Why fall is a great time to plant

As Canadians we get really excited come spring time. After a long cold winter we want to get our hands in the ground and start planting like mad people, filling our gardens with any colour we can get our hands on. Oddly this could be considered counterproductive as planting in the fall yields many benefits. As summer heat cools off it makes way for two cooler damper growing seasons (Fall & Spring) before the blazing heat of summer gives your new plants a real beating. Here are some great reasons to get planting this Fall:

• Shorter days, less intense sunlight, more rain, and the cooler temperatures of early fall mean less transplant shock
• With these shorter days and cooler temperatures, plants lose less moisture through their leaves in fall than in summer, which lowers water demands
• Bugs and diseases that are in high gear during summer begin to dwindle as they either die off or hibernate
• Most plants are on SALE! Yay! Great news is that during the Fall, Garden Centres like Ridgeview are clearing their stores of a variety of perennials which means you can enhance your landscape at a discounted amount.
• New plants help me hang on to the last glory days of summer and reduces feelings of F.O.W.W (Fear of Winter Weather) – Like that? I just made it up, but it’s a real feeling and the internet loves a good acronym 😉