Frosts, even killing frosts,- have already visited the colder parts of our northern area. Sudden killing frosts, descending while plants are still in growth or not fully ripened, are devastating.
Only the more rugged plants can stand it. This is true of flowering shrubs, trees, and even perennials.
Which Shrubs Are Best For Cold Climates?
Some of them are:
- Tatarian honeysuckle
- Pea tree (caragana)
- Korean barberry
- Peking cotoneaster
- Cotoneaster multiflora
Rosa rugosa and its hybrids, common lilac, Persian lilac, and Fothergilla major.
Which Are The Hardiest Apple Varieties?
The new Anoka, Harrison, Wealthy, and new Oriole.
Among the crabapples, which are the toughest flowering trees of all, Dalgo, Chestnut, and Piotosh top the list for hardiness.
Which Are The Hardiest Perennials?
- Daylily
- Peony
- Bearded Iris
- Lythrum
- Monarda
- Oenot hers
- Platycodon
- Veronica
Liatris and Coracopsis – to name but a few.
When Is The Best Time to Divide and Transplant Perennials?
Except in regions where severe ground freezes have already occurred (in such sections spring is the best transplanting time), most perennials are best lifted, divided, and replanted in early autumn – September or October.
Why is this so?
Well, about the time the foliage ripens and falls from a plant, there follows a short period of dormancy and then an active root-growing interval, which lasts until the ground freezes.
(This is true of all plants, not just perennials.)
If a plant is transplanted during this dormant and rooting period, it will suffer fewer setbacks than usual because during this period it can go on developing feet unlrandicapped by having to supply a top with nutrients and water.
Which Perennials Lend Themselves The Most Readily to Fall Transplanting?
- Anchusa,
- Lily-of-the-valley,
- Barren-wort (epimedium),
- Nepeta mussini,
- Peony,
- Oriental poppy,
- Summer phlox,
- Delphinium
- Dianthus,
- Daylily,
- Plantain lily,
- Thalictrum,
- Veronica,
- Columbine and
- Christmas rose (hellebores).
Fall is about the only time when the Christmas rose can be divided and transplanted, if at all. It resents disturbance, as do lupines, baptisia, platycodon, and bleeding heart.
Which Perennials are Best Not Transplanted in Fall?
Late-flowering sorts such as;
- chrysanthemums
- hardy asters,
- Japanese anemone,
- eupatorium and
- late monkshood.
These are best left until spring.
Is Fall Planting Advantageous To Shrubs and Trees?
Yes, for the majority of flowering trees and shrubs, conifers, and broad-leaved evergreens, it is – and for the same reasons, it is advantageous to perennials.
Also. the fact that spring is so jam-packed with garden chores would seem to make fall a more favorable planting time, for then the work could be done with less rush and greater thoroughness.
How Late In Fall Can Shrubs And Trees Be Successfully Transplanted?
Conifers and other evergreens should be transplanted in early fall, but deciduous subjects can be safely moved until the ground freezes.
What About Lilacs?
Are they best transplanted in spring or fall?
Of all shrubs, lilacs are benefited most from fall planting. Yet, according to estimates. 90% of them are planted in spring.
Good-sized plants of French hybrid lilacs set out in spring ready to flower are usually ruined when allowed to do so.
Indeed, countless numbers fail to flower again or are so weakened that they become prey to borer insects.
Had the flower clusters been removed before flowering and the plants cared for the first year, all would probably have been well. But fall planting is the answer for the healthiest lilacs—and even then cutting back is advisable.
Is Pruning of Lilacs Planted in Autumn Mandatory?
It is if young plants. 2 to 4 ft high, are being transplanted and you want them to develop into good-sized bushes yielding lots of flowers. Remember that nothing is gained by striving for two or three undersized flowers the first year.
Is it better to buy a single-stemmed lilac bush or a multiple-stemmed one?
Beware of the single-stemmed lilac. Graceful though it is, an accident, or borer or a storm may snap the stem. Multiple-stemmed plants are safer.
44659 by P. J. Mckenna