While spring is the season when most plants tend to blossom and thrive, it turns out that fall is actually the best season for planting in North America.
Planting your trees and shrubs when it is cooler outside means that you’ll use fewer resources and you’ll also help pollinating insects find food at a time of year when they usually struggle.
But all plants are different and they all have different needs, so if you want to turn your backyard into a botanical oasis at this time of the year, you need to know which plants are best to plant now and what care they require to grow and blossom.
Newsweek has spoken to gardening experts, who shared their advice on what gardening is best to do in November, and what mistakes you should try to avoid.
What are the best plants to grow in November?
Whether you’re planning on planting flowers, vegetables, or trees, November is a very generous month, that offers a great opportunity to get started on your dream garden. Below is a list of plants that are most suitable to plant now.
Flowers and Plants
Donald Loggins, the last original gardener at the first community garden in New York City, Liz Christy Community Garden, told Newsweek that the best flowers to plant in this weather include daffodils and snowdrops.
Daffodils
Spring flowering bulbs typically go in after the first frost but before the ground freezes. Daffodil bulbs will produce pretty yellow blooms when spring comes.
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Snowdrops
Snowdrops, like daffodils, are planted as bulbs during fall and bloom in spring. However, there are a few key differences that may make snowdrops a better fit for gardens as they are more cold-tolerant and bloom earlier.
According to Loggins, this combination means that snowdrops will, in many cases, begin blooming while there’s still plenty of snow on the ground. They’re also smaller, both in blooms and in bulbs, and grow best in partial shade.
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Garlic
November is the correct date to plant garlic for most of North America, said Loggins, and this will be one of the first crops to show itself in spring.
He said: “Elephant garlic is a very tasty variety to plant.”
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Vegetables & Fruits
Loads of green vegetables and berries are actually supposed to be planted at this time of year, and below are a few of Loggins’ suggestions.
Spinach
If you live in a place with mild winters, you can plant spinach in the fall once the weather is cool enough. After planting, make sure to water regularly and keep the soil moist.
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Jerusalem artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes, also known as Sunchokes, are a delicious tuber that tastes like a sweet and nutty potato, said Loggins, and another good option for planting in November.
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Other vegetables and fruit to plant in November
Carrots, kale, winter sprouting broccoli, onions, and shallots, are also great to grow now, as well as beets, broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, and strawberries.
Amber Scott Freda, a garden designer in Manhattan, told Newsweek that people in the city seem to like shrubs with interesting-looking berries on them in the late fall or winter, like American beautyberries or pyracanthas.
She said: “Our clients often say they love the look and sound of ornamental grasses in winter, even while completely brown, since the rustling of the leaves in the wind creates a soothing sound.”
Trees
Scott Freda, says that as long as the ground remains unfrozen and soft enough to plant, her team of gardeners continues to install evergreens, deciduous trees and shrubs, and even perennials and ornamental grasses.
“Evergreens like junipers, arborvitaes, spruces or cypresses come in a variety of interesting shapes and colors that are capable of creating a true winter wonderland effect when thoughtfully planned and arranged,” she said.
Other trees and shrubs that can be planted now include birches, coral bark maples, burning bushes or red-twig dogwoods.
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Tips for planting
Loggins suggests planting as long as the ground is soft enough to dig a hole, as well as adding mulch to help keep root temperatures stable, and compost, about two to three inches, to supply organic nutrients to the soil.
During dry periods when the ground isn’t frozen, a once-a-week deep watering is beneficial. New plantings especially need to be watered.
Mistakes to avoid
According to Loggins the biggest mistake at this time of year would be to use fertilizers. That’s because it’s the time of year garden plants become dormant and rest, and forcing them to start new growth before the ground warms up, which happens in the spring, interrupts this period of resting.
Plants not recommended
Not all plants will thrive if planted at this time of year, according to Scott Freda. These include broad-leaved evergreens, like rhododendrons, English ivy and cherry laurels.
That’s because these plants have a tendency to get winter burn, a condition that causes unsightly browning on the leaves.
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