Is Fall Really for Planting?

Fall is for a lot of things in Maine. It’s for hunting and fishing, and for hikes on cool, bug-free days. It’s for apple cider, and figuring out what the heck to do with all those tomatoes. It’s back-to-school shopping, and relaxing when the kids are finally out of the house for a few hours a day. It may well be the moment you force yourself to take care of those home repair projects that you couldn’t face on hot midsummer days, but it is also a great time in the garden.

Fall is an often-overlooked opportunity for planting trees, shrubs and spring-flowering

perennials. From the plants’ point of view, fall is a less stressful time than spring, when its focus is on making new growth. Come fall, when top growth has ceased, the plant concentrates on developing roots. The ground is warm and fall rains - if and when they arrive - mean ideal conditions for new plants to make themselves at home. September and October are the prime months, but, with a little judgement and care, you can keep planting until the ground freezes. I avoid planting shallow-rooted plants with delicate, fibrous root systems too far into early winter, but fruit trees, roses, and most deciduous shrubs will almost certainly be grateful to be let out of a confining container and into a well-prepared planting hole.

Correct planting technique is a topic of some discussion, and depends a lot on the soil

you are working with. In clay soils, digging a huge hole and filling it with new dirt is frowned on, as roots then tend to fail to move beyond that space, but backfilling with the inhospitable dirt typical of Maine gardens may doom your new tree to failure. A compromise is the likely

solution, adding some compost to the backfill while making sure that the transition between

new and existing soil is blurred.

The soil in most of Maine is as dry as the Sahara right now, despite some recent life-

saving downpours, so any planting done before the elusive fall rains must be well - and

repeatedly - watered. In my ear as I plant, whatever the season, I hear an old fellow-gardener, long since called to the great garden in the sky: ‘Mud ‘er in good,’ he would insist, flooding a partially back-filled planting hole with water. His technique was exactly right, as a good old-fashioned drowning will ensure that fine soil particles are washed against the incoming roots, eliminating air pockets and making a sound connection between roots and soil. Let the water drain away before finally filling the hole, and then tread in the backfill lightly. The plant needs to be securely planted, but an over-heavy foot will result in compacted soil that roots cannot grow in. A generous mulch, insulating the ground from temperature swings, will prevent new plants from heaving out of the ground before their roots have had time to make secure connections to the surrounding earth.

The good planting season is not the only benefit to garden projects in fall. Design issues

can now be addressed, before you forget about the empty gaps or overcrowded spaces that

have been bothering you all summer. In spring, these are hard to find, but now you can note

the weak spots that need a new ‘something nice’, or decide to rescue a favorite that has been overwhelmed by vigorous neighbors. This is the time to lift and divide spring-flowering

perennials that have outgrown their allotted space or become choked with weeds. Save extras for trading with gardening friends. One gardener’s nuisance is another gardener’s new treasure.

There are also deals to be had in fall. Nurseries in cold climates are faced with

challenges around over-wintering unsold stock, and many are willing to offer substantial

discounts to gardeners who will take plants off their hands. Plants that lost their labels, that

need repotting or whose tops are damaged may wind up in the nursery ‘bargain bin’, and a

discerning eye can find some genuine bargains in need of a new home. As long as the root

system is healthy, a new top will grow next spring.

And then there are bulbs. My obsession with all things daffodil requires me to add a

new variety - or four - to my already overstocked garden every fall. Bulb catalogs catch me at a vulnerable moment as my spring daffs fade away, and I see spots where I can fit in one more clump of bulbs. I am hoping that as the summer jungle dies down I will find the paint stirrer sticks that I planted in spring, noting ‘5 tall here’ and ‘more Sun Discs (an enchanting miniature) here’. An email today informs me that a big bag of Pheasant Eye narcissus is on its way to me.

This is one of my absolute Top Ten Must Have’s for any garden. The true Poet’s Narcissus (N.

poeticus) is a native of the European mountains. It is late to bloom, fragrant and elegant and

one of the loveliest things I know. I shall plant them with care, preparing a spot as I would for

any plant rather than merely shoehorning them into a tough bit of soil.

While fall in Maine may best be reserved for relaxing and savoring the finest season of

them all, the anticipation of spring, when the products of fall planting projects emerge, is a

significant motivator to get out there and plant.