Archive: Around Town

Don't be afraid to plant in summer. Plain and simple. People like to joke about our weather--that it's unpredictable, that there's no such thing as a 'normal' or 'typical' year, that we get more than our fair share of overcast, cloudy, rainy weather even in the frost-free months, etc. Last year, we endured 10 weeks of rainless weather, and granted, during that time, it might have been wise to hold off on planting.

But consider that most plants begin to establish themselves within a week or so after you put them in the ground. If, during that time, we have even one rain event, the chances of your plant becoming well-established go way up. Most critical to summer planting is a good initial soaking at planting time. One short cut you should never take is to skip watering a newly installed plant. It's always worth the extra effort to drag the hose over and soak new plantings. Even if you are planting in soil that's already damp, or you're gardening on a drizzly day. Soaking a new plant settles the soil around the roots, and minimizes the time until your plant's roots are taking up water from the soil directly surrounding it.

Another simple trick is to watch the weather. Don't try to sneak in a planting in the afternoon on one of those hot sunny days, or during windy summer weather. Wind can desiccate leaves in as little as a few minutes, and if this happens during the time that the roots are not yet taking up water, your plant is undergoing serious stress. So pay attention to what the sky is doing. Cloudy summer days are ideal for planting.

Summer planting also bridges the gap between that frenetic spring planting rush and the fall planting window you always want to capture but rarely do. Summer planting, especially in late June, still affords your plants most of the growing season, and another advantage is that there's no risk of frosts or cold nights to set back plant growth. May plantings are nice, but of course you run the risk of a stretch of cold weather which means many plants will just sit for a week or two anyway, without putting on much growth.

Summer planting is also a great opportunity to work in your garden when many of the plants are expressing their mid-season forms. Somewhat like being in the garden at night, when plants show a different side to their personalities, summer gardening is more than just dead-heading and weeding. It allows you to spend time with those plants you worked with in spring, or those you have harbored for years.

So consider summer planting. With our short growing season, using those summer months to enhance and enrich the garden by planting extends your gardening season, gives you more time to play with your plants, and of course, it will bring you out to the nursery, where you'll enjoy yourself and have fun! Because plants make us feel good, which is the bottom line.

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