Plant trees and shrubs in the fall and winter

The fall and winter seasons in Louisiana are the ideal times to establish ornamental trees and shrubs in the landscape. Many have the mistaken idea that ornamental plants should not be planted until early spring. This idea comes from catalogs and other online sources aimed at gardeners in the colder parts of the United States, where spring planting is recommended because soils are frozen and proper soil management cannot be carried out during the winter.

Fall and winter planting is the most ideal time to plant trees and shrubs in Louisiana because soil temperatures are high enough during much of this period to allow root development that helps plants get over the shock of transplanting before the hot weather ensues in the spring. Plant metabolism slows down in cooler temperatures and so do populations of insects; so, generally, plant maintenance is less intense in the fall and winter when compared to the summer. Planting in the fall gives the plant time to have an established root system that will yield great drought tolerance come summer when we don’t get much rainfall.  

In addition to the biological aspect of planting trees and shrubs in the fall in Southern Louisiana, nurseries will have their widest selection of shrubs and trees in the fall. For more information on maintenance and selection of urban trees, reference “Native Tree Growing Guide for Louisiana: the selection, planting and care of urban trees” at www. lsuagcenter.com