Still ok to plant out a new border?

Grays · September 2023

Hi all,
Last weekend I dug out a new border from the existing lawn we have to make room for some Geums we have in pots, there is still plenty of room left for many more plants.
Is it still ok at this time of year to go to the garden centre and buy some plants to fill it up? Excuse my ignorance, but I thought spring time would be best for this, should I wait till next year?
Many thanks.

punkdoc · September 2023

Autumn can also be a very good time, depending on what your winters are like. I would however wait until this very hot spell is over.

nutcutlet · September 2023

I agree with @punkdoc re waiting til after the heat. Also anything that isn't totally hardy I'd leave til Spring, let them die in the nursery if they're going to die. Otherwise Autumn is best

GardenerSuze · September 2023

@Grays There are lots of items reduced today at our local GC interestingly most won't survive a cold wet winter. There were a few things worth investing in but you do need to be careful.
The soil at present still has some warmth so plants still have time to settle . I do agree keep things in pots in a cool place for a week or so until this warm spell passes.

When to plant is becoming more of a guessing game, following the books no longer applies there is an element of risk whatever you do. Last years wet November followed by a cold December kiiled off alot of the more tender plants. This year if it stays mild they may all be fine no one knows.

There was a time when planting geums in either spring or autumn didn't really matter They are tough but if conditions stay dry you might still need to water them going into winter.
Plants that do die are now becoming less of the gardener getting it wrong and more to luck with the weather patterns that follow in the coming months.

You could of course wait until spring but may still have a fight to keep things watered if it is as dry as 2022. There is nothing like rain to revive tired plants.

What to do for the best becomes more of a mystery to me at least.

Grays · September 2023

Thanks for the tips.
It will be Sunday at the earliest when we do visit the garden centre, and the weather forecast for next week (North Yorkshire coast) does have some rain with the temperatures coming down a bit.

Busy-Lizzie · September 2023

That sounds fine then. The plants will have a chance to get settled in before the cold weather starts. However, many garden centres have different plants for sale at different times of year, so leave some room for the plants they sell in the spring. It's a good time to buy daffodil bulbs too.

Fairygirl · September 2023

If you buy plants at this time of year, you'll often find they're bursting out the pots [depending on the plant ] especially if they're in anything form around 6 inch diameter or more, and it can be a perfect time to divide them. If you do that, it would be better to over winter them somewhere sheltered, and plant out next year when those are filling their pots.
If you buy plants of that size though, and don't divide them, or if they aren't that type of plant, then you can plant them now. Just make sure they're well watered and not root bound before you put them in.
I find this time of year better than spring for planting out larger plants, simply because our soil here takes longer to warm up and dry out in spring, whereas at this time of year it's pretty decent, and plants will establish well before it gets colder.
It's always a case of going with your own conditions and climate though.

plant pauper · September 2023

@Fairygirl you managed to answer all the questions I wanted to ask in that one post. Well done! Take a bow! 🤣

Dovefromabove · September 2023

My only addition to that is that I would leave buying and planting grasses until well into next spring, when the soil has warmed up a bit.

Still ok to plant out a new border?

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