Autumn is a Great Time to Plant Trees and Shrubs in Your Garden

Advantages of Planting in Autumn

It is true to say trees and shrubs grown in black plastic bags can be planted out at any time of the year. So what makes autumn planting so special? Trees, shrubs and perennials planted in autumn still have planty of time to establish a good root system before the mid-winter cold. By the time spring arrives, your plants will be ready to launch themselves into a new season's growth.

Although slow, trees and shrubs will have an established root system by the end of winter and can take full advantage of a long summer of growth. If you wait until Spring, meaningful growth is delayed and the canopy of shade or screen of greenery that you are requiring may take six months longer to establish.

Plant shades of Autumn

As you re-assess your garden, consider these issues:

Take a good look at the trees and shrubs that bear autumn colours. A corner filled with golden foliage or brightly coloured berries will be an asset to your garden and now is the best time to make your selection. If you live in the southern hemisphere some of the more exotic trees are:

• Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum)
• Pride of India (Lagerstroemia indica)
• Liquid Amber (Liquidambar styraciflua)
• Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipfera).

• the magnificent Forest Bushwillow (Combretum Krausii)
• frost hardy White Stinkwood (Celtis africana)
• Cape Ash (Ekebergia capensis)
• frost tender but golden-leafed Bronze Paper Commiphora (Commiphora harveyi)
• White Syringa (Kirkia acuminata) - a tree that is not to be confused with the sweet smelling flowers and poisonous berries of the Common Syringa (Melia azedarach), a category 2 tree that may not be sold or planted in some countries
• Natal Bottlebrush (Greyia sutherlandii) which has glorious red foliage but is more of a shrub than a tree and needs a protected spot in frost belts.

Collect your leaves for your compost heap - autumn coloured leaves are a sight to behold and can also be put to good use once they have dropped. Leaves are a precious resource in the garden and can be raked up and used as alternate layers between lawn clippings to make a rich compost.

Plant spring flowering shrubs

Think back to that glorious show of Azaleas, Cape May, Scented Jasmine and purple-flowering Wisteria creeper last spring. Don't wait until you see other people's gardens in enviable bloom. Think ahead! If you plant spring-flowering shrubs in autumn, there will be a blaze of colour in your garden in the next spring. If you wait until late winter or early spring to plant spring-flowering shrubs, you will only see the real benefits the next year.

Transplant in Autumn

Assess your garden. Which plants did well during the summer? Did you have failures?

Late autumn is the best time for transplanting shrubs and small trees as the cool weather tends to reduce dehydration and shock. If a shrub is unhappy, move it.

Before transplanting any plant, trim the branches. This will create a more equitable balance between growth above ground level and the disrupted root system, and reduces the strain placed on the plant as it starts to re-establish itself.