The answer to this question must first be prefaced with a few questions. Do you want to install
the garden and walk away from it, or do you plan to become involved with it and become “one with your garden” - so to speak.
If your lifestyle is one so busy that you have no time to stop and enjoy the benefits of gardening - then fall,
spring, winter (some plants may not like being planted in fall or winter due to cold intolerance) is the best time to plant.
If you enjoy the natural world and the garden is a place of contemplation and peace for you, then
summer can be added to the list of times to plant - however there are some things you should be aware of. Any honest nurseryman
will tell you that summer can be the toughest time to establish a new planting - but if you will be planting,
or your landscape contractor is scheduled to install your garden this summer - fear not - just read on.
With 15 years behind me in the nursery industry it doesn’t take long to understand how the climate
influences plant growth - especially when customers are returning plants after they have not watered them enough. This isn’t
always the fault of the customer - just remember that just because someone works at a nursery doesn’t mean he or
she is qualified to tell you how to accurately plant and care for your new purchase, and unfortunately will tell you
anything to make a sale and to not appear uninformed. Ask to speak to a certified nursery
person or see if they have a planting guide available.
Understanding is often the key to success, so here goes. When you purchase your new plant, the
desired outcome is for the plant to make its transition from the container its grown in, over to your garden soil. This is a key
point - and the reason for probably 90 percent of plant failure during the hot summer months. Remember that
during the summer, especially when it’s windy, plants transpire more and will require more moisture.
And because the roots are under the ground, and you cant see them, or what’s going on around them
it’s even more confusing. So here is the answer to that - check. After your plants are planted, don’t guess on how much water
is down there - get a shovel or spade and dig down and check. For the first month, at least, make sure that the
soil around the root ball and surrounding native soil stays most (not waterlogged) to encourage rooting out, and watch
for signs of wilting especially on windy extremely hot days.
While I prefer a spray system over a drip system by far, the advantage of drip is that it directly
applies water into the root ball where it is needed at first establishment. However, remember never have the drippers draining
directly onto the stem of the plant as this can cause crown rot and subsequent death of the plant.
The ideal sprinkler system for summer establishment of plants in the summer would be that of drip for
original establishment of plant for the first year, with a spray system that takes over after that. Look at it this way, any
thing that is like nature, and in this case rain, (a spray system distributes irrigation evenly over
the entire area - unlike drip)
So to reiterate, plants can survive summer planting - just be prepared.