If you're looking at the forecast and not feeling quite ready to embrace sweater weather, surround yourself with some new shrubs, perennials and trees!
Despite the cooling climes, now is the perfect time to plant. It is a great opportunity to think about moving any shrubs that need to be rehomed, pruning trees that need some love and ordering fall bulbs that can be planted soon and enjoyed in the spring.
It is also a great time to reflect on your planting and growing journey over the past few months, think about what worked and what didn't work, jot some notes down and plant the seed for new plans for next spring.
So what can you plant now? Here's a quick guide on what can be planted in the Calgary and surrounding zone from now until the ground freezes.
Trees
Trees love to be planted when it is a little cooler and the hot summer sun isn't too strong. Any tree that is rated zone 3 or lower will do well in your yard. Be sure to think about how much space your tree will need and resist the urge to overplant. Trees may look great when they are small, but depen
ding on the variety, they can outgrow their spaces very quickly! New trees require plenty of water until they are established. Trees are happiest when they are not too soggy and not dried out - slow and steady is the best rule of thumb when watering your trees.
Shrubs + Perennials
Much like trees, shrubs and perennials will be happy to be planted in the cooler weather of late summer / early fall. There are so many wonderful varieties to choose from!
Be sure to check the zone information on the plant (anything zone 3 or lower is perfect for the Calgary planting area) and think about how much sun or shade the areas where you plant receive. It's ideal if you can monitor the space where you want to plant and determine if it is full sun (6-8+ hours of sun per day), partial sun/partial shade with 4-6 hours of sun per day or shade with less than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. The morning sun tends to be weaker than the afternoon sun, so keep that in mind as well.
If you need some help deciding which plants to choose, check out our blog post on Choosing Plants in Calgary. We also love these planting guides from the City of Calgary for what works best in different yards.
Sod
If you need to replace old sod or you have a new yard that needs sod, now is a perfect time to install sod. Just be sure to consistently water the new sod for best results.
Bulbs
Planting bulbs is a wonderful way to up your flower game. We love planting bulbs in the fall because we almost forget that we planted them until they started peeking out of the ground in the spring - it's such a wonderful surprise!!
Tulips, allium and anemone are some of our personal favourites. Bulbs can be purchased from most Garden Centres or online from various retailers, including our favourite West coast Seeds, from Breck's and Vesseys. Costco often has some great bulb options, too! No matter where you go for bulbs, just don't wait too long as many varieties can sell out, shipping times may be longer than expected and we never know when the snow may fall!
Need some help with these projects? Let us know - we'd love to help!
Happy planting!!
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