Our window for spring installation came and went pretty quickly this year thanks to early heat and a very dry spring. Once the weather is consistently above 80 degrees and our southeastern humidity is hanging around, we call it quits on installations for the summer. Here’s the two reasons why we avoid planting plants in the summer.
1
Too much plant stress!
It’s an inevitable fact that planting new plants is stressful for the plant. It’s probably been in a small container that it’s quickly outgrowing and then you take it out, beat up on its rootball, and put it in a new home where it has to quickly adapt to new soil and a new growing environment. This is a lot of stress on a plant but, of course, we know they’ll be just fine in time! That’s why we’re careful not to add on long, sunny, 90-degree days and high humidity… this takes the plant’s stress to a whole new level. The more stressed a plant is, the more susceptible it is to pest and disease infestations and the slower it is to recover from any physical damage such as dog traffic, dragging a hose over it, hitting it with a soccer ball, or any of the other abuse our plants endure. The plant has to split its resources between growing and establishing itself in its new home and dealing with all of the extra environmental stress that comes with the summer – things like staying cool, competing with weeds, fending off disease and insects, the list goes on! It is true that these plants can be babied with copious water, shade cloth, mulch insulation, and lots of other techniques that can make life a little easier on these plants, get them established, and allow them to thrive into the future… but that’s only for the most dedicated plant ladies with lots of time on her hands!
2
Too much human stress!
We want our clients to enjoy and be madly in love with their new landscapes! Transforming your landscape can be a big investment and it can be discouraging and troubling to see your new plants wilting over by the end of every day and feeling like you have to spend hours and hours watering and tending to your new plants. No matter what, your new plants will require some supplemental watering and extra care when first installed (we’ve got a guide for this) but, if you miss a watering or two in the cooler springtime, you won’t step outside to find very sad looking plants. If you install new plants in the summer, they will require much more diligence and attentiveness when taking care of them to walk them through the stressful hot and humid days. And let’s be honest… do you really want to spend all your time with a hose in your hand? (Personally, we prefer a margarita!)
Doing right by our plants and our clients is very important to us. We could probably tack a job or two onto the end of our spring season and push the limits on our installation window but we know the toll that might take on both the plants and our clients. We won’t do a job if we don’t feel 100% confident that it’ll be successful for the plants and the homeowner. Best to hold off until the fall when the weather turns too hot!
If you’re interested in having your dream landscape designed by Fawn Renae Designs and brought to life by us, now is the time to start planning! Creating your custom, digital landscape design can take up to 6-8 weeks and we want to have you on our calendars before our next installation season is booked up. Ready to get started? Just fill out the Fawn Renae Designs inquiry form!
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