Growing For Success | Autumn planting and bare-root season orders

By Riverside Gardens

Mar 13, 2024

Awwtumn: Autumn shows us that change can be beautiful. Photo by Megan Fisher

Larry Smith and the Riverside Gardens team talk all things pots, plants and pruning in their weekly gardening column.

I know autumn has only just started, but it is time to start thinking about winter — particularly if you are thinking about purchasing bare-rooted plants this season.

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Bare-rooted plants are grown in the ground until they are a good size. They are then dug out in winter, once they have gone dormant, and placed in sand beds in the nursery ready for sale. This can only be done to plants that go dormant in winter, such as deciduous ornamental trees, fruit trees and roses, and only for a short time while they remain dormant. The advantage of this is that they can be grown quicker, cheaper and larger than if they were grown in pots.

Potted up: Put plants in an appropriate-sized container and remember to keep the roots damp but not waterlogged. Photo by Megan Fisher

The bare-root season usually starts in late May and finishes in August but is determined largely by the weather, as this triggers what the plants are doing and their dormancy. Because it is a limited season and there is limited stock available, we start taking pre-orders now against our allocated bare-rooted stock. Pre-orders are selected first, then put aside and held separately from the nursery sale stock. Shoppers who pre-order are given the first choice from the batch.

Plenty of sunshine: Now’s a good time to get planting. Photo by Megan Fisher

So, if you are thinking of doing a winter plant-up, drop in and grab a list and a tree guide full of information about what to plant where, then place your order to secure your plants early. We can also help you with suggestions as to what will work best in the area you are planting and explain how to prepare the soil now ready for the plants when they arrive.

If you are not planning to wait for bare-rooted plants, now is one of the best times to plant most things. The worst of the heat is behind us, there is plenty of sunshine and the ground is warm.

Hint of red: Autumn brings spectacular colours. Photo by Megan Fisher

This is especially the case with deciduous trees because as they go dormant in autumn they extract as many nutrients as they can from the leaf, mainly phosphorous and nitrogen, and store it in the woody parts of the tree to help see them through the winter. This can result in a rapid increase in the trunk diameter and root system growth, giving them a quick establishment in the ground. It also results in the wonderful autumn colour that so many of the deciduous plants delight us with at this time of the year. The other benefit of planting deciduous plants now is that all that stored energy can be used to push out new foliage as the days lengthen and the weather warms up in spring.

Roots spread: Foliage that remains green throughout the year. Photo by Megan Fisher

Evergreen plants also benefit from planting out in autumn. Their roots spread into their new surroundings, finding extra moisture and nutrients to put on a new flush of growth before the ground cools and the weather changes. The trap here is that frost-tender plants can become more susceptible to damage if they are covered in soft new growth, so keep this in mind as the mornings cool, and protect them if needed. This can be done using either a frost cover or spraying the plants with a frost protectant such as Envy.

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year; get out and make the most of it, and enjoy time in the garden. It is good for the mind, body and soul — as well as the garden.