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Photo Credit: Courtesy of CJ Jewel

Step 1: After amending your soil, sit your plant – still in its container – next to the hole you’re digging to help you gauge how big it should be.

Yes, it’s true. Fall is a great time for planting perennials, trees and shrubs. After all, when they’re in the ground early, they’ve got a little extra time to get themselves established before the next growing season. But if you don’t take the time to plant right, the outcome can be disastrous!

Here’s the key when it comes to successful fall planting: Don’t take any shortcuts. That means proper bed preparation and digging the correct planting hole sizes. The best way to install any plant for faster root development – any time of the year – is by providing an ample area of loose soil around and under the containerized root ball. Many people don’t grasp the importance of proper planting prep. But truly, the easier you make it for the roots to grow, the faster your plants will become established.

Using a bare-minimum approach to planting in late fall is a recipe for disaster. All it takes is a few freeze-thaw cycles to heave up improperly planted material. Combine that with a winter that offers little to no snow cover (which won’t help insulate roots), and you’re guaranteed to lose a lot of plants.

When I was a landscape contractor in Michigan, I did a lot of fall plantings – and I didn’t plant any differently on Oct. 25 than I did in late May. And despite the fact I planted late into the fall season (even with light frost on the ground), I suffered few losses. This was 100 percent true until I was hired to create “Helen’s” fabulous perennial garden.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of CJ Jewel

Step 2: Put the container in the hole to ensure you’ve got the proper planting depth.

Helen hired me to design and install a huge planting in October. We arrived to plant and discovered that beneath the mulch were two layers of weed barrier over hard, compacted clay soil. I wanted to remove the fabric so I could till and amend the soil – to get the plants off to a good start. Unfortunately, I was emphatically told we weren’t allowed to disturb the weed-free space. We were only given permission to make the necessary plant-size slits in the landscape fabric and to plant from there.