When planting your seasonal gardens, it’s important to understand the sets of conditions and factors involved in planting. Be aware that planting and transplanting during hot summer months can distress plants. Professional gardeners like me, do not recommend planting any bare-root or newly divided plants during the summer as the heat is too risky.
However, you can successfully plant summer annuals, perennials or shrubs that have been grown in containers. Make sure these are heat-tolerant plants that will bloom and thrive throughout the summer months.
The location of your plants is an important consideration for summer planting as the hot sun can scorch certain annuals. It’s important to ensure you plant these annuals in full or partial shade. It’s the perfect time to place your sun-loving bloomers in a spot where they’ll receive the most sun exposure.
Heat can be a big threat to plants , so here are my three key summer planting tips to ensure you have a healthy and abundant summer garden:
1. Plant at the Start of Summer: As July and August can be too hot to plant, I advise planting your summer annuals in June. You can also plant some end-of-summer flowers that will bloom during August. Following this plan will ensure your garden will only require maintenance and care during the hottest months and that you can simply enjoy the beauty on the hot and sunny days.
2 Water Well During Planting: Soil can dry out very quickly and these are difficult growing conditions for annual summer plants. That’s why it’s really important to water your bare soil thoroughly before planting. If you are planting annuals or transplanting them from containers, make sure you continue to water them well. Even when you’ve completed the planting, you’ll need to keep up the moisture levels as roots take hold. Summer blooms will need deep and regular waterings.
3 Create a Soil Moat: When you are planting early summer plants, you should be aware of the additional watering needs. As, annuals typically have shallow root systems that dry the plant out quickly, you can build a soil moat around each plant to account for the increase in moisture needs. These moats help filter water down towards the roots when watering or whenever it rains. It’s an easy and simple way to maximize watering and keep your summer plants happy and in great condition.
By focussing on a proper care and maintenance plan, you may be able to extend your late summer garden into the Autumn. Diligenting removing deadheads ensures that the plant reserves its energy for keeping healthy blooms alive, instead of developing seeds. You will also need to keep feeding plants throughout summer as this helps extend their life too.
As you prepare for the Autumn month you will need to remove expired annuals from your summer beds. This will allow you to free up space for planting your bulbs and any new shrubs or trees. If you’re planning on doing container growing during Autumn and winter, you should buy these plants in summer.