Late summer is a perfect time to plant perennials and flowering shrubs in many areas. They'll take root during the cool, moist fall weather and be ready to pop into bloom next spring and summer.
Answer: Late summer (late August to mid-September) is an excellent time to plant many perennials. It is also a good time to move or divide perennials, such as peony, daylily, garden phlox, and oriental poppy.
1) Plant before frost. Check your local area's frost estimations and plant perennials at least 6 weeks before the first freeze. 2) Don't fertilize -- fall-planted perennials will be going into winter dormancy in their next stage of life and new growth (encouraged by feeding) will be killed when the first frost comes.
Just because it's the end of summer it doesn't mean that it's too late to plant in the garden. In fact, many plants — such as spring bulbs and perennials — need to be planted in the late summer or early fall months, depending on your zone, in order to generate enough energy to bloom in the spring.
Some good candidates to plant now include hydrangeas, daylilies, lilies, sedums, ornamental grasses, peonies, and bearded iris. Just be sure you keep your new plants well watered if the weather is hot and dry. Mulching the beds also helps preserve soil moisture.
Tip. Mid- to late-August is often an excellent time to plant fall flowers, as long as the weather isn't still so hot that the plants will suffer heat stress. But don't wait too late to plant, or you'll have a very short window to enjoy your flowers. Check the growing requirements for each plant.
The plant roots need time to get established, so try to install your plants at least six weeks before the ground freezes solid. We start shipping plants during the second week of September. The further North you live, the earlier you should plant.
Planting. Most perennials should be planted in the fall or early spring. Fall planting gives the plant more time to become established before the start of active growth in the spring. Fall-planted perennials are usually well-established before hot weather.
August is an ideal time to plant seeds for a second gardening season that can be as productive as your major early spring plantings. Late summer is perfect for a delicious fall vegetable and herb harvest.
Many perennials are grown from tiny plugs that reach salable size while growing in a pot. Generally, these container-grown plants are excellent candidates for late summer and fall planting in your garden. It's usually best to divide plants shortly after they have finished flowering.
Technically, you can plant perennials any time your soil is workable. Practically, the best times to plant perennials are spring or fall. These seasons allow plants to get settled and grow new roots before summer's hot, dry weather arrives. Planting in summer is okay, but you'll need to water frequently.
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.
Perennials are slow growers at first: They take the first one to three years to establish deep roots and dense foliage. However, once established, they thrive with little maintenance to give your yard beautiful new growth year after year.
Morning watering is actually preferable to evening watering as the plant has time to dry before the sun goes down. At night, water tends to rest in the soil, around the roots, and on the foliage, which encourages rot, fungal growth, and insects.
Some perennial flowers will thrive in areas with low sunlight and come back every year. Astilbes are some of the easiest perennials to grow and will open their plume-like flowers in partial shade. They'll even grow in full shade, although you won't get as many flowers. Hostas are also a good choice for shady spots.
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.
It's time for planting fall color, such as mums and asters, as well as sprucing up planter boxes. You also may be surprised to learn that it's the best time of year to plant perennials and shrubs (trees, too!) while plants still have an opportunity to establish their root systems before the ground freezes.
Vegetables to plant in September: Beets, broccoli, bush beans, pole beans, carrots, cauliflower, collards, cucumbers, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions (seed & sets), radishes, summer squash and turnips.