Why plant a tree? There are plenty of benefits to growing trees. First of all, trees are easy to care for. Once they’re established, most trees don’t require much additional maintenance. They provide shade, privacy, and shelter from the elements. All plants provide critical environmental services, such as making oxygen and helping clean the air and water. Trees also provide a critical food source for humans and wildlife.
If you’ve decided to add a tree to your landscape, get ready to do some digging. September is one of the best times of year for planting trees. Whether deciduous or evergreen, most species naturally go dormant during the winter, and they start slowing down during the fall. At this time, you can easily transition them from a pot to a permanent location. When they wake up again in the spring, they will be ready to direct all their energy into setting in and establishing their new home.
Timing is important with fall plantings. You want to get your saplings in the ground while the soil is still workable; not too soon, but also not too late. Ideally, time your fall transplants so they get at least six weeks of growth before the first average fall frost. It’s okay if they get less than that, but they will have a growth advantage if they have a chance to take hold before going completely dormant for the winter.
Now let’s dig right in and look at the details of 15 types of trees you can successfully plant in September before the first fall frost.
American Fringe Tree
Enjoy stunning white flowers in spring and golden leaves in autumn.
The American fringe tree is a little-used landscaping tree that has great potential. This small tree is native to the eastern United States, where it grows in the understory of moist hardwood forests. In the home landscape, the fringe tree does well with full sun or light shade and rich, moist, well-drained soil.
In the spring, American fringe tree puts on a spectacular show. The feathery, fringelike flowers cover the tree with a showy white blanket of elongated petals. At a distance, a fully flowering tree appears almost entirely white. For the rest of the year, these modest trees are an appealing rounded green form in your landscape, quietly complimenting your other greenery. The leaves turn golden yellow in autumn.
American Redbud
Early spring brings vibrant pink flowers and heart-shaped leaves.
The American redbud is a small understory tree native to central and eastern North America. It is a common tree along forest edges, roadsides, and urban habitats. This easy-to-grow tree would do well in a partially shaded location with taller trees in the vicinity. The soil should be organically rich, generally moist, and well-drained.
American redbuds are best known for their showy pale pinkish-purple flowers. These pea-like flowers appear in very early spring before the leaves emerge. They line the branches in small clusters for a very colorful welcome to warmer weather. Shortly after flowering, heart-shaped leaves grace the American redbud. You’ll find several cultivars of this tree, some with purple foliage.
Flowering Cherry
Bright spring blossoms attract pollinators to your sunny garden.
Flowering cherry trees are highly ornamental small to medium-sized trees with nicely rounded crowns. You’ll find a wide variety of flowering cherry cultivars to liven up your landscape. The spring-blooming blossoms may be pure white or varying shades of pink. Regardless of color, pollinators love the abundant flowers that cover the trees in early spring.
Your flowering cherry tree will appreciate a sunny location where it can shine without nearby vegetative competition. The soil should be rich, moist, and well-drained. Check the preferred climate zone for the species you want because some of these trees are more cold-hardy and heat-tolerant than others. Whichever you choose, plant it in the fall, and your tree will be ready to flower the following spring.
Edible Fig
Grow your own sweet, delicious fruits with easy-care trees.
Have you ever wanted to grow your own fruit trees? If you live in a warm enough climate zone, you’ll find fig trees are remarkably easy to grow. These compact fruit trees have a pleasing rounded form. They grow best in full sun with rich, moist, well-drained soil.
The edible fig fruits ripen in mid-summer. They are soft, sweet, and delicious. Enjoy your figs fresh, frozen, dried, cooked, or preserved. The leaves of the fig tree are large and palmate with a slightly rough texture. Most commercially available fig cultivars produce plenty of fruits without the need for cross-pollination with another fig tree.
Fir
For a hardy evergreen with year-round charm, try this tree.
Do you live in a cooler climate and want a beautiful evergreen tree? Try one of the native fir species. These attractive, long-lived trees are very cold hardy and love climates with long winters and cool summers. Firs thrive in full sun or light shade with well-drained soil.
These needled evergreens are commonly used as Christmas trees and harvested when they’re still quite young. A mature fir can reach over 100 feet tall in natural conditions, although they rarely grow over 70 feet tall in cultivation. If you prefer a compact variety, look for dwarf cultivars. The short, silvery-green needles of a fir tree add interest and appeal all year as well as provide an excellent privacy screen and wildlife habitat.
Flowering Crabapple
Brighten your garden with a compact tree bursting with blooms.
Are you looking for a smaller ornamental tree with fantastic spring flowers? Flowering crabapples delight each spring with their prolific blooms that cover these compact trees with colors ranging from white to pale pink to deep burgundy rose. The flowers are spectacular and will be buzzing and fluttering with pollinator activity.
Although crabapple fruits are edible, most people don’t eat them because they are very tart. You can best use them for jams and jellies or leave them on the tree for ornamental value and to feed the birds. For smaller areas, choose a dwarf variety of flowering crabapple to fit in any part of your landscape.
Flowering Dogwood
Enhance your garden with stunning spring blooms.
The flowering dogwood is a highly ornamental small tree native to the eastern and central United States. It blooms early each spring with white flowers that generally have a pink mark at the tip of each of its four petals. You’ll also find showy cultivars with highly varied pink flowers. Pollinators enjoy the flowers, and birds feast on the bright red berry-like fruits that appear in late summer and fall.
Flowering dogwood performs best in a partially shaded location. In hotter climates, select a site that receives some afternoon shade, or your dogwood leaves can scorch in harsh midday sun. The soil should be rich and moist with good drainage. In the fall, you’ll enjoy the bright red to purple autumn foliage display.
Hawthorn
Brighten your yard with early spring blooms and lively pollinators.
Hawthorns are beautiful spring-flowering trees or large shrubs. They grow quickly and enhance your landscape early each season with their superabundance of white blossoms. Bees and other early-season pollinators will love to visit your yard to sip the abundant nectar, and many species of songbirds will stop by later in the season to feast on the small fruits.
Several native hawthorn species, also known as mayhaws, grow throughout the United States. Most are quite ornamental and easy to grow, so choose one native to your region. When selecting a hawthorn for your yard, avoid the invasive “common hawthorn” (Crataegus monogyna) because this species easily escapes cultivation and competes with native vegetation; this species is listed as a noxious weed in the Pacific Northwest.
Holly
Enhance your garden with vibrant winter berries.
Holly trees are versatile and easy to grow. Many holly species are understory trees and best adapted to a partially shaded habitat with rich, moist soil and good drainage. Use these trees as a privacy hedge, enhance your wildlife habitat, or grow them along a shaded woodland edge.
You’ll find some beautiful varieties of holly. For example, the American holly (Ilex opaca) is a full-sized native tree with evergreen leaves. The winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) grows to about 15 feet tall and has deciduous leaves. Many holly species have showy, brightly colored berries that persist into the winter months and provide an excellent food source for birds and other small animals.
Japanese Maple
Add vibrant fall colors and graceful forms to your landscape.
Japanese maples are beautiful and highly ornamental. They come in dwarf forms that can be used for small spaces, as well as small or medium-sized trees, which make a spectacular addition to any landscape design. These showy species thrive in partial shade with moist, well-drained soil.
You’ll find a wide variety of Japanese maple cultivars with varying sizes, forms, and leaf shapes. All Japanese maples produce brilliant fall foliage with shades of scarlet red, purple, and yellow. Their deeply cut leaves range from star-shaped to extremely fine and feathery. Weeping cultivars have attractive cascading branches for year-round appeal.
Northern Catalpa
Enjoy a shade specimen with showy blooms and unique pods.
The northern catalpa makes a great shade tree with a thick trunk and broad canopy. This large tree can be grown in full sun or partial shade. It prefers organically rich, moist soil with good drainage, although it performs well in a variety of habitats and conditions.
Northern catalpa is native to the central and eastern United States. This ornamental tree has showy spring-blooming flowers that are hard to miss. The bell-like flowers are white with pink throats and attract pollinators. By mid-summer, long bean-like seed pods develop, giving this tree the nickname “cigar tree.”
Norway Spruce
Choose a versatile evergreen for stunning shape and seasonal interest.
The Norway spruce is a fast-growing needled evergreen native to Europe. It loves cold weather and needs climates with long winters and cool summers. There are over 100 cultivars of the Norway spruce, so you’re sure to find something that suits your landscaping style. Look for dwarf varieties for smaller spaces and weeping, conical, or columnar forms if you’re looking for a specific shape.
The Norway spruce has short, stiff, glossy green needles. These conifers make excellent wind screens and privacy hedges. They are also standout specimens that can easily be the focal point for a larger yard. Norway spruce produces cone-like flowers in the spring and produces ornamental, pendulum-like seed-bearing cones by fall.
Pine
Select a versatile evergreen with unique forms and seasonal charm.
No matter where you live, you’ll probably find a pine well-suited to your landscape. There are a multitude of pine species to choose from, including dwarf varieties and towering giants. You’ll find weeping branches, conical forms, rounded crowns, and whimsical sprawling forms.
Pines generally prefer full sun with well-drained soil. They are needled conifers and stay evergreen throughout the year. Pines produce cones that are both ornamental and nutrient-rich food for wildlife. If you’re considering a pine for your landscape, choose a variety that suits your available space and climate, and you’ll have a long-lived evergreen with tremendous long-term value.
Red Maple
Enhance your landscape with vibrant fall colors and unique forms.
Maple trees are beautiful landscaping specimens with appealing forms and brilliant fall colors. The red maple hails from eastern and central North America, where it commonly grows in a variety of forested habitats. This deciduous species produces tiny red flowers in the spring, followed by familiar red “helicopter” seed pods. These showy trees make great shade trees and are perfect for a wildlife-friendly landscape.
There are a few great native maple species to choose from. If New England is your home, you’ll already be familiar with the vivid fall colors of the sugar maple (Acer saccharum). If you are in the Pacific Northwest, try the impressively large bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) or the compact vine maple (Acer circinatum).
Just avoid the invasive Norway maple (Acer platanoides), which is a weedy European species.
Southern Magnolia
Transform your landscape with fragrant blooms and glossy evergreen leaves.
The southern magnolia is a magnificent species native to the southeastern United States. This broadleaf evergreen has giant, glossy green leaves with a soft, coppery brown fuzz on the underside. The giant fragrant white flowers bloom in late spring and early summer and can reach over six inches across.
Southern magnolias command attention. You’ll want to give your magnolia tree plenty of space so it can reach its full potential. The dense canopy of leaves prevents other vegetation from growing under these trees but offers plenty of shelter for birds, insects, and other wildlife. You’ll enjoy these trees providing life and color to your landscape throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, spring is another excellent time to add new plants to your yard. For many species, fall is the best time because your plants are getting ready to go dormant during the winter. During this time, they will rest and wait. When spring comes, they will come to life and be ready to grow with fresh vigor.
September is a great time for planting. You can, of course, plant many species of trees in September. While you’re out working in your yard, you can also divide and thin your over-crowded perennials.
If you’d like to add perennials to your landscape, fall is the perfect time to transplant new wildflowers. And if you want to start some new wildflowers from seed, sow your seeds in prepared flower beds during September or October and they’ll germinate the following spring. When warm weather returns, your yard will be alive with fresh new growth!
Before you plant your tree, prepare your site well. Loosen the soil, remove weeds, and amend the soil as needed. Loosen the roots before you place your tree in the ground. It will have an easier time getting started than if you plant it with a dense tangle of pot-bound roots.
After planting your tree, add some mulch around it to help protect the tender new roots from harsh conditions. You’ll also want to water your tree well immediately after planting and keep it moist for the first couple of weeks after transplanting.
Look at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map to learn your zone. You’ll need to choose a tree that will grow well in your zone. Next, take note of the conditions in your own yard. Do you have full sun, partial sun, or full shade? Is your soil wet, moist, or dry? Is your soil well-drained or does water pool and create soggy conditions?
Identify where you want to grow your tree and select a tree that’s well-suited to the sun levels and soil type at that site. Finally, consider why you want a tree. Do you want a large shade tree or a small ornamental tree? Are you looking for something with evergreen foliage, spring flowers, or fall color? See if you can find a few species that match all of your requirements and those will be the best trees for you.
