Couldn't you "baby" (shade and water) them until the weather gets cooler and maybe a little rain will come to make your job easier. The plants would be better off with the wait, after all they have survived this long.

I agree with earline. You should just keep them in the Pots/containers that you got them in..... in partial sun/shade and wait till fall....but that's just my opinion and I'm no expert by any means.

I think that is what we're gonna do. Well, except for the zebra grass. I'm pretty sure that once they are watered in, they will handle dry conditions very well. So I spent almost the entire day planting 12 of them. Oh, and the juniper. They thrive in hot sunny conditions, so I think they can go (time permitting!)

I know I have to wait for the rest. But it's like being a kid on Christmas morning who can't open his presents right away!
So the containers will be placed in shade and watered, and the waiting game begins. But as soon as we get our next heavy rain...they're going!

Naturenut when a plant can survive drought conditions that means once it is established, and depending on the size of the plant could take up to 2 years. So for the first year or so you will need to give each plant at lease an inch of water per week. I use empty 2 gal jugs or old buckets and punch two holes in the bottom and fill with water at least twice a week, until the plant puts out new growth. Then cut back to once every week or so depending on how much rain we get. I have several bushes I still need to get in the ground too but am waiting for cooler temps. Another thing to take into consideration is the plant should be in the ground at least a month before the first frost, and if the plant is in a pot smaller than a gallon it should be in the ground 2 months. I forget where I read this but realized that is why many of the plants I planted in mid October didn't survive the winter or struggled all spring and eventually died.

Was it Rutgers nursery, naturenut? Sounds like you got some great stuff!

Personally, I think you're better off planting in the ground, even with the drought. Plants in nursery pots seem to dry out so quickly, I find myself watering them every day. Plants in the ground just seem to retain more moisture around their roots and wilt less easily, especially in clay soil like yours.

Wow, I'm totally jealous of those Zebra grasses.

Karen_b, thanks so much for the "heads up". I didn't know it took so long for them to become established. I'd have just left them in the ground to fend for themselves.

Carol,
It was Hunterdon Co. Garden Nursery just outside of Flemington. The zebra grass looks kinda scrawny now, but I know that in 2 years it'll be fantastic.

I decided that I *had* to get stuff in the ground.
Even with a pickaxe, it takes so long to dig a hole. Digging with the axe, picking out the rocks, then shovelling out the dirt. Multiply this task by the number of plants, and it will just take too long. In addition, they are all terribly root bound in the pots (2 to 3 gallon sizes).