Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Fall is for planting trees/shrubs
Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. The air is cooler but the soil is still warm and there’s plenty of time for roots to establish themselves before the bitter cold comes in.
When choosing your trees, don’t focus on planting bigger trees unless you really want that height immediately.
It’s easier on the plants (and your back) to purchase smaller ones. Think about what you want from that tree or shrub:
- Do you want shade?
- Flowers?
- Fruit?
- A Living fence?
Factor in the mature size of the tree or shrub too.
With our changing climate you might want to also consider species that adapt to higher temperatures and extremes in rainfall.
Some recommended by the University of Minnesota Extension include:
- Black cherry
- Northern red oak
- Bur oak
- Sugar maple
- Red maple
- Eastern white pine
- Lindens (note: Japanese Beetles like them too)
And PLEASE, call before you dig!! Find out where the gas and power lines are.
You’ve found your perfect tree or shrub. Talk with the experts at the nursery where you purchased it to get instructions on planting and watering. Check out this Garden Bite on Best planting practices for trees and shrubs.
Two very important steps include mulching with 4 to 6 inches or more, the amount of mulch I recommend has increased! Leave space around the trunk. Donut not Volcano!
And water all the way up to ground freeze, which could be December. Use a bucket if you’ve put the hose away.