Plant them in the evening when it cools down, and water them in then. I've heard of, but have never done it, putting up a temporary screen-something for afternoon shade for a few days.

I've been worried about this, too, because I've been planting some stuff this week (with more to go). I had to plant in the early morning, but did water them in well. The larger plants (6-inch pots) and even a tall agastache in a 3-incher did fine, but a smaller agastache planted in a slightly hotter spot is struggling, so today I did put some shade over it. My advice is go ahead, but just watch them carefully, keep watering and provide shade if they seem to be having trouble.

I just planted flowers all day Saturday in 95 degree heat and I know it's not ideal, but as long as you water heavily and get them in quickly you should be fine - it's worked for me. Usually, shock doesn't last too long for what I plant and they seem to rebound nicely.

I have used 'Wilt-Proof' on trees with good success and it should work well with perennials too.. though I don't remember just what the info on the can stated.

Still trying to get a plan put together for a drought tolerant garden and have many plants to go in. I think they will be happier in the cool ground than the hot pots!! Monsoons are here now though so it is good. Wish I could plant. No garden design though....

My personal experience with planting in the heat of the summer, has been hit or miss. Moving full sized plants has been more successful than planting out small seedlings though. I lost a few basil and zinnia sprouts that I planted out the other day, even with watering well, and putting an upside down crate over them for the first day. Other seedlings planted that same day are fine though, so there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, as to which survive, and which shrivel and die. I would definitely say doing it in the evening has a higher success rate than planting earlier in the day though.

Let us know how it goes.

Bonnie

I've tried planting in the evening and watering carefully for the following week, checking on the plants everyday. I believe I have a good grasp on under and over watering. Some plants are still hit and miss as Bonnie said, especially large plants.
Psittacinejungle- I haven't heard of 'Wilt-Proof' before, I will have to check it out. Do you know what the main ingredient is?
Bonnie- I like the idea of the milk crate. I have problems with high winds because we are on the peak of a ridge at 5981 feet elevation. I could place something heavy on top to hold it down.
Skybird- I know that you cut your plants down significantly. I've tried to follow your example and it has worked well for me as much as I've dared to. I think I'm ready to go a little cRaZy! My question is, how do you know how much to cut each plant down? So far Ive been using the guidelines that Tracy DiSabato-Aust provides in The Well-Tended Perennial Garden.
I have five 1-gallon Helenium 'Mardi Gras' plants that I would like to get in the ground but they are in bloom and leggy at the bottom. I killed one last year by planting it during a heat wave. I normally choose to buy smaller plants that adjust easier but the area I want to fill needs mature plants to match the rest of my bed. They are beautiful in bloom but I'm ready to chop 'em down if that means they have a better chance for next season.
Any thoughts?

Azura, trust me, we have winds here too, LOL. Because there are so many holes in the crates, the wind will mostly just blow through it, without moving it. All you have to do to secure it though, is take a couple of short metal gardening stakes, say 2' in length, and fish them through one of the holes at each end, and hammer them into the ground a few inches. That baby won't go anywhere!

Bonnie

Hi Azura,

I havent been ignoring youor anybody else. Ive been reading, but Ive been really wiped out by the West Nileand on this thread, everybody else has been giving you good answers anyway! Soregarding transplanting, as others have said, I recommend late in the dayor if you happen to get a cloudy afternoon (they say the monsoon is starting to move in), do it as early in the day as possible if theres no sun. Then water in well, but be careful to not keep watering more every daybut I agree that youve probably got the watering down pretty well by now! Wetting down the foliage several times during the day would probably help someas long as youre not getting the soil significantly wetter. And then shade them for the first few days like everybody else has said. Crates are a good idea as long as the holes in them are big enough to give really good air circulationand I recommend a light color and definitely not black which would just add to the heat. An inverted lawn chair or something similar would work well too if you can find a way to anchor it.

Regarding the cutting back, I almost never transplant anything thats blooming. Even many annuals get a clipping before I plant them, and with perennials, since the root is the most important part, I dont recall ever planting any with flowers. With the Helenium, Id probably cut them down further than you will! Id probably go to 2 to 4", but for you I definitely recommend cutting the flower stems all the way down to the bottom (stick them in water!), and cut the foliage down as far as you can stand. How about 6"? Youre not going to get a decent bloom anymore this year anyway, so just keep thinking about how important it is to give the roots a good chance to get established. And Id also recommend cutting them down as far as you decide to and then wait 2 or 3 days before you actually transplant themlet them "adjust" to the chop job first! During those couple days it might not be a bad idea to either put the pots where theyre going to be planted, or actually dig a big enough hole to sink the pot where theyre going to be planted for a couple days. Thatll get them a little bit used to the exact conditions theyll have after theyre put in the ground.

Regarding other cutting backoh yeahdo I ever! Ive been cutting a lot of stuff down for the last couple weeks. Most things I cut all the way down to the groundwhich, for me, means 1-2" above the ground. As the sedums get done blooming Ive been cutting them ALL the way downunder an inch. Ive cut the sweet williams down to about an inch, and am waiting to see if theyll come back for next year or not. Some will. And my Aquilegia chrysantha, which was still blooming a lotbut was just starting to get too tall, floppy, and ratty looking, I also cut down to about an inch. Im hoping I did it early enough this year that itll come back and be blooming by swap timebut even if its not, at least the foliage will look good again. And, because of the swap, a couple things I usually cut all the way down, I didnt this time. The spike veronica I cut back to the new growth at the leaf nodes about 6" up. Im hoping it too will rebloom by swap time. And the same with all the lavender. Just spent almost 2 hours cutting them back one stem at a time to between 4" and 6" high, depending on each plantdown to new growth at the leaf nodes. Fingers crossed that its blooming again for the swap, but at least the plants will be pretty by then, if no flowers. Most things I cut all the way down because with many things, if you leave old leaves at the bottom, they just keep looking worse and worse even tho theres new growth at the top of the plant, and I like the whole plant to look nice at the same time! Even if it reblooms, I think the veronica is going to look ratty on the bottom. And about a month ago I cut my Lamium ALL the way down. Last year I did it too close to the swap and there was nothing there! This year I think itll look pretty good. Alright! Yeah! Im trying to get the yard looking good for the swap! But I already have two big blank areas where I took out the hardy pampas grass and where I just cut the Heraclium down to the ground. (Gotta think positive! Thatll give me somewhere to plant whatever I get at the swap!) The Heraclium is outta here too! Unfortunately I just didnt have a shady or wet enough place for it to ever look goodbut dont anybody ask for it at the swap, cause its taprooted AND planted between some huge cottonwood roots. But I did leave the flowers on long enough to develop seed if anybody wants to try some. Dont have a clue if its viable or not, but Im guessing it is. I got pictures of it blooming I can post later if anybodys interested in giving it a try.

Im rambling! But I dont really know just exactly how far to cut each thing down! Most things I just cut all the way down either when theyre done blooming or when they start looking too ratty. Every now and then I kill something! But not usually! If youre wondering about something in particular, just ask. Ill tell you what Id do, and then you can decide what you want to do.

So cut your Helenium back and baby it for a few days after you transplant itand dont let anything eat the roots! ;-) Next year itll be wonderful!

Gonna try going back to work again on Thursday! Keep your fingers crossed for me that it worksand that some other weird thing doesnt happen to meat least for a while!

:-)
Skybird

Thank you all for your advice. I will be using every piece in a massive planting strike tomorrow evening. The cupboard is fully stalked with ibuprofen and vodka.
My next house will not have the majority of yard in all-day full-sun high-wind southern exposure and gosh darnit it will be free of all voles!!!
Skybird-
Don't worry about any of us feeling ignored. First off, I don't think any of us felt ignored but more importantly, I'd rather you spend your energy getting better. I am sending positive thoughts your way. Please feel and STAY feeling 100% better soon, preferably before you go back to work.
I didn't notice any rambling only great info but since rambling is a favorite pastime of mine, you wont get any complaints or judgment from me! :)

Have fun tomorrow! Go for the ibuprofen firstand save the vodka for when youre doneor maybe put some out for the voles!!!

And watch out for the mosquitoes! Im immune nowbut youre not! Im thinking of registering under a new nameLaughsAtMosquitoes!

Fingers crossed for you that we get clouds early tomorrow,
Skybird

Helenium 'Mardi Gras' seems to transplant very well. I put one of the 1 gallon plants in 2 weeks ago and not a sign of wilt. That's one plant I don't think you'll have a problem with.

'Wilt-Proof' ... should have been 'Wilt-Pruf'. there is info on the web, I'm sure (especially if spelled correctly ;)) Though I don't know what the ingredients are, I'm almost positive that it is natural and probably even safe for food crops. I try to stay pretty organic here. I might have a partial can out in storage. I can check on the info written on it later, if you'd like me to.

Crystal

Crystal, I was able to find the website and it does sound like great stuff and its carried by local nurseries. Thanks for the info, I will have to pick some up.

How did your planting go? It was another hot one! Is there any vodka left? ;-)

Skybird

Well... my planting time was usurped by a meddlesome antique door that I have leaning against fence. It fell on top of a russian sage, some native sunflowers and a lot of my foxgloves. It killed the sunflowers but everything else seems to be minus a few leave but otherwise okay. I got some of the holes dug but I didn't get any further because securing the door and cleaning up the mess took up my time.
Does anyone else have trouble with random gardening tasks rearing their ugly head when you had specific tasks for the day planned out?
We have 5 days of 93 degree or hotter weather in the Denver area this next week.
Ahh the fun of gardening, the work is never done :)

Oh and there is plenty of vodka left, but Ive moved onto watermelon margaritas. Anybody want one? ;)

Bring the margaritas to the swap! ;-)

It sounds like you have your own "transplanting shock" going on! Im sorry to hear about your plantsbut I sure am glad to hear YOU didnt get hit by the door! Maybe you need one of those green helmets that Dafy recommends too!

The only gardening catastrophe Ive had recently is when I dug up the hardy pampas grass! It took an hour and a half longer then I expected it toand thats when I got the mosquito bite! June 15thand you can still see it! But at least I dont have anything falling down anywhere near me, and overall its been a pretty good year so farexcept for the eternal heat!

Let us know how your plants are doing when you get them inand how youre doing too!
Skybird

P.S. And bring one of those voles along to the swap too! Ive always wanted to see a drunk vole!