs.
Fall is the Best Time to Plant
In the fall, trees and shrubs are either sold in containers or with root balls, where the root and soil is wrapped in burlap (often called "balled-and-burlapped"). Planting them is easy.
Potentilla. Grown for its cheery yellow, orange, red, or white flowers, the potentilla is one of the most common and easiest shrubs to grow. It's not picky about soil and can tolerate drought well. Its blooms start opening in late spring and continue through autumn, drawing numerous pollinators, like butterflies.
Use a soil thermometer! Insert the thermometer down into the soil for a few days in a row. If the soil consistently measures 50° F or higher, it's safe to plant your deciduous tree or shrub.
The best time to water outdoor plants is in the morning when temperatures are usually cooler. This gives the plants time to absorb the water so they can get through a long, hot day. The second-best time is late in the afternoon or early in the evening. Try not to water at night.
While it is a good idea to hold back on water during autumn to allow plants to harden-off for winter, it is essential for shrubs to enter winter with adequate soil moisture. After a few light frosts in fall, irrigate shrubs deeply and apply a layer of mulch to regulate soil moisture and temperature.
Pruning can make plants hardier and help them over the winter too. Other plants, however, can't handle fall pruning—such as azalea, viburnum, Loropetalum, and lilac. If you prune a spring-blooming tree or shrub after its flower buds have formed, you'll be lopping away any opportunity for a spring showing.
Many commonly butchered shrubs and trees bloom in spring. This means that they've already formed their flower buds. So if you go crazy with the loppers and wail away on a spring-bloomer during the fall, you just might cut off the flower buds and that means no spring blooms.
Summer flowering shrubs should be pruned in late winter or early spring. This still gives them time to set flowers for the following year. Deciduous shrubs that aren't grown for flowers can be trimmed back at the same time.
Be careful not to overwater.
Many people have inadvertently drowned newly planted trees by watering them too often. Water should soak in quickly; your plants should never sit in a puddle of water for an extended period of time. This can lead to root damage.
You should water daily for the first 2 weeks after planting unless you get rainy weather, but after a month or so, decrease the frequency that you water plants to around 2-3 times a week. In the following months, water less often.
For the first season after planting, water them deeply once per week. Let a hose trickle onto the soil around the root system for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the plant. Make sure the soil is well-draining, so moisture doesn't collect, get stagnant, and cause root rot.
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!
Fall is often considered the best time of year to plant new trees. Generally, late August, September and October are the best months. It all depends, though, on when it actually feels like fall. As long as the hottest days of summer are gone and the ground isn't frozen yet, you can still plant trees.
And while September and October are generally the best months to plant new trees and shrubs, the experts at Davey Tree say as long as the ground isn't frozen yet, there are still some varieties that can be planted after first frost.