late summer perennial planting

appletonwi

14 years ago

What's the latest one can plant perennials in the late summer, in zone 4/5?

Featured Answer

denninmi

14 years ago

Well, both of the above answers are correct in a sense. A lot of it depends on the plant and the condition of it. Bareroot plants, for example, will need some time to root in. Well-established plants from pots can go into the ground anytime before it freezes as a rule, as long as you mulch them deeply to prevent the frost from heaving them up. Certain things of marginal hardiness might light a bit more time to root in and should be planted earlier. But as a rule, you can plant stuff quite late. I like to poke around nurseries and garden centers in mid to late October and pick up clearance items really cheaply. Last fall, I hit some really good end of season sales at HD and Lowes and a local nursery, ended up getting some trees and shrubs for $1 to $2 each, some it was originally prices as high as $80. I planted about 3 dozen plants in total, the weekend before Halloween and the weekend of Halloween, and not a single one died over the winter.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

duluthinbloomz4
14 years ago
It's helpful to know your first "average" frost dates - then give yourself maybe 6 weeks before that for any new plants to get established.

Up here in zone 4, and very close to Lake Superior, I wouldn't put in anything new (except for bulbs) much after mid-September. You probably have a few additional weeks.
ninamarie
14 years ago
We plant until the snow falls.
janetpetiole
14 years ago
Hey, neighbor! I live in Appleton, too.

In addition to mulching well when when planting late, is that the area should be well drained and the soil firmly pressed in around the plant. Also, under drought conditions, you should make sure to water lightly if the soil gets dry. although if this winter is anything like the last 2, I doubt you'll have to worry about that.
revss
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
These postings are 6 years old! I trust they're still OK?
theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Sure they're okay. Why wouldn't they be? Nothing said is going to change or be inaccurate any time soon. Heaving is my biggest concern when planting late in the fall. If planted too late the plants might not have time to put down their own roots and can pop out of the ground when it freezes.

Rodney