10/05/2026
As a gardener, one of the hardest concepts to understand, especially in perennial plants, is the process of dormancy.
Dormancy is a period of your plant going in to a sleep or a sort of hibernation, so to speak where it diverts its energy to the roots, rather than the foliage. This is an important time in a perennials life, especially native perennials, where they develop the long, deep roots that help the plant to survive the next year, including the drought season.
Your plant simply is not dead, rather it is working undercover, (literally) while it develops a good foundation for next years garden. I mean, a house is only as good as its foundation, right? And the same thing goes for your plants. Native perennials develop a strong foundation in the form of elongated roots, often times from a central taproot, that annual and other perennials lack. Those native roots are designed to seek water deeper into the soil, hence why they have survived for more years than we can count in prairies and forests of the Midwest.
So plant without fear this Fall season, knowing that just because you cannot see the foliage on top, that your plants are working diligently to provide the best garden for you for years to come. OH, and don't forget to give your plants and trees a drink during the dry spells of Fall and Winter. They don't need it as much, nor as frequent but they still need water to survive.
https://dyckarboretum.org/why-do-plants-go-dormant-in-the-winter/
Winter is coming. Trees, shrubs and other plants have gone dormant, allowing them to survive the cold weather. Why is this so important for plant survival?
