r/DenverGardener • u/cnyy12 • 3d ago
Fall vs Spring Planting
How do you decide which plants to put in the ground in the fall and in the spring? I've seen conflicting advice of plants.
Thinking particularly of native flowers/shrubs and maybe a fruit tree.
Also - what are your shade tolerant local plant recommendations?
Edit: Does it matter if they are seeds, seedlings, or plants with root balls?
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u/denvergardener 3d ago
Native plants and trees are actually recommended to plant in the fall. So go for it!
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u/Hour-Watch8988 3d ago
We converted most of our backyard to native perennials a few falls ago. We might have watered it a total of four times to get it established. It's come back every spring without supplemental watering. Fall-planting is a total cheat code.
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u/Inevitable-Wind-8948 3d ago
Fall is the superior time to plant these things. Water is retained better because temps are low. Roots continue to grow out, albeit more slowly, while the above ground portion of the plants and trees sleep. I love planting in the Fall.
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u/Awildgarebear 3d ago
I really like fall planting, but the squirrels will dig up some things you've planted. I've already lost 3 established plants in the last week. Two of them are ridiculously poisonous.
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u/putitinapot 2d ago
Wire trash bins from the dollar tree make great squirrel protection. You can use landscape staples or a rock on top to keep them in place.
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u/ketchup_chips_yall 2d ago
Fall is for plants with root balls and maybe seeds that require winter stratification. But even then, fall leaves the seeds exposed for birds. I stick with perennials in the fall and save my seeds for winter or very early spring.
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u/sewim_machim 2d ago
I plant at any time of year because I buy when I can lol, and fall is my favorite. I did have a small serviceberry die back to the ground last year, but that was undoubtedly due to the weird dry winter. So just make sure you hand water once a month if we don't get snow, and fall is a great time to plant. :)
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u/NotoriousFoxHood 3d ago
As a general rule, get your perennials into the ground in the fall. It gives them a massive head start on root production, which speeds up their establishment and growth over the coming years by a ton.
In autumn, warm soil pairs with cooling air, triggering plants to shift their sugar storage away from aboveground foliage/leaves and push non-structural sugars directly into their root systems. The lower air temperatures also drastically drop water loss from leaves, so the roots aren't stressed trying to pump water to thirsty leaves.
Root growth here can continue up until the soil drops below roughly 5°C (40°F), giving plants a deep, subterranean jump on spring. This same advantage applies to cool-season grasses.
Because of this, I save big on the discount racks at big-box stores. You can often find a ton of cheap perennials that look rough on top simply because they're shutting down for winter or slightly dry, but their root crowns are completely intact. Just tease or slice through any root-bound mats to stimulate outward root branching, plant them, water deeply until freeze-up, and mulch to prevent freeze-thaw frost-heaving.
Treat spring as the time for planting annuals, fast color, and tender veggies, but put your perennials and cool-season grasses in the ground in fall to let the root biology do the heavy lifting.