first...

in MI .. i would not plant any conifer until fall ... to be most careful ... its been near 100 for three days running.. for you too??? that is not prime planting season ...

i am sure you are well enough versed if you want to reduce your odds a bit.. and plant it anyway ...

is this a score from the english gardens sale you were talking about???

its deciduous .. and in MI.. that means .. at best.. what.. a 6 month growing season ...

i would be very careful about how much shade you place it in ... and now that i checked.. its not variegated.. so your base question is.. can a green plant take sun???? green is green.. whether its lime or grass green ... i thought you meant it had white in it ... and white tissue is the only one i would protect for ...

you will also be dealing with whether it is ready for blinding sun ... hardened off ...

if it were me.. i would put it in shade.. and leave it potted until about mid september ... and then plant it.. in full sun... which will be not as intense by then.. in full sun

and let it leaf out next spring .. and get itself ready for next summer.. after two cool root growing seasons ...

taxodium should be rather bulletproof in MI ...

let me put it another way.. its a tree... due to grafting.. its been in pots for 2 to 4 years ... many such conifers are incredibly rootbound ... and require full bare rooting.. and root surgery ... AND I WOULD NOT DO THAT THIS TIME OF YEAR ...

ken

Trees can be planted during the summer WITH CAREFUL WATERING PRACTICE. The problem with summer planting is that most people assume it's plant it and forget it. If you are willing to practice summer watering method then it is no problem to plant a tree during the summer. Below ground is much cooler than above ground anyway.

lou is spot on..

i personally know .. from his posts in GW .. denny has the knowledge and ability to wing it.. and succeed ...

my caveats.. were for the newbies and lurkers.. who do not have the base background knowledge ...

and again.. spot on .. on 5 acres.. i take prime care of new planting.. for a few weeks .... and then.. all of a sudden 3 months later.. i remember about it.. and find a dead stick.. lol .. so forgetting .. in august.. in MI .. is very problematic ...

its all about PROPER AFTERCARE ... and your ability to sustain such.. thru fall dormancy ...

ken

Ah, I'm going to take the guesswork out the entire watering thing and hook up drip to this entire planting area that I'm going to redo this weekend. I have all of the parts, I have the programmable timer, it will just take an extra hour or two of work and then it will be like Ron Poppeil's oven, just set it and forget it.

but you need to water them.. like trees... not like annuals and perennials ...

that means a good DEEP drink. and then near drying before watering again ...

and ALL of them.. ONLY need water until established [a year or two] .. and then after that .. nearly none at all .. they are trees ...

i would be very leery of a timer on trees ...

in your other post .. my pix around the patio.. if you look close.. you will see my drip system.. and it is used there.. simply because of the nightmare of trying to drag hose thru all the stuff there ... and it is used.. only when they need it ... [its all complicated by the cement itself also.]

ken