Chicago Weather Watch

The Best Time to Plant a Tree

Fall is often considered the best time of year to plant new trees. Late August, September and October have good gardening weather, here. There may be rain for the new plants, and still mild days and sun. The hottest days of summer are past, and the ground isn’t frozen yet.

This is the season gone to seed. The fluff of milkweeds on the wind, the rattling seed pods of the indigo plant, the plumes of blooming grasses, and all kinds of burrs and sticker seeds!

For oak trees, this is the season of acorns. And maple seeds fly in the air like tiny helicopters. These are called samaras, and they are a delight for children of any age. The samaras are so good at flight, they have been studied for aeronautic designs. You may find acorns and maple seedlings along the city parkways, or in your yard, if you’re fortunate enough to have one.

What are some good trees to plant now? Maples, crabapples, oaks and ginkgo, to name a few. Ginkgo are especially resilient to road salt and pollution. They are slow-growing, but they can live a very long time. Some trees in Japan are reported to be over 1000 years old. You can read more about the ginkgo here.

When is the best time to plant a tree? The old saying is–twenty years ago. But what we can do now will shape the future, the climate, the earth we share with the trees, breathing in and out with them. The best time to plant a tree is now.

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Filed under:
history, nature, seasons, weather

Tags:
acorns, ginkgo tree, maple tree, oak tree, samaras