I just was gifted a large bunch of plants from a 90 year old neighbor. She's been gardening here for 60+ years and has a gorgeous garden with a great variety. Unfortunately, the weather since last Thur when she invited me over to dig has been extremely hot and humid, until yesterday when it got cooler. I am sure that some things didn't make it, like the flowering almond, but others look ok.

I just stuck everything in wherever I could and hope to reorganize and move things later. To tell the truth, I am not even positive what some of the things are as she gave me so many that were not in bloom and I got them mixed up.

I would appreciate any advice about keeping stuff alive and moving it around now that we are facing hot summer weather for the next few months. I expect to get more starts from her in the fall, but in the meantime I'd like alot of these to survive if possible. I also ordered a few things from the Bluestone sale and it's the first time I've risked ordering this late in the year. Besides planting on an overcast day/evening if possible and keeping everything very well-watered, what should I do?

thanks so much!

a lot of nurseries have recycled pots ... and will gladly sell you a big bale of media ...

you just have so much more water control .. and lack of sun.. that you can really push the transplant window ...

never forget.. just cuz you buy a bargain [or in this case free] ... in the heat of summer.. DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO PLANT IT IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER ...

by the end of summer.. in the days of money .. i used to have 50-100 pots by sept .... ready for planting ... yeah. i have a lot of shade ...

ken

We have our annual plant swap at the end of May, and by June (now) it's HOT. The things I get there are often very small babies. Sometimes I plant them in my nursery bed, which is in partial shade with awesome rich amended soil, so I can keep them all together and watch over them till fall. Sometimes I go ahead and plant them out in the garden. Depending on what it is, I may have to water a lot for the first several weeks, but after a while it begins to stand on its on, er, roots. :)

I just ordered from Bluestone too. Haven't planted anything out yet - it's all still in pots, in the "nursery" area. I'm watering daily because the pots are so small.

the key is that you just cant throw them all over the yard.. and hope you remember to give them the TLC they need ...

ken

- Make sure plants are watered well before planting/transplanting and water well afterwords.

- Move or plant in the evening, so they have overnight to settle in.

- Try to move or plant if you're having a few days of clouds/rain.

- Shade them for a few days if it's a sunny spot.

Disclaimer - if you have a sensitive or special plant, that you couldn't bear to lose, then pot them up and baby them through the summer (in the shade, as Ken suggested).

I'd forgotten about shading with shingles and baskets and such, too bad I didn't think of it last week but will do it with anything else I get. Hopefully I can replace anything I lose with more from her garden in the fall, as long as nothing happens to the dear lady.

Will put my new things from Bluestone in the shade. Should I repot them in larger containers and wait for fall? I got some columbine, black cohosh and agastache and eupatorium. I was afraid to get more in the summer. This is the first year I've ever taken the chance to order this late.

I am your neighbor (MD). I completely re-planted two beds on my front yard two weeks ago. These beds are facing west; they are in full shade till noon and in dappled shade during the rest of the day. Several cool nights last week helped. I mulched all plants and I water them every night. The result is good - although some plants look stressed, only one out of 30+ is probably dying. I am very sad about this - it is a rare Camelia that I was nursing for 3 years.

I also planted all new plants I received from Bluestone Perennials. All of them look perfectly fine.

If your beds receive full sun, it will be much more hard to help them get established. Especially if we will have more 100F days...

I like to get all my planting done by June although that isn't always possible.

I agree with Ken. Plant in pots, then worry about 'em later since you can put pots in a safe place NOW. Plus, in pots, they get a chance to 'regroup' with the roots. You sorta get a brand new plant like from the store "in a a pot" so to speak, if you let them grow for a bit (so use plastic pots).

Of course, that's a hassle in itself with needing a tray underneath all to trap water for a bit, but still....much easier than trying to "play nurse" to many transplants in direct sun in your garden.

Something I've learned (been taught) on this site: Take your time.....don't panic (which that's all I knew how to do...lol).

At least in pots, IN SHADE, you can baby them individually vs planting somewhere you're not sure about & having to worry about the sun/heat plus watering the entire ground every day.

However...what do I know? I'm still learning myself...lol

Also, the soil in pots dries out quicker than soil in the ground. If placing plastic pots in full hot sun, while the soil won't dry out as quickly as it would if in clay pottery, the soil can get very HOT in full sun, and may fry the roots.

When I store plants in pots temporarily, I definitely place them in a spot that gets shade at least for afternoon when the sun is strongest. Morning or evening sun (or both) is okay. :0)

I have absolutely no problem with someone disagreeing with something I've posted but insinuating that I have read information and am parroting said information without having any practical experience is not appreciated.

I did repot them and they are on my front porch in the shade and looking very healthy. Here it is almost July and I am just afraid to put them out. My perenn beds are all in full sun on a south-facing slope that faces the front of my house. Though I am willing and able to water several times/day if need be they will be in bright sun all day long.

Should I do the laundry basket thing? Someone gave me some "shade cloth" which is similar to what I use over my lettuce bed in the summmer. I could use some of that if I figure out a way to support it over the plants. I really didn't want to plant these all in the same spot but I guess I could and move them in the fall.

Thanks for your help!

If you'll be watching & watering them (doing finger test 1st to see if water is needed) full sun plants should thrive in your spot & might not even have any set back from transplanting.

I have a cool summer climate with occasional hot spells & planted out all summer last year, but wasn't planting in full sun locations except for vegetable garden. I learned to avoid wetting the plants' leaves when watering so plant doesn't shock as much. Using a yogurt cup as a scoop in a bucket works for that.

Laundry baskets or pieces of shingles stood upright to shade the plants some might be helpful if the appearance & bother pleases you for a day or two.

I am moving a lot of things right now, some blooming, into a newly landscaped area, but we are having several days of rain. I try to disturb the roots as little as possible, as well.

When transplanting in the summer heat I can't help but kick myself in the butt for throwing away all those broken umbrellas over the years! lol

Now, sticking an old umbrella in the ground to shade a newly transplanted plant would make a very nice shade, indeed.

I'd pot them up, talk to Grandma who I'm sure has a lot of heart into those plants, figure out what they are, and find a permanent location in the fall, OR plant them in the shade now and move them to their permanent location in the fall when the weather cools. Planting them in the summer heat and hot sun could be detrimental. I think Grandma would be very disappointed if that happened.

On top of that I would think one thing that would be helpful would be making sure nothing goes to seed at all. That would take energy away from the roots developing. You might even consider cutting off some flowers --just leaving a few--to send more energy to the roots.

If people with more experience would chime in on these suggestions I'd appreciate it, as I'd love to have the "right thing to do" in my bag of tricks for future use.