Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
ssahmed_gw

Is June/July a good time to be planting perennials and shrubs?

ssahmed
16 years ago

Hi there,

First off, I just want to thank all the contributors to this forum as well as the forum owners for this great resource! I've already had a few of my questions answered through this forum and have found the archives very useful.

Being a complete newbie gardener (just got started two weeks ago), I want to know if its OK to be planting perennials and shrubs this time of the summer. Already, things are starting to warm up here in Toronto (mid to high 20s) and I am wondering if the following plants that I have still sitting in their pots will survive and remain healthy until next year at the same time:

royal purple smokebush

summer snowflake (viburnum)

french lilac

dappled willow

bleeding hearts (dicentra formosa)

pink lilly of the valley

The above 6 were bought just this past weekend and I plan on getting them all planted by the end of the week. They are being watered everyday and being kept in the locations where I intend to plant them.

The only additional shrubs/plants that I have yet to buy are (only after the above 6 have been planted):

serviceberry

bowman's root

green and white euonymus

Please advise me if its OK to be planting all these in such warm weather, otherwise they will be going back to where they were bought from!

Also, what's the best time of day to be planting? I usually do this later on in the day after 6:30 or 7 in the evening.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

Salman Ahmed

Comments (9)

  • Mystery_Gardener
    16 years ago

    I would plant them. Water frequently at the base. Spray the foliage and provide some shade if possible. Lots of mulching will help also.

    I have killed far more plants (especially trees and shrubs) by leaving them in pots than I have by planting them.

    Put them in a place where they are shaded during the hottest part of the day if you decide not to plant them yet.

    Cheers,
    MG

    Here is a link that might be useful: Our website

  • ssahmed
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi Ianna,

    Thanks for your detailed reply! I am located in North/East York right by the Ontario Science Centre - Don Mills Rd and Eglinton Ave.

    I too have been avoiding planting in the first half of the day, and the few plants/shrubs that I have planted in the last week were planted well after 6:30/7pm when the sun was very gentle or had already set. The weather forecast is calling for a stretch of warm very sunny days so I hope that by sticking to the later part of the evening my new transplants should remain healthy.

    Thanks for pointing out and confirming the light requirements - I always have a hard time trying to understand the "light shade"/part sun/etc. light requirements.

    I am renovating my backyard and frontyard in a very short period of time and got started a bit later than I probably should have. Still, I am excited and a bit nervous considering that its all too easy to do the wrong thing (or not do the right thing) and lose a plant or two. Thank heavens for nursery warranties! :)

    Anyways, thanks so much for the info.
    Cheers,

    Salman Ahmed

  • ianna
    16 years ago

    Dear Salman,

    It's my pleasure. In fact, the more people getting into any form of gardening, the better which is why I enjoy giving out all my little tricks of the trade. How to determine shades -- It's not an exact science. However here's another trick.. Take a piece of white paper and go out to your yard/garden bed location. Take your hand and create a shadow with it. -- Too dark a shadow - Full shade, light shadow - light shade. Part Shade/part sun, meaning the area receives strong sun a few hours per day -

    Another trick, check to see where your yard is facing. South location -- Generally full sun (except when shadows are created by trees or buildings). North Location (Generally shade & therefore shade plants)

  • Cybersunday
    16 years ago

    I plant and move all the time. My best friend is Mike, I find that a little bit of it helps to extablish the roots much quicker.

  • ssahmed
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    cybersunday:

    Who/what is "Mike"??!! I don't understand...

  • ianna
    16 years ago

    Salman,

    cybersunday meant MYKE which is a brand name for a fungal soil ammendment product that helps the plants' roots establish itself faster. You can find this product from various places like Canadian tire. This is the manufacturer's explanation for what it is suppose to do.

    "Mycorrhizal fungi have occurred naturally in the soil for over 400 million years. They form a close symbiotic relationship with plant roots. They are called mycorrhizae (from the Greek "mukès, meaning fungus, and "rhiza," meaning roots). However, in most soils that have been disturbed by residential construction, or intensive cropping practices with applications of fertilizers containing pesticides and other chemical products, the mycorrhizae content has considerably diminished, and has
    become insufficient to significantly enhance plant growth"

    This is not a fertilizer. I've personally haven't used it but many have attested to it's effectiveness.

    Ianna

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    16 years ago

    Welcome to the forum! Just want to point out one more thing and that is that the Bleeding Heart may go dormant after blooming or in mid-summer. Most folks think that it has died, but leave it, water it if the soil gets dry, and it will return in the spring.

    I have two, one in a sunnier location. For a couple of years after planting, it went dormant in the summer, but returned. Also if the summer is hot and dry, it will react this way. The one in shade stays all summer.

    Have fun!

  • greylady_gardener
    16 years ago

    Well, ssahmed, I hope that you have your plants in the garden. I am an advocate of "you can plant/transplant anytime of the growing season(night planting preferred) as long as you water extremely well for the first while until they are established".

    I hope everything does well for you.

Sponsored
MR MALAGA LANDSCAPE LLC
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars3 Reviews
Landscaping & Home Improvement Specialist in Falls Church