Ask Burton
This week, a question about tree planting. Turns out, it’s quite different here in North Texas, compared to the northern climes.
Q: I moved to Texas from Illinois this year, and my HOA wants me to replace a tree the builder planted that didn’t make it this summer. It’s already December. Shouldn’t I wait for spring?
A:Â Not at all.
Generally speaking, October and November are the absolute best time of year to plant a tree in North Texas, but December through the cooler part of the spring are still excellent. The reasoning is simple; our soil does not freeze, and the weather will not stress new plantings as it will once temperatures heat up. October and November are only slightly better because it’s that much longer before your new tree faces its first hot North Texas summer.
The same reasoning applies to almost all shrubs, with one exception. As long as the shrubs have been exposed to cool weather, i.e., not kept in a heated greenhouse all season, they’ll handle winter weather just fine with a good watering the day before and perhaps a frost cloth applied for the most tender plantings – at least, if the plant has any business being outside in any North Texas winter at all! A plant that’s been in a heated house all winter hasn’t ‘hardened off’ yet, and should be exposed to a couple of weeks of cooler weather and short day lengths before being thrown out into the worst cold in ground. Nurseries in our area typically leave their greenhouse doors open to the ambient air except for the worst handful of coldest days, so plants remain toned and ready to plant.
Trees are almost never kept in a greenhouse at all, so they’ve invariably had that cool weather exposure.
Interestingly, this question would be perfectly reasonable in Illinois. There, planting a tree in December is just too late – for them, it’d be best to wait until the ground thaws. Brr!