Fall is a great time to obtain and prepare plants for next year’s planting on the layout. Many nurseries and home centers are clearing out their stock for the upcoming winter. Deep discounts and close-out sales are abundant.
I particularly look for various spruce, cypress, boxwoods, and hollies at this time of the year. I have a temporary planting bed with well draining soil where these plants will spend the winter. No special soil amendments or conditioners are required. Simply dig holes about twice the width of the container and the same depth. The plants need to be planted at the same depth that they are in the container, or perhaps just a bit higher.
Remove the plants from the commercial containers and examine the roots. Many of the plants purchased at this time of the year will be root-bound. If they are, simply slice through the outer inch of the root mass with a sharp knife and gently loosen the roots with your fingers. Remove any encircling roots that go around the perimeter of the root mass.
Remove any dead or damaged branches and dying leaves/needles. For multiple trunked specimens, this is a good time to remove unwanted portions of the plant. Just don’t remove more than a third of the total structure. Don’t be too concerned about pruning to final desired shape at this time. That will be done in the spring when they are moved to the layout.
Place the plants into the planting holes and fill around the root ball with native soil. If the native soil has a high clay content, mix a bit of organic material with it. Fill around the root ball with the soil to eliminate air pockets and water thoroughly. Do not fertilize! Mulch around the plants with a 2” to 3” layer of shredded leaves, grass clippings, or cypress/cedar chips. Keep the mulch about an inch away from the trunks.
Fall is also the best time of the year to propagate new plants from cuttings taken from existing plants on your layout. Expect best results from cuttings of many narrow-leaved evergreens taken from late fall to late winter. Exposure of the mother or stock plant to cold temperatures prior to taking the cuttings stimulates rooting although some plants root readily almost any time of the year. Simply cut of a piece from an existing plant, dip the cut end in rooting hormone, and stick it in the ground. For a good understanding of propagating with cuttings, see Steve Featherkile’s excellent post at:
http://largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/22101/propagating-alberta-spruce-from
Go away and don’t do anything else until springtime. During the winter, the plants will be developing a strong root structure. If you have a dry winter without significant rain or snow, you may need to water the plants occasionally.
Next spring, after the last frost, you can dig up your new plants and transplant them to the layout. You will find that this “grow-your-own” method will yield stronger and healthier plants for the layout, and save you a few bucks in the process.