Photos (Clockwise from top left): Adobe Stock; Cydney Ross; Kansas Forest Service. Pictured above: Forest Keeling partners with the Deep Roots plant sale in an effort to get more native trees planted in Kansas City.
Though it might not feel like it outdoors right now, fall is still coming up on the calendar and tree planting needs to be on your mind this month! Deep Roots is proud to partner with Johnson County’s Contain The Rain program and Forrest Keeling Nursery to sell native trees and shrubs at our September 13th Plant Sale in Prairie Village. For our region’s native species, fall is an excellent time to plant and expand on the garden work you’ve already achieved this past spring.
While certain herbaceous perennials are maybe more ideally suited for early spring planting, native trees are highly successful when planted mid-September though our first hard frosts. For example, buying a native Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) or Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) is fairly underwhelming by this time of the year – you’re buying a pot, some soil, a corm or root mass, and hope, right? Containerized trees, on the other hand, provide a rewarding purchase option for fall native gardening enthusiasts. They’re full of vigor, and don’t wane much in their splendor, wildlife benefit, and aesthetic appeal from spring through fall – quite the opposite, really! Our native trees such as Black Gum (Nyssa sylvativa) and Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) are some real showstoppers as summer fades away and our landscapes take on the burgundies, oranges, ambers, and ochres of fall in the canopy.
Another set of conditions that make fall the prime tree planting season is the balance between soil temperatures that are still cooking, air temperatures that become more moderate, and generally higher precipitation – though we’ve had a very wet summer here in KC. Woody native plants will jump at the chance to develop fibrous roots that spiderweb out from their taproots in this moist and cozy soil profile, establishing a foothold in perfect time for the dormant season, ready to shine by next spring. It is still crucial to keep an eye on soil moisture after planting if those cool, rainy weeks are further away than we might hope, but generally native trees and shrubs are a great structural addition to your landscapes as the growing season slips away. **Pro Tip: When you plant a native tree or shrub this September, don’t fret too much when all the leaves fall off a few weeks later – it’s what our deciduous woody friends do. 🙂
Two-hundred Johnson County residents have already registered to receive a free 3-gallon native tree through Deep Roots’ website, courtesy of our partners. Vouchers will also be available to JoCo residents for 50% off retail tree and shrub purchases, to round out your native woody planting plans.
