Why You Should Plant Perennials in the Fall

When should you plant perennial plants? It may seem counter intuitive, but late summer and fall is actually the best time to plant perennial plants. When you plant perennials in the fall, you are working with nature. Keep reading to learn more about why planting perennials in the fall is your best choice. Plus, get some tips on how to successfully plant your perennials.

Whether you are sowing seeds or planting small plants, late summer and fall is the ideal time to plant your perennials. When you plant perennials in the fall, you’re working with nature.

Here are 3 reasons why planting perennials in the fall is best.

Keep reading to dive into these 3 reasons so you can get the most out of your perennial plants. But before you do, make sure to grab your free and easy-to-print checklist that outlines the steps to take so you can start planting perennials in the fall.

More Time for Roots to Grow

One of the great things about perennial plants is that they can grow without regular watering or fertilizer.

At least once they are established.

Often, we still end up watering our perennial plants during the first year or 2. But as people who want to grow with nature, we are always looking for ways to water less, not more.

This is why planting your perennials in the fall is best.

When you plant in the fall, you give the plants time to get their roots established both in the fall and also in the spring, as soon as the weather starts to warm up.

This could mean several months of additional root growth before the summer heat.

With a good layer of mulch to help keep the ground from freezing, you can give your plant even more time to grow.

Plus, in warmer climates like mine here in western Washington, where the ground never permanently freezes, you can plant all through fall and winter.

When you plant perennials in the spring, they just don’t have a lot of time to get their roots established before the summer heat. This makes them more dependent on watering. So make sure to plant your perennials in the fall to ensure abundant growth and harvests the following year.

Here are some final tips for when to plant different types of perennial plants:

1. Woody plants: Plant when the rains have returned, but the ground is not freezing. Ideally, plant when the plants have gone dormant.
2. Non-woody (herbaceous) plants: Plant them before they go dormant. This way you will be able to see the top growth, which will make it much easier to do other plantings in that area come spring.
3. Bulbs/Tubers: Same as for woody plants—Plant when the rains have returned, but the ground is not freezing. Ideally, plant when the plants have gone dormant.

Work with the Cold to Help Perennial Seeds Germinate

A lot of perennial seeds need what is called stratification to successfully germinate. This is essentially the process that tells the seeds to wake up and start germinating. Often this requires a cycle of wet cold time followed by some warm times, and some more cold time, before finally waking up.

Kind of sounds like what happens over fall and winter, and into spring!

Instead of trying to follow a complex schedule requiring you to keep your seeds in your fridge or freezer for weeks, you can just work with nature and let nature handle this step.

When you sow your perennial seeds in late summer through fall, you are mimicking what happens when a plant naturally drops its seeds.

The seeds fall to the ground and sit through the fall and winter, and then wake up in the spring. This is how perennial plants evolved to grow.

Instead of trying to recreate this process indoors, just sow your perennial seeds in the fall and walk away. This way nature can take care of the seeds and you get to relax.

The only downside to this method is that the seeds will be vulnerable to being eaten by birds and other critters in need of a wintertime snack. Make sure to cover the seeds with a light layer of soil or mulch and potentially protect them with chicken wire covers.

When I’m planting seeds in the fall, I also try to over-plant, anticipating that birds will sneak some of the seeds I’ve planted.

Spread Out Your Planting

Let’s face it—there is a lot to do in the spring when it comes to gardening and managing your property. Finding time to plant perennial crops during this time might just seem like too much.

But most likely, the fall is a time where outdoor tasks are winding down for you. You may still be preserving your remaining harvests or managing a fall garden, but often planting is not on the list.

So let’s change that!

Planting your perennials in the fall will let you spread out your planting efforts. This will give you more time to focus on each of your plants in turn. If you like planting, this will give you another time of year to plant.

Every fall and winter I’m planting perennial plants on my property. Then I get the joy of watching all these plants come to life the following spring!

Often the fall and winter can be a dreary time. It’s great to be able to do some planting during this time of the year to liven things up.

Start Planting Perennials in the Fall

So are you ready to start planting your perennials in the fall? Uh oh, I’ve got some bad news for you—some nurseries won’t sell perennials in the fall.

This has always seemed strange to me, but they’ll often only ship in early to mid-spring.

Not all of them are like this, though.

So when you get ready to order or purchase your perennial plants, make sure to check that the plants you want will actually be available in the fall.

Fruit trees, shrubs, and other woody plants are the easiest to find in the fall. Non-woody plants like perennial vegetables can be more of a challenge, but you can still find them.

Sometimes, you'll need to order your plants in late August or early September and have them shipped before the fall. You should still plant these plants even if it’s a bit early—just make sure to give them some water until the rains return.

It’s not ideal, but it works. And you still get most of the benefits of planting perennials in the fall.

The easiest option is to get seeds. Seeds are often sold year-round, making it fairly easy to get them in time for a fall planting. Bulbs, roots, and tubers are also fairly easy to find in the fall.

Despite the issues with timing at nurseries, you can still plant perennials in the fall. I have been doing this every year since my family and I moved to our property. In just a few years, I’ve planted a couple thousand perennial plants this way.

It really is the best way to plant perennial plants.

Ready to get started? Before you go, leave a comment to let us know what kinds of perennial plants you're going to plant on your property this fall!