Is it Better to Plant Perennials in the Spring or Fall?

Since you can plant perennials once and enjoy them for years, choosing the proper planting date is key! The cool weather and spring and fall provide ideal conditions, but is one better than the other? Join farmer Briana Yablonski to learn the best season for planting perennials.

Plant perennials spring or fall, appearing to have a wide location with various flowers with different colors, located somewhere with sunlight

Contents

If you ask me, every garden should include perennials. While these plants are often more expensive than annuals, you can plant them once and enjoy them year after year. Plus, planting perennials lets you layer your landscape with taller shrubs and trees and enjoy fruits like apples, blueberries, and peaches.

However, transplanting perennials isn’t always as straightforward as planting annuals. While spring and summer planting works for most annuals, it’s best to plant perennials in the spring or fall.  But which season is best?

The best planting season depends on your hardiness zone, plant availability, insect pressure, and more. Keep reading to determine which planting season is best for you.

The Short Answer

In most cases, you can successfully transplant perennials in the spring and fall. Planting during these transitional periods allows plants to acclimate to their new homes before extreme cold or heat arrives. That means they are less likely to die when they face stressful temperatures.

Examining factors like plant availability, your growing zone, and the type of plant can help you determine which planting season is best. If you’re not sure when to transplant, aim to plant six weeks before the first fall frost or just after the last spring frost.

The Long Answer

While planting in the spring and fall generally works well in most circumstances, looking at a few specific factors can help you determine the ideal transplanting season.

Plant Availability

An area with tall green grass and flowers with various colors, appearing to share the area with other greens and blooms in the background
There could be a wider selection during the spring.

It may sound obvious, but you need to have access to plants in order to transplant them! If you’re purchasing flowering perennials, evergreen shrubs, or fruit trees from a local nursery, there’s a good chance you’ll find a larger selection in the spring. You’ll probably be able to find some perennials in the late summer and fall, but you might not be able to locate the fig variety or specific flowering native plant you’re looking for.

Of course, you can find perennials in places besides local nurseries. Online retailers allow you to purchase fruit trees and ornamental species from the comfort of your home. You can also preorder so they arrive just when you want them. However, it’s still possible these retailers can sell out later in the growing season.

Other options for sourcing include your neighbors and local gardening groups. People are often happy to divide and share clumping perennials like coneflowers, hostas, and yarrow. You may also be able to find cuttings that you can propagate into new plants.

Overall, you’ll often have a better chance of finding species in the spring than in the fall. So, if you’re worried about plant availability, purchase and transplant in the spring.

Growing Zone

A sunny area of the garden with a spread of purple flowers, with other blooms looking healthy in an area with greens and grass
Environmental factors can significantly affect what and when to place in the soil.

While fall planting works in any growing zone, it’s a particularly good choice in warmer climates. Growers in zones 8 and above often experience temperatures in the 90s (~32°C) before true summer arrives.

That means spring-planted perennials are hit with stressful, high temperatures soon after they’re planted. While these species will likely survive as long as you keep them well watered, you can avoid heat stress by planting in the autumn.

The best time to plant is six to eight weeks before your first fall frost date. Although it’s hard to predict the future, you can look at the average first frost date in your area to get an idea of when you can expect the first below-freezing temperatures to arrive. Tucking perennials into the ground at least a month before this date will give them time to establish their roots before colder weather arrives.

On the other hand, growers in zones 4 and below often experience their first frost in September or early October. The cold weather continues, and the top few inches of the ground are often frozen by November. Therefore, it’s often difficult to find a way to get things in the ground six weeks before the first frost arrives. 

When that’s the case, spring planting makes more sense. Wait until the ground thaws and the soil temperature is consistently above 50°F (10°C). Planting at this time ensures the roots won’t experience cold stress and gives them multiple weeks to settle into their new home before hot weather arrives.

Consider the Type and Variety

An area covered in various mums, having different colors in bright yellows, reds and deep magentas, surrounded by vividly colored green foliage
There is a wide variety, ranging from shrubs to flowers.

All perennials live for multiple years, but there’s wide variation between species. Perennials include towering trees, large native shrubs, small herbaceous plants, and flowers that grow from bulbs. In many cases, it’s fine to get them in the ground in either season. However, there are some that prefer one season over the other.

Bare-Root Trees and Shrubs

A lovely damp shrub with waxy green leaves and large brightly pink roses, looking lovely and dainty placed in a shady area
Typical shrubs grow well directly on the ground or in containers.

If you visit a gardening center, you’ll likely buy container-grown trees and shrubs. They sit in soil-filled containers and continue to actively grow. However, if you head to online retailers, you may see bare-root plants.

Although bare root specimens may look dead and uninspiring, they’re just waiting for the right conditions to resume growing. All bare-root stock arrives dormant, which means it’s not actively growing. This dormancy makes them more resistant to shock and allows growers to transport them out of soil.

Your goal is to plant the trees when others in the area are still dormant. While spring and fall planting are both suitable, pay attention to your landscape. Finish autumn planting after the leaves have fallen from trees, and plant spring plants before they begin leafing out.

Bulbs

Bright yellow daffodils burst into bloom, revealing vibrant orange centers, adding a pop of color to the garden. Delicate, slender leaves gracefully frame the radiant flowers, accentuating their natural beauty and elegance.
Some flowers grow from bulbs, such as daffodils.

Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths are just a few spring-blooming flowers that grow from bulbs. While we enjoy these blooms after the winter has passed, the bulbs require a period of cold temperatures to flower. That’s why bulbs won’t flower on time when planted in warm climates, and indoor-grown bulbs require a chilling period to bloom.

Planting in the autumn allows the bulbs to experience the cold temperatures they need to bloom. Aim to plant the bulbs a few weeks before the ground freezes. This will allow them to develop roots but not tender growth that’s susceptible to cold damage.

While you can plant your bulbs in the spring, they probably won’t flower until the following year. Therefore, it’s better to wait until autumn before planting.

Fall-Blooming Perennials

Aster Frikartii features daisy-like flowers with lavender-blue petals surrounding a bright yellow center, accompanied by dark green, narrow leaves with a slightly serrated edge.
Flowers, like asters, bloom in the autumn and are best planted early in the season.

While we often think of spring and summer as flower seasons, many perennials bloom in the fall! Natives like goldenrod, asters, and ironweed brighten up meadows and front-yard plantings just as summer flowers fade.

These flowers not only provide late-season beauty, but they also supply nectar and pollen to beneficial insects. That’s why I always recommend including some autumn-blooming perennials in your garden.

Although you can plant these perennials in the fall or spring, I prefer planting them early in the season. Early planting allows them to grow throughout the summer and develop a strong root system. By the time fall arrives, they have the size and energy they need to produce beautiful flowers.

Pest Pressure

Close-up shot of a pepper stem attacked by a swarm of green and purple-pink aphids and ants.
Some pests may be present regardless of the changing seasons.

Unfortunately, we’re not the only ones who love perennials. Pests like caterpillars, deer, and aphids also like to feed on plant leaves and stems. Although some of these pests are present in both the spring and fall, each season offers unique pest challenges.

If you’re facing heavy deer pressure, planting in the spring is often the better choice. Deer and other mammals often face a food shortage in the autumn, so they’ll happily munch on a newly planted tree or flower.

If you plant in the spring after new leaves develop, the deer will have other species to eat. With that said, I always recommend protecting newly planted perennials from deer.

Fall planting is the better option if you’re more concerned with caterpillars, aphids, and other insect pests. The cold temperatures of autumn and winter kill many insect pests or force them to overwinter in a dormant state.

If you plant in the spring, new generations of pests may attack your new plants. Although these pests will still attack fall-planted perennials, the plants’ strong root systems make them better able to withstand the pests.

Share This Post
An array of cosmos in vibrant colors of pink, red, and white, among light green foliage.

Flowers

17 Wildflowers That Bloom in Fall

Wildflowers are easy-going beauties with showy blooms and textures that brim with multi-season appeal. They bring months of color and lasting winter interest. They’re also an essential source of food and shelter for pollinators and wildlife. Enjoy the extended display of top-performing selections, including natives, with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.

A close-up of low-growing bulbs in bloom, featuring a Grape Hyacinth with deep blue flowers, a Hyacinthus orientalis displaying clusters of blue star-shaped flowers, and a Daffodil with bright yellow blooms.

Bulbs

15 Low-Growing Bulbs for the Front of the Border

While low-growing bulbs are small in stature, they’re big on effortless beauty. Often the first to welcome the season, dwarf growers bring early color to layer the display and soften edges. Explore low-growing selections for recurrent color with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.

The spent Blackberry Lily flowers display dried, brownish petals with a papery texture, revealing clusters of glossy black seeds nestled within.

Flowers

15 Perennials to Direct Sow in Fall

Sowing seeds may not be the first thing you think of during fall, but it’s the perfect time to sow perennials for next year’s blooms. If you’ve got a bare spot, an empty pot, or want to fill your raised beds, you should direct sow any of these 15 species—they’ll turn drap gardens into blooming paradises!

Star-shaped blue Chionodoxa luciliae, one of the longest-flowering bulbs, blooms brightly with white centers against slender green leaves.

Bulbs

21 Longest-Flowering Bulbs to Plant This Season

Fall is the best time to plant our favorite spring and summer flowering bulbs. With some work now, we’ll reap the rewards with floral surprises as winter fades. Treat your future self by choosing long-blooming selections to usher in the warm season. You won’t have to wait long; many start appearing before winter’s end. Explore fall-planted bulbs with a long spring flowering season with gardening expert Katherine Rowe.