Is that AC unit blowing hot air on them?

I don’t think the ac is blowing much hot air, it isn’t as close as it looks in the photo. Only one of them is near the ac unit, but they both look equally bad. It can be windy here and the night they were planted it was gusty. Generally I’d say it is breezy here.

This is close to the worst time of year to plant...as you probably should know.

I thought this was a pretty good time of year, once the weather cools a bit. You know, early fall type weather? From mid June until like a week ago it was 100 degrees with evenings in the 70’s/80’s. So it has cooled off relatively speaking.

At least in my area, waiting till leaf drop would have been better. I'm guessing they either weren't used to full sun conditions and/or weren't watered well enough.

If I recall correctly the viburnum was under shade cloth at the nursery. Maybe I should have acclimated them first before planting. That said, they are in the shade by 12pm or so.

Are they toast? Will new leaves grow this late? Will they be able to survive without their leaves until spring?

All outcomes are possible, you just do your best and hope.

How did the roots look when you planted? Did you open them up and spread them out to direct them away from the center? Some compacted roots can actually repel water. I ditto the slow trickle/deep watering suggested above- they just look dried out to me.

I have a popcorn. It tends to require more water than other viburnums, and will droop if you don't provide it. In your situation I agree with the others that the rootball is probably really dry especially if it was rootbound when you put it into the ground. It's not enough for the surrounding soil to be moist. I would set a slow drip hose right on top of the plant, at a really low level, for an hour or more. And if you did not loosen the rootball it's worth digging it up and doing it.

If you're going to be planting in 80-90 degree weather you have to be on the plant like a hawk. Ideal planting temp is 50 degrees so later this fall would have been better. But now that it's there, just do the slow watering daily for six weeks or more.

I think that air conditioning unit will be a long term problem in close proximity. These plants get large, 8x8 if allowed to be. If that unit is causing a lot of air movement around the plant that will increase evaporation, and if it's blowing hot water it will cause even more, all of which will further stress a plant that prefers more water.

Newly installed stock planted during the hot time of the year has to be watered as often as if it was still in the container. Because it hasn't rooted out well enough yet to be in the same situation as if it was growing in the ground.

How often you have to water particular kinds also varies with what medium the shrubs are potted in (how coarse it is), how long they have been in these pots and what kind of shrub they are. I've got some assorted ones here in my collection of potted stock waiting to be planted in the ground that look pretty shabby by now because they dry out well ahead of all the rest of the set, keep catching me by surprise. During hot spells we've had this summer I could have watered these twice per day.

Pull yours up and soak them in a clean tub filled with clean water until they stop bubbling.

just because you buy it.. doesnt mean its the right time to plant it ...

apparently your opinion that weather cooled enough .. has been soundly rejected by the plant ... lol ...

in my MI ... mid to late SEPT would be prime .. and holding it in a pot for 3 weeks would be nbd ...

dig a 3 to 6 inch hole.. next to the root ball planted ... AND FIND OUT IF IT NEEDS WATER ...down in the root zone ....

if its dry.. put the hose on trickle for as long as it takes.. to wet the root mass planted.. as well as the surrounding soil ...

see link for general planting guide.. note section one... as well as the watering section ....

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

yes.... it is severe stress .... if water is perfected.. it can recover ... its deciduous .. and perhaps the leaves will fall off early ... but the real issue is whether the roots can recover.. and continue to grow deep into the fall .. and if they do .. then it should releaf and be all set next year ... but watch water.. when the a/c goes back on.. and maybe even put up a screen to protect it from drying wind... the year after.. it ought to be pretty bulletproof ...

live and learn.. weve all done it... and learned from our mistake ....

ken

ps: for that spot specifically.. a good planting time.. might have been when the a/c was shut off for the year ...

Drizzling water won't save it. It needs to be absolutely drenched so the rootball and surrounding soil are sopping wet. It's essentially as dependent on you as a bouquet of cut flowers until the roots start growing out in the new site.