Planting isn’t just for springtime! Did you know that fall is one of the best times to plant for many plants? For many perennials, bulbs, trees, and shrubs fall planting gives them an early edge to thrive in the garden.
Here are a few reasons you should be planting in the fall:
- Autumns cooler temperatures are easier on both plants and gardeners!
- The soil is still warm from the summer sun. This allows roots to grow quickly and become well established before the ground freezes.
- Fall showers are often plentiful making it easy to deeply water plants during fall establishment.
- Pest and disease problems tend to fade away during the fall.
- Giving your garden a fall head start will result in large, healthy, well established flowers that bloom earlier in the season.
Here are a few of our favorite plants that thrive when planted in the fall:
Spring Blooming Bulbs
All spring blooming bulbs need a period of cold dormancy to bloom. In general, try to plant when nightly temperatures are around 40 or 50 degrees, or about six weeks before you expect the ground to freeze. Plant bulbs in the fall to guarantee a beautiful spring display. Some of our favorite bulbs to plant in the fall are: 
- Hemerocallis – Daylilies are incredibly easy to grow and thrive in a variety of different difficult conditions, including heat, humidity, and drought as well as poor soil and cold.
- Iris – Irises are one of the easiest perennials to grow, colonizing freely to increase their display of colorful, ruffled blooms every year. Easy to grow, deer and rabbit resistant, and quite drought tolerant once established, Irises appear in late spring to early summer, displaying almost every color imaginable.
Perennials
Perennials can also be planted in the fall to ensure that the roots grow quickly and establish well before the spring. Any fall planted perennials should be carefully watered until the ground freezes to keep their roots healthy and strong. A few great perennials to plant in the fall include: 
- Echinacea – Coneflowers have a very hardy nature, proving resistant to environmental stresses, from heat and humidity to cold and drought. Echinacea are impervious to most pests and diseases. Sending up blooms in summer in a range of colors — pink, white, yellow, orange, and more! And in fall drawing in songbirds, which come to feast on their seed-filled cones.
- Paeonia – Peonies are one of the longest-lived perennials, lasting for generations and exhibiting enormous, luxurious blooms with the look, fragrance, and staying power of the finest roses.
Trees and Shrubs
Fall is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs. The weather is cool, but the soil is still warm enough for root growth and development. Keep newly planted trees and shrubs well-watered until the ground freezes so they can get a head start before going into full dormancy during the winter. 
- Buddleia – Butterfly Bushes are large, dense bushes featuring big, majestic flower spikes that bloom in intense hues of pink, orange, red, and purple throughout the summer. They are a great addition to almost any garden attracting butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial pollinators in droves.
- Lagerstroemia – Crapemyrtles have been a mainstay of Southern landscapes for many years, they are highly adaptable and drought tolerant. From summer into fall long panicles appear, the crinkled, crepe-like petals giving Crapemyrtles their name, and in fall, the green leaves turn yellow, red-orange, or red, providing a whole new season of appeal!
These are just a few of our favorites. The possibilities for fall planting are practically endless! You should be planting in fall so you can have the healthiest and most beautiful garden oasis around.