The best time for perennial and woody plants is chaffinch

1. Why autumn is the best spring

Many gardening enthusiasts are already impatiently pawing their hooves in spring – after all, they want to go outside, plant and plan. We often forget that… Herbst in many ways the best time to plant AND. Does this sound surprising? But it’s completely logical.

I am In autumn the ground is still pleasantly warm of summer, while the air has already cooled. For plants this means ideal conditions. Root formation occurs at full speed without the plant having to provide energy to the leaves and flower buds at the same time. It also rains more often, thus avoiding having to water every day. And since many plants experience less stress when dormant, they take root more reliably and start spring with a real growth advantage.

Another advantage: The choice in garden centers and online shops is now large, even for special trees or robust perennials. So: who plants now gardening with your brain.

2. Plant woody plants in the fall

What counts as woody plants?

Woody plants include everyone woody plants: i.e. trees, shrubs, hedge plants and ornamental trees. Whether a structuring solitaire, a flowering eye-catcher or a privacy screen, they are the "scaffolding" of the garden. And this scaffolding is ideal for setting up in autumn.

Because autumn is ideal for trees

In autumn, deciduous trees transfer their energy to the root system. The aboveground parts take a break, the roots continue to work, usually until the first real ground frost. This means that the plant will be ready for next spring already grown up and can germinate faster. At the same time, the casting effort is drastically reduced. So you need less care than spring or even summer sowing.

Recommended trees from our range:

• Japanese Maple 'Atropurpureum'
  This deep red maple is a real highlight in the front garden or as a single plant in the flowerbed. Its delicate leaves give lightness and elegance and it loves partially shaded places with loose, humus-rich soil. We have collected much more information about this beautiful Fächaerhorn.
• Copper rock pear (Amelanchier lamarckii)
  One of the most versatile plants of all: white flowers in spring, edible blue fruits in summer and a golden orange to reddish color in autumn. It fits perfectly in natural gardens, modern gardens or as a flowering hedge.
• Weißdorn (Crataegus monogyna)
  Suitable for wild bees and birds, robust and suitable for cutting. Hawthorn is ideal for natural gardens, as a hedge or as a single shrub, with large flowers in spring and graceful clusters of fruit in autumn.
• Harlekinweide (Salix integrates 'Hakuro Nishiki')
  A real eye-catcher, especially as a stem: Its white-pink-green leaves are particularly bright in spring, but also give structure to the flowerbed in autumn. A real tip for smaller gardens

(copper rock pear)

3. Plant perennials for next year

Because autumn planting is especially useful for perennials

Perennials are perennial plants that freeze above ground in cold weather but survive underground. If you plant them in the fall, Use the last few warm weeks to develop roots. The result: the following spring they will become firmly established and sprout more vigorously than specimens newly planted in spring.

Which perennials are particularly suitable?

• Bärenfellgras (Festuca glauca)
  An easy-care ornamental grass with silvery-blue stems that provides structure even in winter. Ideal as a border or contrast plant.
• Storchschnabel (Geranium)
  Popular as a ground cover, hardy, bee friendly and flowers from spring to autumn depending on the variety.
• Purpurglöckchen (Heuchera)
  Attractive all year round with colorful foliage – perfect in partial shade or as a pop of color between shrubs.
• Autumn anemones
  These late summer-autumn blooming beauties are often still in their full glory as you plant them and they come back more beautiful each year.

Sowing tips

• Choice of location: Sunny or partial shade? Dry or cool and moist? It is better to read the description of the variety.
• Prepare the soil: Loose, weed-free soil with compost greatly improves growth.
• Pay attention to the planting distance: Perennials want to spread out, so don’t plant them too close together.
• Light pruning: In some species, cutting to a hand’s width promotes growth.
• Perennials should until mid-October be positioned so that the earth balls are not lifted by any freezing of the ground.

Combined tip:

Perennials can easily be combined with shrubs, e.g. B. Harlequin willow + crane’s bill + bearskin grass for a harmonious, easy-care bed with a play of colors.

4. Don’t forget the flower bulbs

Anyone who thinks about spring now will plant flower bulbs in autumn. They overwinter in the ground, go through the natural cold period and surprise you with their splendor of colors in early spring.

Autumn sowing classics:

• Crocuses: The first flowers of the year, often already in February. Perfect for flowerbeds, lawns or under bushes.
• Narzissen (z. B. 'Tête-à-Tête'): Easy to care for, easy to breed and completely insensitive to voles.
• Tulips: Depending on the variety, it blooms from March to May, from discreet to extravagant. Tip: Always plant in groups, so they will work better.
• Allium (ornamental onion): The large, spherical flowers add architectural structure to the bed from May onwards.

Planting instructions:

• Planting depth: Rule of thumb: two or three times the height of the bulb.
• Position: Sunny to partially shaded, well-drained soil.
• time: Optimally between mid-September and mid-November.

Combination ideas:

Onions do especially well in the grass or next to low-growing shrubs. For example: Tulips among bear grass and a young copper pear tree. This ensures flowers, structure and colour.

5. Planting hedges made easy

Hedge plants particularly benefit from planting in autumn, because autumn offers the best starting conditions for hedge plants: the soil is still warmed up from the summer and at the same time the rain provides sufficient moisture. During this resting phase the trees can form roots undisturbed and sprout even more vigorously in spring. Since the sun is no longer as strong, the plants are not under heat stress. And especially when you’re awake bare root assets autumn is ideal because they are only available in autumn and are often much cheaper than containerized goods.

What you should consider:

• Containers: It can be planted all year round as it comes with potted balls. But especially easy to care for in autumn.
• Bare root hedges: Only available from mid/late October. It must be buried immediately after deliveryand can be planted as long as there is no frost in the ground.

Short form planting instructions:

1. Dig a planting hole (at least twice as wide as the root ball), watering the plant well again (put the roots in a bucket of water so they can soak up)
2. Enrich the soil with compost and, if necessary, sand or horn shavings
3. Insert the plant, compress the soil, water well
4. Light pruning (even bare root!) promotes branching

Popular hedge plants for autumn:

• Privet 'Atrovirens': Remains partially leafy in winter, tolerates cutting, robust. The classic. Also available as a root product.
• Hornbeam: Native, ecologically valuable, dense and very cut resistant. Available as a root product.
• Badger: Evergreen, shade tolerant and long-lived, it has an elegant and calm appearance. (All parts of the plant are poisonous!)
• Blutbuche (Fagus sylvatica Purpurea): A great alternative for free-growing flower hedges – with red foliage. Available as a root product.

(Hainbuchenhecke)

6. What is best to plant in spring and why

Not everything belongs to the earth now. Frost sensitive plants It is best to plant them in spring, so that they have enough time to establish themselves until next winter.

These include, for example:

• Mediterranean plants such as lavender, rosemary, olive trees
• Exotic such as fan palms, lantana or hibiscus
• Container plantswho have to spend the winter at home

Conclusion: Now go out into the garden – it’s worth it!

Autumn is not yet the swan song of the gardening season, but the perfect time to lay the foundation for next spring: there will be less to do and there will be more work in your beds!

Happy gardening! 🙂