The best time to plant in North Texas
Why fall beats spring for most planting — a DFW season-by-season calendar.
By The T.A.P. Team · March 2024 · 5 min read
In North Texas, the best time to plant most trees, shrubs, and perennials is fall — not spring. Planting in fall lets roots establish through the mild winter so plants are strong before our brutal summer, rather than transplanting them right into the heat. Spring works too, but summer planting fights an uphill battle. Here's a season-by-season planting calendar for DFW lawns and gardens.
- Fall: BEST for trees, shrubs, perennials
- Spring: a good second choice
- Summer: hardest — avoid transplanting if you can
- Warm-season grass/sod: late spring–early summer
- Cool-season color: fall and early spring
Why fall is best
It's counterintuitive, but fall is prime planting time here. When you plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in fall, the roots establish in cool, moist soil over the mild North Texas winter — so by the time summer arrives, the plant has a strong root system to survive the heat. Spring-planted specimens have far less time to root before the temperature spikes.
Spring planting
Spring is the popular time and works well for most plants, plus it's when you plant warm-season annual color and vegetables. The caveat is timing: the later into spring you plant, the less time roots have before summer, so plant early-to-mid spring and water attentively through the first summer.
Summer: the hard season
Transplanting into 100° heat stresses roots badly, so summer is the time to maintain, not plant, if you can avoid it. The exception is warm-season grass and sod, which actually establishes in the warmth. If you must plant in summer, water heavily and mulch to protect the roots.
Season-by-season calendar
Fall: trees, shrubs, perennials, and cool-season color — the best window. Spring: annuals, warm-season color, vegetables, and a second window for shrubs. Summer: maintain and water; plant warm-season sod. Winter: dormant trees and shrubs can go in on mild days. Match your trees and heat-tough plants to the right window.
| Season | What to plant |
|---|---|
| Fall (best) | Trees, shrubs, perennials, cool color |
| Spring | Annuals, warm color, veggies, shrubs |
| Summer | Maintain; warm-season sod only |
| Winter | Dormant trees/shrubs on mild days |
| Warm-season grass | Late spring–early summer |
The biggest planting mistake in North Texas is buying trees and shrubs in spring and dropping them into the ground right before summer — then watching them struggle. Whenever you can, plant in fall so roots establish over the mild winter and the plant faces its first Texas summer already strong. It's the single easiest way to improve survival and growth.
Planting around the DFW climate
Our long, brutal summers are exactly why fall planting wins here — it gives roots the head start they need. We plant and install landscapes on the right seasonal schedule across Plano, Frisco, and McKinney. See our landscaping team.
The short version
- Fall is the best time to plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in North Texas.
- Fall planting lets roots establish over winter before the brutal summer.
- Spring is a good second choice — plant early so roots develop before heat.
- Summer is the hardest time; maintain rather than transplant.
- Warm-season grass and sod are the exception — they establish in summer heat.
- Match each plant type to its ideal seasonal window.
Best time to plant — frequently asked questions
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