Fall Chores At Biltmore Estates, Asheville, NC

New pansy planting in fall

The combination of warm soil and cool air makes autumn an ideal time to plant new trees, shrubs, perennials, and cool season annuals. You may want to divide certain perennials such as iris, hostas, daylilies, and lots more. Fall weather favors root growth which aids transplants to recover quickly before winter’s chill arrives.

Autumn planting tips:

1. Give plants room to grow. Don’t plant trees or shrubs too close to one another and surrounding structures (home, garage, storage buildings, utility polls). Tall trees can drop loads of leaves and twigs into roof eaves. Look up! for utility lines.  Call the gas (and electric) company to locate underground lines before digging.

2. Dig planting holes that are not deep and extra wide (2 -3 times circumference) to accommodate rootballs either at or slightly above soil grade.

3. Adding soil amendments and fertilizer to the planting hole is usually not necessary. A few specific shrubs and trees are exceptions. Staking trees is usually unnecessary unless planting site is very windy.

4. Add 2-3 inches of organic-based mulches, such as pine straw (needles), wood chips or compost around base of newly planted landscape plants. Never pile mulch up around the trunk. The mulch layer offers insulation value; it traps in soil heat so shrubs and trees quickly acclimate to their new surroundings.

5. Prune off diseased, damaged or broken branches before planting.

6. Provide deer and rabbit protection if appropriate.

7. Water newly set plants the same day of planting. Do not assume that seasonal rainfall will be adequate. In some eastern U.S. states, October and November are usually drier than normal. New evergreen shrubs should be deeply irrigated. Overhead sprinkler may run for 3 hours (or 10 hours of drip irrigation) every 8 to 10 days until late November – if rainfall is not plentiful.

8. Complete new lawn seeding and/or renovating by mid-October.

8. Broadcast weed preventatives against early spring cool season weeds such as henbit, ground ivy, purslane, chickweeds, dandelions, and lots others. These weeds grow over the winter and spring months.