Eastwood Park Reporter

Fall is a time when gardening activity winds down. It's the time to clean the place up and put the garden to bed. Planting, with the exception of spring bulbs, is the furthest thing from most people's minds. But the truth is, fall is an ideal time to plant nearly anything -- perennials, shrubs or trees -- in any area where the ground remains unfrozen for a month or more after the first killing frost. Whether you're planting new stock or digging up existing plants to rearrange the landscape, this is the time to do it.

The reason has to do with roots. When a plant is put in the ground, most of its roots die. Before the plant can regain its former vigor, it needs to replace those roots. But in spring, a plant wants to produce a lot of new shoots and leaves instead, so that it can flower and reproduce. Roots will regrow then, but slowly. In late summer and early fall, on the other hand, as the plant is shutting down its leaf growth and stem extension, it's expanding its root system. Below the soil surface, good growing conditions persist long after the first frost blackens the tomato or hosta leaves. Perennials, shrubs and trees transplanted in fall will focus all their grow-power on regenerating lost roots. When spring arrives, they'll have a much larger root system that's better able to sustain vigorous leaf production.

These roots grow much better as the soil cools into the 60 degree range than they do in the 80 degree heat of midsummer earth. The roots keep growing vigorously until the soil temperature drops into the low 40s, and some growth occurs whenever the soil remains unfrozen. The best time for fall planting perennials is about a month before killing frost. That will provide two months or more of good root-growing conditions underground.

Finding good quality stock in local nurseries in autumn, however, can be a problem. Many of the plants will have been held in the nursery yard all summer and are often potbound. Perennials grown in containers, especially those that have become potbound, need a form of root pruning. Push the fingers of both hands into the bottom of the root ball and gently tear the bottom half of it open a bit. On larger plants make a vertical gash through the bottom half of the root ball with a sharp spade. Then spread the split bottom open a bit, untangle bound roots and replant.

Until the ground freezes and root growth stops, make sure the plant gets the equivalent of an inch of rain a week. Mulch is an absolute must. It saves water and helps keep the soil warm enough for root growth far later into the fall.

Established plants in your garden can be divided and replanted in autumn to increase your stock and rejuvenate the plants. When moving or dividing your own plants, remove some of the foliage before digging to prevent wilting in the warm weather of late summer and early fall. On large-leaved plants that grow from basal rosettes, such as hostas, cut individual leaves in half. Plants that send up stems are easier to deal with. Just cut the stems back by about half. When the leaves have been pruned, dig up as much of the root mass as you can with soil intact, transplant the plant to a hole to fit at its new site and water it immediately.

Determining when to start planting or transplanting trees and shrubs is a bit different that for perennials. Digging too early often stimulates new shoot and leaf growth, which in turn delays the development of winter hardiness. But once the plant begins to show the slightest change in leaf color, you're safe. That's the sign that the abscission layer between the stem and twigs has begun to form and that the top portions of plant have entered dormancy. Use the onset of leaf coloration in deciduous trees as a guide for moving evergreens, too.