How Hot is Too Hot to Plant?

It’s July and summer is in full swing. You’re spending more time outside than ever. You find yourself admiring your neighbor’s perfectly landscaped yard, full of new trees and flowers that bring a beautiful vibrance to their property. You look at your own backyard and find yourself dreaming of ways to improve it while scolding yourself for waiting too long. You think to yourself that surely it is too hot to plant and you will have to wait to put your plans into action. The good news is it is never too late to think about adding plants to your outdoor living space.

Although higher temperatures are not ideal for planting, you can still successfully plant as long as you give your plants some extra care. The deeper roots are in the soil, the cooler they are. So, plants need extra attention until their roots are established enough to find cool soil. You may wonder, how to help plants survive and thrive in the summer heat?

watering

Watering is essential for all new plantings, but especially in the summer. During hot or drought conditions new plantings should be watered daily. Ideally you should water in the morning. That way you can avoid rapid evaporation before the soil absorbs the water, and it sets your plants up to be hydrated throughout the hotter parts of the rest of the day. Watering in the evening also works to avoid evaporation, but it runs the risk of plants sitting damp overnight and attracting fungal diseases. But if you can’t get to watering in the morning, the evening is preferrable to midday. It is also best to water less frequently and more deeply than a few times a day with lighter watering. Deep watering encourages plants to grow stronger roots deeper into the soil, making your plants more resilient overall.

apply mulch

Mulching can help your new plantings thrive in the summer. The mulch acts as a barrier between the soil and the scorching sun. Adding a layer of mulch can help to retain moisture in the soil and prevent evaporation. It can also help keep the soil cooler overall as the mulch will absorb heat from the sun instead of the soil directly.

weeding

Weeds can take away valuable resources from your new plantings. They can soak up the moisture and nutrients in the soil. Weed frequently to ensure your plants can get as much moisture as possible.

deadheading

Deadheading is a term used to refer to the act of removing flowers from a plant. Deadheading is usually done to any blooms that are beginning to wilt or have otherwise been damaged. It is a great way to conserve energy for your plants as well in the hotter weather. Once flowers shed their petals energy is used to develop seeds. If you deadhead flowers that are beginning to lose their petals energy can be used to create more blooms and establish more robust root systems instead of the seeds, resulting in healthier plants and more flowers.

Overall, there is no temperature when it is too hot to plant. Higher temperatures just require more care to ensure beautiful and thriving plants. If you are looking to add some color to your backyard this summer, we have complied a list of plants that have beautiful blooms in July in our Massachusetts climate.

dahlias

Dahlias are showstopping and unique blooms that usually spring up in mid-late July. Dahlias are a great addition to a summer garden as they will spring up in late summer and with proper deadheading and care can keep producing blooms until the first frost in October/November, with peak blooms happening in August and September. There are a variety of dahlias from small ball dahlias that often bloom the earliest and larger dinnerplate dahlias usually bloom in late August or September, needing time to gather enough energy to support these ten-inch blooms.

DAY LILLIES

Day lilies are vibrant perennials that have a long blooming season. Although each individual bloom only lasts for one day, hence the name “Day Lily”, each stem will have multiple blooms allowing for long lasting color. There are multiple varieties of day lilies and mid-season varieties usually begin blooming right around the Fourth of July and display peak blooms throughout the month. Day lilies would be great to install to bring some color to your yard this July.

HOLLYHOCK

Hollyhocks are tall perennials that have beautiful blooms on tall stems and come in red, pink and white. These plants have their peak bloom in mid- to late summer, making them a perfect addition to a garden for some color in July. Hollyhocks should be planted in full sun where they can get 6-8 hours of direct sunlight in order to thrive. Deadheading can extend their bloom time for a couple more weeks of these stunning blooms.

hydrangeas

Hydrangeas can bring to mind quintessential New England coastal summers and there is a reason why they are so popular. These beautiful plants typically have peak blooms throughout the summer. And if you install a reblooming hydrangea variety like Endless Summer, you may be able to enjoy blooms until the first frost, with peak color and fullness in the summer months. Traditional bigleaf hydrangeas bloom on stems that were grown the previous years, but with reblooming hydrangea varieties they will produce flowers on stems grown that season as long as they are thriving. In order to keep your hydrangeas flowering a beautiful make sure they are well watered, fertilized and deadheaded often. Hydrangeas will make a perfect addition to any summer garden in July.

Ready to get started?

Perennial Landscape Corporation | Winchester, MA | Concord, MA | Lexington, MA | Andover, MA

Click here

Perennial Landscape Corporation

The Quality You Expect and the Service You Deserve

Perennial Landscape Corporation is a family-owned business creating distinguished landscape environments in Winchester, Concord, Lexington, Andover and surrounding Massachusetts areas since 1995.

Perennial Landscape Corporation was named after the category of plants called perennials. Perennials are plants that have a lifespan of two or more years, meaning they come back each year. Just like a perennial, our aim is for you to be able to count on us year after year.

Here at Perennial, we pride ourselves on providing excellent landscaping services and outstanding customer service. Our motto is ” the quality you expect and the service you deserve”. That is the mindset that permeates every aspect of our work.