I've planted a bunch of trees and bushes (probably 20 trees, or more) in the 3 years that I have lived here.

Some of my observations:
Bare Root trees did BETTER than potted trees. I am always amazed at how these dead little sticks took off. This winter, I lost one of the apple trees that I bought as a potted plant, but all of my bare root trees survived, and grew much more quickly than the potted trees.

Fall is absolutely the best time with the heat here, but if you are willing to baby the trees in the heat, I think the odds of survival are pretty good. However, I planted some little seedlings in late spring (MAY), and couldn't keep up with the scorching heat and lack of rain. Of those, I lost 6 of 10 so far.

All of the trees (with the exception of the one apple) that I planted in the fall are survivors. I think they have time to get a more established root system before the heat and drought really beats them up.

That's my two-cents as a novice/flying by the seat of my pants gardener. I know there are people here who will have way better and more thorough info.

Jo

Matt,

I would never encourage a garden "newbie" to do what you want to do, but with someone with your gardening knowledge and experience, I think it will work out fine. You already know what you have to do to have them survive and thrive following a July planting.

Just remember that the plants' root system will not enlarge much this summer so those roots will be about the same size in the ground as when they were in pots, and you'll have about zero margin of error when it comes to watering. That's what most people forget---that new plantings in the ground still have the same root system they had in pots. By next summer, the plants should have developed larger, stronger root systems and won't need to be babied as much.

Be especially watchful of the Blue Spruce since they tend to struggle in hot weather even in the best of conditions. By the time a Blue Spruce shows heat stress, it is really, really in trouble, so don't let it get to that point.

So, go ahead and beautify the place prior to your engagement party, and best wishes/congrats to you and your fiancee'.

Dawn

Thanks Dawn, that makes me feel better. I had to appease my gardener's guilt. :)

-Matt

Matt,

You question surprised me because I knew that you already knew the standard answer....and you also knew that you have the know-how/experience to succeed with a mid-summer planting. But, if hearing some of us say 'go ahead' makes you feel better, then I'll say it again---go ahead and do it.

Joellen, The reason many containerized trees often do not do well and/or have a high failure rate is because they start out with a tiny amount of roots in comparison to topgrowth. I'm a backwards tree and shrub planting person. Most people want to plant the largest tree or shrub they can afford to buy, but I want to plant the absolute smallest ones available. Why? I want root growth that is adequate to support the top growth. When we planted trees around our newly constructed home which was in what was essentially an old cow pasture, we dug up oak seedlings from the woods and transplanted them up around the house. At the time we dug them, most of them had a 12" or bigger root ball and the trees themselves were 4 to 12" tall. In about nine or ten years, most of those trees have grown to be over 15' tall. Some are close to 20'. I'm a big believer that smaller is better when planting trees since it gives you a more evenly balanced tree.

Bareroot plants do great if planted in fall or winter so they can establish roots before the summer heat arrives.

Dawn

And here's a shameless plug for arborday.org

What about purchasing these items and leaving them in their pots (assuming these are in pots)and maybe putting attractive bark mulch or something on top? That way you get what you want, they're "out there" for your party, and then you can water and hold them until this fall?

Sharon

Seedmama, the 10 seedlings I planted (of which 6 just died) were from Arborday.org! I think my timing was just off and I could not keep up with the water they needed.

Well I bought them. And I feel pretty good about it. This has been one of the very few times that I had the money to get some more mature plants. It's amazing how much of an immediate impact it has on the garden.

I thought about just leaving them in their pots, but after getting them, I see that most of them are balled and burlapped.

It looks like there's a chance of rain for the next week, so I think i'm going to try to get them in the ground tomorrow morning before everything gets too water-logged. I had such big garden plans for the weekend...so of course it has to rain...

-Matt

and a little rain NEVER hurt ANY gardener! I think you (they) will be just fine! When I lived in the City (which was all of my life until the last 4 years), I often planted out of the time sequence that was recommended. Mostly because of financial constraints. With attention...they always survived. I even had Purple Fountain grass come back 2 years in a row once...and that's almost unheard of in Cent. OK.

That's a lucky lady that has found you!! I predict she'll always have a home that looks like someone cares!! Best of luck on the party and be sure to let us know how it goes?

Paula

Thanks Dawn and Paula! I remind her how lucky she is all of the time. :) I tell her that not many women get a gardener and a cook without having to hire them. I'll take some pictures once everything is in it's home.

-Matt

joellenh,
So glad you support arborday.org . By my way of thinking, even if all of my trees die, it is a very worthwhile cause.
seedmama