Hi, I have a yard to landscape in mid town Toronto I’d like to get going most advice says to plant in yhe spring or fall. Is mid June planting considered apring, or should I wait till fall? (Im planning a pwach tree and juniper bushes).
Hello – Both spring and fall planting have their advantages. Our Gardening Guide, Planting a Tree for Life notes:
‘If you plant in early spring, the tree has time to develop a robust root system before the onset of winter. However, supplemental water will be necessary to see your plant through the hot, dry days of summer. If you plant in late summer or fall when the soil is still warm, the plant will be preparing for dormancy and can put all its energy into developing a root system rather than top growth.’
To answer your question as to what is considered ‘spring’, I checked with the LEAF organization on their planting schedule. LEAF is a non-profit organization that teaches people about trees and offers a tree planting program to assist home owners with planting trees in their back yards. LEAF will deliver and plant trees in April to June and again in September through November.
So you could plant in mid-June but you’ll need to be very mindful of summer temperatures and be careful that your new peach and juniper are receiving adequate moisture as they won’t have had a lot of time to develop new roots. If you decide to wait for the fall, note that you can stop watering your peach tree once the leaves have dropped and the tree is dormant. As evergreens, such as your junipers, don’t lose their needles, they will continue to transpire during the winter so keep watering the junipers up until the ground freezes to ensure they have a good moisture supply to see them through the winter.
For more information on planting trees, I’m including a link below to our Toronto Master Gardeners’ Guide: Planting a Tree for Life.
Planting a Tree For Life: a Toronto Master Gardeners Guide
Good luck with your landscaping.