Pros and cons of fall planting
Q AIs fall a good time to plant perennials? Yes and no. Many gardening experts argue that fall planting is actually preferable to spring, because plants get a chance to settle in before winter, without spring’s muddy soil. And this is unquestionably a great time to find bargains at garden centres, because they’re getting rid of excess stocks.
However, I have mixed feelings on this issue, thanks to our increasingly topsy- turvy weather. Several perennials and shrubs that I planted last fall died over the winter and they shouldn’t have. What did them in ( I presume) were the - 35C temperatures over Christmas. This was followed by prolonged mild weather in January, which encouraged plants to start growing, then bitter cold again in February, which zapped them. So here’s my advice: Yes, plant perennials and shrubs now, as long as they’re the tough kinds. ( It’s also a good time to put in roses and peonies.) But if something is a bit “ iffy” in the survival department, wait until spring. Make sure soil is tamped down around plants so there aren’t air pockets. After planting, give everything lots of long watering. It’s also important to place a thick blanket of mulch around their bases before the ground freezes hard; but don’t do it yet. And avoid planting in fall if you have soil with a lot of clay in it ( as I do). In my Zone 4 garden, I’ve found that plants grown in clay soil will often get heaved right out of the ground over winter. This is likely to happen with perennials you’ve planted the previous fall. ( It can occur with tulip bulbs. I now burrow down 30 cm deep to plant mine.)
I have a pine tree that’s
about four metres high right in front of my bay window. I do not want it to block the view. How do I stunt its growth without spoiling the shape and symmetry of the tree?
Alas, you can’t. Don’t simply lop the top off . This will simply disfigure the tree and make its side branches grow stronger and longer. The end result will be a fat, funny- looking pine with an ugly flat top.
Your only real course of action is to remove this tree and start again. This may sound drastic and heart wrenching, but a smaller evergreen is more practical in the long run. To make a tall specimen like yours grow bushy and shorter than its usual size, it’s necessary to keep pruning the branches back every spring while the tree is still young. Now is too late to start.
Consider replacing your view blocker with a shrubby evergreen such as mugo pine, dwarf Siberian pine ( pinus pumila), a low- growing juniper or a Hick’s Yew ( Taxus media), which grows fast. Fall is a good time to plant such shrubs, provided you do it soon and give them a bit of coddling. ( See above).
Your experience is a cautionary tale for anyone buying a tree. ALWAYS read the information provided at the garden centre. Not taking into account how tall and wide newly purchased saplings will become on maturity is one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make. Send your brief gardening questions to Sonia Day through her website at www.soniaday.com
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