Why is Autumn the best time of the entire year for Planting Trees & Shrubs?

Tree Ferns and Wollemi Pine Trees buy online London garden centre

Tree Ferns | Wollemi Pine Trees

Trees and Shrubs which have been containerised (ie plants supplied in pots rather than rootballed/barerooted) can be planted at any time of the year provided that the soil is not too hard from extreme frost or extreme drought BUT professional gardeners/landscapers prefer to plant in autumn / early winter. There are a number of practical reasons for this, importantly…
Plants planted in the Autumn/early Winter have the very best chance of fully establishing and they require minimum maintenance.

Autumn planting suggestions from Paramount Plants - London's premiere garden centre

Full Standard Bay Trees | Cordylines Underplanted With Agapanthus

The maintenance of plants planted in autumn is minimal because, once the weather gets consistently colder (around mid-October usually), there is no need for watering (unless we have a sudden winter heatwave and with the way the weather has been this year, it wouldn’t surprise us!).

Betula Jacqumontii Large and Acer Palmatums to buy online at Paramount Plants

Betula Jacqumontii Large | Acer Palmatum with Autumn Foliage

This Spring and Summer has been a good year for rain – possibly too much at times! – but it has meant that this Autumn will be a highly productive time for planting because generally the soil has practically perfect conditions ie warm, moist and most importantly easy to dig.
Plants planted in autumn will be allowed to gently settle their root systems before the onset of the harshest winter months (usually in January/February) and when the weather gets consistently colder the plants become dormant until around end of March.

Cupressus Goldcrest Topiary Balls and Viburnum Tinus to buy online

Cupressus Goldcrest Topiary Balls | Viburnum Tinus

This will mean in late Spring / early Summer they will have optimum conditions for flourishing as they have had plenty of time to really establish their roots.
This is therefore an excellent time to make planned changes to your garden layout, create new and interesting areas, have a complete garden re-design or even finally plant those longed for and coveted specimen shrubs and trees.

Perovskia Blue Spire and Yucca Rostrata to buy online, London garden centre

Perovskia Blue Spire aka Russian Sage | Yucca Rostrata

Autumn is nature’s planting time! For anyone considering planting Trees and Shrubs then NOW is the best time to get those plants into the ground….

Check out our Special Offers page for some fantastic value plants

Please also read our blog post on tips for planting and maintaining plants

Autumn is one of our favourite times of the year, not least because our garden centre looks so stunning with all the leaves now starting to change colour. In particular, Japanese Acers are transforming into the most beautiful shades of amber, bronze and red. Our various species of holly are covered in bright red berries and our deciduous trees and shrubs are developing autumn hues…

We welcome visitors to our North London garden centre – we’re open 7 days a week!

Ilex Aquifolium shrubs for sale UK

Ilex Aquifolium is covered in berries during the Autumn

Mature trees for Autumn planting for sale UK

Autumn Shades in our Garden Centre in North London

leucothoe plants for sale UK

Castelwellan Spirals under planted with Leucothoe which is changing colour for Autumn