Tulips, crocus, allium and grape hyacinths spend the winter hibernating underground, then break through in mid-spring with almost no help from you. Autumn is the second great planting season after spring, when rainfall does the watering — provided your soil drains freely, so the bulbs never sit and rot.
Fall is the second key period of the year to sow and plant, after spring. This season is particularly well suited to horticulture, because plants won’t risk drying out due to excessive heat, and the garden is regularly watered by the best water that can be: rainfall. Indeed, it usually rains a lot in fall! For beginner gardeners, start with bulbs and perennials which are guaranteed to succeed!
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To ensure your tulips, narcissus, daffodils, iris, grape hyacinths, crocus, colchicum, allium, cyclamen and hyacinths bloom magnificently over the next season, plant your bulbs preferably from September to November, or even December.
The goal is to bury these bulbs in soil for them to hibernate over winter, and they’ll sprout much more nicely in April and May. It’s best to select a spot in full or part sun, except for grape hyacinths, lily of the valley and narcissus that prefer shade by far (taller daffodils prefer sun). The soil must drain very well to keep the bulbs from rotting. Add sand if you realize the soil is too heavy.
With a bulb planter, prepare a hole in the ground that is wide enough for the bulb, and simply drop it in the hole with the pointed tip facing upwards. The ideal depth for the bulb is about 2 to 3 times the size of the bulb itself. Cover with soil entirely, press down and water. And if ever it didn’t quite succeed the first year, add bulb-specific fertilizer the second year.
Space them apart by about a hand’s distance. Nothing else need be done until spring, except perhaps to mark the spot with a label to remember where each variety is… But then again, let spring surprise you once temperatures have triggered their growth!
Once the flowers and especially leaves have died off, pull them all out. Discard the weaker ones, and store the remaining good bulbs in a dry spot until the next fall.
Autumn planting covers far more than bulbs. Here is what goes in the ground in the second great planting season of the year, and what each group gives you back.
| What to plant | Best planting time | Position or conditions | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulbs – tulips, crocus, allium, hyacinth | Early autumn to late autumn, even early winter | Full or part sun, very free-draining soil | Flowers from mid-spring to late spring |
| Grape hyacinth, narcissus, lily of the valley | Early autumn to late autumn, even early winter | Shade (taller daffodils prefer sun) | Flowers from mid-spring to late spring |
| Perennials in nursery pots | Autumn where winters are mild, spring where they are cold | A handful of compost and loose soil | Plants that triple in size and return every year |
| Winter lettuce, cabbage, garlic, peas and lawn grass | Autumn | Direct in the ground or in garden boxes | Crops the following summer |
| Roses, shrubs and fruit trees | After summer, through autumn | Open ground | Woody plants that also favour autumn planting |
Beginners are safest starting with bulbs and perennials, which are all but guaranteed to succeed.
Sold in nursery pots in horticulture stores or garden shops, perennials are planted in fall for regions where the winters are mild, and in spring wherever winters are really cold.
“Select plants that have developed a full, healthy bunch of roots”, recommends Brigitte Lapouge-Déjean in her book. “Every plant will thrive with just a handful of compost and loose soil, and will triple in size or more during the year after they’re planted”, adds Patricia Beucher; “most plants re-seed themselves spontaneously if the garden matches their taste”.
These flowers will grow back every year!
Countless flowers and grasses, many herbs and spices and a few vegetables (artichoke, asparagus, currant…) are perennial plants. Take a look at roses, shrubs and fruit trees which also love being planted after summer.
Also, fall is the best season for planting lawn grass, as well as vegetables that will grow in the following summer: sow your winter lettuce varieties directly in the ground or in garden boxes, cabbage, garlic and green peas!
Claire Lelong-Lehoang
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