Ever wondered when’s the best time of year to plant indigenous trees,
shrubs and herbaceous perennials in South Africa? Many gardeners will say
spring...
However, as a gardener, designer and horticulturalist with many
years of practical experience, I have found that the cooler autumn months are
generally far superior to springtime when planting out many types of indigenous
plant. This also applies to relocating most existing indigenous trees and
shrubs in the garden. If left to plant out in spring, these plants often don’t
become established until the end of summer. This is especially so now with
climate change a reality - summers are generally just getting hotter.
By autumn, the extreme heat of summer is normally over, as the days begin to
shorten and the nights become longer and cooler. Newly planted or relocated
plants will usually thrive if they are planted in the autumn months, as they
will have plenty of time to establish their root systems before the onset of
summer again. Autumn rain will also benefit these new or relocated plantings.
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| Dietes bicolor - Yellow wild iris |
Obviously, there are some basics which should be followed, when
planting and relocating during autumn:
New plants
- If there is little chance of
frost in winter, such as in the coastal areas, most new plants can be put in
the ground during autumn.
- In areas which experience some
frost, frost-sensitive autumn plantings should be protected if frost is looming.
- Frost-sensitive plants should
not be planted out in autumn if they don’t normally grow in very cold, frosty
climates.
Relocating existing plants
- If the plant is very large and
well-established, some trenching around the plant (in its original position)
during the previous spring and summer months will need to be done to minimise
the root ball. This helps prevent the plant from experiencing any unnecessary stress
when being transplanted.
- If the plant normally flowers
in autumn or winter, rather wait until spring to move it.
- The notes about frost-hardiness
given above also apply to relocating existing plants.
- Prune back about 15% to 20% of
existing leaf/branch material on shrubs and herbaceous perennials only, so that
the plant’s energy goes into new root formation. Trees should not be pruned
back unless absolutely necessary.
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| Plumbago auriculata - Cape leadwort |
If all goes to plan, autumn plantings will be well established and
growing new shoots and leaves when the sap starts to rise at the end of winter.
You may have noticed that many nurseries really only ‘stock up’ with
trees and shrubs in the spring and summer months, which sometimes makes it difficult
to find plants for autumn planting. If they don’t mind staying in bags for about
six months, keep your spring-bought trees and shrubs until the autumn months,
then plant them out and see the difference.
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| Scadoxus puniceus - Paintbrush lily |
