Plant perennials in autumn, ready to enjoy next summer!
Whether you are a landscape gardener planting up a new garden for a client, or a Garden Centre looking to pot up plants in preparation for selling on as larger plants next year, autumn is the ideal time to plant most perennials.
The cooler overnight temperatures, more regular rainfall and warmth still present in the soil provides excellent conditions for plants to establish their roots quickly in their new home. Giving the plants a good chance of being stronger, more resilient, and productive come spring and summer.
Planting during autumn also puts the plant under considerably less stress, as they are less likely to have to deal with scorching temperatures, long hours of direct blazing sunlight, and the probability of drier soils, all whilst trying to maintain masses of foliage and the energy intensive process of developing blooms which would all be experienced during summer planting.
A fantastic choice of 9cm, 2 litre and bare root plants are available to order now.
Click here to see our current stock availability lists and for information about placing an order with us
The benefits of planting bare root plants
As many perennials begin to move into dormancy for the approaching winter months ahead, autumn also marks the start of the bare root season.
Bare root plants, also known as open ground plants, are shipped from around the end of October to mid-April. Traditionally this was the way that most plants would have been purchased and handled, and although pot grown perennials have become more popular, there are still several advantages to buying plants bare root over buying them in pots.
Our top 5 reasons to buy bare root perennials
- Quicker to establish and flourish
Field grown plants can often have stronger, more resilient roots structures. This, in part is down to having had more interaction with beneficial organisms in the fields, which helps them to establish quicker once planted in their new home. Planting them during the dormant season also enables the plant to focus its energy into root growth, laying down a good foundation before needing to focus any energy into growth above ground come spring.
- Bigger, stronger and more resilient plants
Bare root plants offer excellent value for money as they will be larger than a potted 9cm equivalent and cheaper than a 2 or 5 litre potted plant. They also tend to be stronger and more resilient compared to a container grown plant. This is because a plant in a pot requires regular watering, as containers can quickly dry out. In comparison, field grown plants are only watered by natural rainfall, and with machinery 3 to 4 times a year using water from our reservoirs and bore hole. This encourages them to establish deep, strong roots to locate water held deeper underground, helping them to become more resilient and to deal better with spells of dry weather.
- Less waste and plastic free!
Without the need of a plastic pot, our bare root plants are shipped in 100% recyclable, plastic free packaging. We use cardboard boxes and shredded recycled newspaper to pack our open ground plants. This means that there is no plastic going to landfill with bare root production. Garden designers and landscapers also often comment that they love planting with bare root plants, as there are no plastic pots to have to worry about disposing of after planting.
- Peat free!
Our Bare Root perennials are field grown before being lifted and shipped without any soil in autumn and winter during the plant’s natural dormant period, resulting in a completely peat free plant.
- Easier to plant
Without the need to worry about removing and handling fragile root balls from a plastic pot, open ground plants are often easier to plant. Especially when it comes to getting the positioning just right within a border. They are also simpler and quicker to pot on should you wish to grow on as strong, robust container stock for spring and summer sales.
Bare Root Plants - once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Click here to see our current stock availability lists
Don’t wait, reserve your Bare Root order now.
