Fall gets a lot of attention for vegetable gardening, but it’s also one of the best times of year to plant perennial flowers in North Texas.

In fact, for many perennials, I would rather plant now than wait until spring.

The reason is simple: fall gives plants time to establish roots without immediately having to survive the stress of a North Texas summer.

Why fall planting works so well

Even as our air temperatures begin to cool, the soil stays warm enough for roots to continue growing.

That gives newly planted perennials a valuable head start. Instead of going into summer with a relatively small root system, they have months to settle in and become established before the real heat arrives.

You also have a much easier job as the gardener. Cooler temperatures mean less transplant stress and generally less frequent watering than you would need with a newly planted perennial in late spring.

That doesn’t mean you can plant something and forget about it. New plants still need consistent moisture while they establish. But fall gives you a much wider margin for success.

Choose plants that are built for this climate

Timing is only part of the equation.

A plant can be labeled “perennial” and still be a poor choice for a North Texas garden.

Our plants have to tolerate intense summer heat, periods of drought, heavy clay soils, unpredictable winter weather and, depending on the site, either blazing sun or challenging shade.

The more carefully you choose plants for those conditions, the less time you’ll spend trying to keep your garden alive.

That is exactly what we’ll be talking about in my upcoming Native & Perennial Flower Gardens class on Saturday, October 17 at 10:00 am.

We’ll cover how to choose reliable native and perennial flowers for North Texas and how to use them to create a garden that is beautiful, resilient and easier to maintain.

The class is included with Dallas Garden School enrollment, along with the replay and our full library of gardening courses.

Now is a very good time to get those perennial beds planted.