Proper watering of plants before and after planting is critical during the hot summer season. | RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden
By Tim Johnson | Posted in the Chicago Tribune
Spring got away from me this year, and I missed out on installing a large new garden in my backyard. A friend gave me the impression that I should wait until next spring to do the planting. Do you think that was good advice? I suspect there is still plenty of hot weather to come and wonder how a new planting will fare if I go ahead and plant now.
— Hal Peterman, Elgin
I think it is fine to continue planting all summer long and do so myself. My springs tend to be very busy, so I often do not get around to planting until mid- to late summer. Some gardeners agree with your friend that planting is best done in the spring and fall. But in my opinion, there is no reason to stop planting during the summer. In fact, I have always had good results with my summer plantings.
Chicago Botanic Garden staff continues to plant all summer long. There is not enough time to get all the planting done only in spring and fall. The garden centers that I have visited recently all still have a great selection of plants grown in containers as well as trees and shrubs that are ready for planting, with their root balls burlapped for protection. The new trees and shrubs are typically dug in late winter or early spring, while they are dormant and held above ground in the garden centers. Production nurseries are limited in which plants can be dug during the summer season. Bare root plant material (with no soil around the roots) is generally planted in very early spring before growth has begun. Bare root plants can be held by suppliers in coolers to extend the planting window in spring, but summer is not a good time for installing bare root plants.
Proper watering of plants before and after planting is much more critical during the hot summer season. Plants can be quickly damaged during hot and dry spells if they are not watered enough and can quickly dry out while sitting above ground before installation. It is important to keep plants moist before planting to minimize stress on the new plant material. The growing medium of containerized plants can sometimes be difficult to moisten if they are planted in your beds when dry. It is best to water them before planting if the pots have dried out. Plants that are grown in containers have a lighter growing medium that generally dries more quickly than garden soil and thus need more frequent, light watering until the roots grow out into the surrounding soil. This may mean watering a couple times a week during very hot periods for the first few weeks.
Newly installed balled and burlapped plants need about 1 inch of water a week — be sure the root ball is getting watered. Watering by hand with a garden hose at the base of the tree or shrub works best and will likely need to be done occasionally, even if you have a sprinkler system. Evergreen trees can shed water away from the root ball when a sprinkler is used. The garden bed will then be moist while the root ball of the tree is dry. In time, the roots will grow out into the bed, but you need to focus on moistening the root ball throughout the summer. The amount and frequency of watering will vary depending on the soil conditions in your garden and weather conditions. Sandy, very well-drained soils dry out more quickly than heavier clay loam soils.
Go ahead and plant this summer. There is no need to wait until next spring. Then mulch the new plants to improve the appearance, prevent weeds and help conserve soil moisture.
For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
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