For many inexperienced summer residents who have decided to create a flower bed for the first time on their site, the question arises: is autumn or spring a suitable period for planting perennial flowering plants? For most plants, both seasons are appropriate. But there are those that do not take root well and grow slowly when planted in the spring. For their better development, such flowers should be planted (transplanted) in early to mid-autumn.
Autumn planting of perennials
The advantages of sowing or planting (transplanting) perennial crops are as follows:
- flowering in the first year;
- development of persistent immunity to diseases and pests;
- there is no need to grow seedlings in winter and transplant them into open ground;
- seeds that have been subjected to stratification in the soil in winter - the effect of cold - give early shoots, frost-resistant, and bloom earlier.
In order not to waste precious time and start working before the onset of winter, you should first familiarize yourself with the features of the autumn planting of some types of perennial flowers.
Astilba
A perennial called astilba is planted and transplanted at the end of August - September. The land must first be dug up, removing the weeds along with the roots, fertilized with compost or manure. After planting, the soil must be mulched with sawdust, straw, dry bark.
Dicenter
Planting the dicentra should begin no later than the first days of October - the young plant should take root before winter. Perennial needs to grow on drained, moderately moist soils. The bushes are placed in prepared holes, on the bottom of which broken brick or crushed stone is poured in the first layer, and the soil substrate from soil and compost is the second. After the rhizome of the dicenter is placed in the hole, fill it to the top with the same soil mixture.
Poppy
Poppy is planted in areas with a deep level of groundwater occurrence - the plant does not like areas with stagnant moisture. Seeds of a bright flower sprout equally well in spring and autumn. But autumn planting promotes early flowering.
Lupine
Lupine is planted in early autumn in soil with a different composition, diluted in advance with peat. An alkaline soil is undesirable for a perennial culture - in it lupine leaves turn yellow. Sometimes seeds are sown in open ground and later in October-November. In this case, it is necessary to sprinkle the soil with peat. In early spring, the flower seeds will sprout quickly and will delight you with flowering in early June.
Perennial (alpine) aster
For the best growth of this type of aster, sunny territories are suitable. Cultivation of a flower in partial shade is allowed. Shoots of perennial asters, planted in the shade, are unnecessarily stretched, and flowering becomes scarce. The damp areas of the site are not suitable for the plant - with stagnant moisture, the roots of asters rot. Seeds are placed in frozen ground at the end of autumn. Spring shoots of the plant are transplanted to a flower bed. They will bloom only next spring.
Delphinium
Delphinium can grow up to 9 years in the same flower bed. After this time, the flowers must be replanted. It is better not to delay the transplant - usually, gardening work begins in early to mid-September. Perennials need to have time to take root before the onset of frost. Soils suitable for delphinium, fertile, loose with neutral acidity.
Herbaceous peony
The beginning of September is the best period for planting peony bushes by division. The stems are pre-cut a little, and the bush is carefully dug in. After removing the plant from the ground, the rhizome is washed, and then cut into sections with several viable roots. Dig holes in the flowerbed about 45-55 cm in diameter. The bushes are sprinkled with earth so that the upper bud is about 4 cm below the ground level.
Primula (primrose)
Primrose seeds quickly lose their germination, so they must be sown immediately after collection. It is better to pre-sow the seeds of the plant and germinate in small containers, and after the appearance of several leaves on the seedlings, dive them into spacious containers. Primrose is planted in open ground in the fall in the second year of life. An excellent place for growing primroses is partial shade, so they plant it near garden trees and shrubs.
Phlox
Phlox are planted in well-humid sunny areas of the site. Planting of phlox bushes with embedded growth buds is carried out in September. It is necessary to maintain a distance between plants of at least 40 cm.
Echinacea
Many summer residents love echinacea for its beautiful flowering. Colorful flowers appear in the second year after planting and decorate the garden area from late June to early September. In order for echinacea to develop correctly and bloom profusely, it is necessary to choose sun beds for it. Only adult plants are allowed to be planted in open ground in autumn. But if you are going to grow a perennial from seeds, then you should know that echinacea is grown from seedlings. Therefore, in winter, you can safely sow seeds in containers, and with the onset of spring heat, plant seedlings in open ground.
We hope that our advice will be useful to you when planting (transplanting) perennial flowers in the fall.
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