Is it ok to plant in autumn?

Stephanie74 · October 2017

Hi,

I'm new to gardening and going to ask a bit of a silly question perhaps!

Is it ok to plant plants in autumn / winter or should i wait till spring / summer?

I don't want to kill anything if we have a frost. Should I leave the plants I have already bought in their plastic pots till better weather.

Thanks.

raisingirl · October 2017

It depends on the plants really - what have you got?

Hostafan1 · October 2017

With container grown plants,so long as the ground is frozen solid, or waterlogged, you can pretty much plant at any time of year.

As raisingirl suggests, some , more tender plants, might need a little TLC over the winter.

Obelixx · October 2017

Most gardeners think autumn is best as the soil is still warm and the plants are dormant above soil and that gives the roots a chance to settle in and develop in time to support the upper growth spurt in spring. If it freezes, they'll certainly be better in the ground than in pots.

That said, if your plants are frost tender, they need caring for thru winter in a frost free shelter or else in teh ground and with a cloche or some fleece. Depends what you have.

Dovefromabove · October 2017

Hostafan1 says:
With container grown plants,so long as the ground is frozen solid, or waterlogged, you can pretty much plant at any time of year.

As raisingirl suggests, some , more tender plants, might need a little TLC over the winter.
See original post

Think Hosta's made a typo there ... I'm sure he meant to say so long as the ground isn't frozen solid

Fairygirl · October 2017

Hosta ....d'oh!

I like planting things out at this time of year, as spring ground is usually too cold and soggy. As the others have said, it's only more tender things that need a bit of protection. Small/young plants are better kept sheltered over winter too, and allowed to grow on a bit before putting out next year, as they would struggle with soil and weather conditions and often succumb to that, or slugs and snails etc.

Hostafan1 · October 2017

oops

Borderline · October 2017

Autumn planting tends to suit plants that are very hardy and enjoy damp and cool conditions. Another thing to consider is soil type. Normally, it's not recommended to plant in autumn time if you have very heavy clay soil. Plants normally find it hard to settle once the cold sets in. If you have very small plants, like plug plants or the next size up from plug size, also not a good idea to plant in autumn time. It's better to wait till spring where they tend to establish better.

As others have mentioned, it depends on which plants. If you are unsure, list some of the plants you have, and I'm sure many will give you their recommendations.

Stephanie74 · October 2017

thanks for all your replies that's really helpful! The plants i have are...

- Gunnera

- Eucalyptus Tree

- Fatsia Japonica

Fairygirl · October 2017

Gunnera and Fatsia will be fine planted now. Fatsias are quite happin heavy ground - they wouldn't have survived in any of mine if they weren't! As long as you prep the ground well, adding some compost etc to give them a chance to settle in, and as long as they're in at least a 6 or 7 inch sized pot, they should be no problem. Gunneras do need a bit of protection over winter, depending on the type of weather conditions you have in your area. The crown can be damaged by frost, so you would need to be aware of that - especially with a newly planted specimen. If you're unsure, it might be better to leave it till spring.

The addition of leaf mould or well rotted manure is beneficial for both of them if you have it.

Eucalyptus (is it the common gunni one?) are pretty tough too. Nice well drained soil for them, so again, just prep the ground well before planting.

Stephanie74 · October 2017

Thanks Fairygirl. We've got pretty sandy soil, so I'd definitely need to add compost.

I might leave the gunnera till spring to be on the safe side.

thanks for replying.

Is it ok to plant in autumn?

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