Garden Questions
I know there’s some green thumbs out here and I could use your advice. We finally built a fence and with leftover wood created four large planters/raised beds that are 2 feet high along the perimeter that are bottomless – straight into the ground. Over this past weekend we planted a number of perennials and…
I know there’s some green thumbs out here and I could use your advice. We finally built a fence and with leftover wood created four large planters/raised beds that are 2 feet high along the perimeter that are bottomless – straight into the ground. Over this past weekend we planted a number of perennials and watered extensively. The Crepe Myrtle bush, Bee Balm, Hibiscus and the Butterfly Bush are wilting. Everything else seems okay. When we planted our front planters earlier this year I made the mistake of overwatering. Now I don’t know what I’m doing — over or underwatering? Any advice will really help. I know this wasn’t the best time of year to plant but we have had a traumatic summer, we were forced to cut down a three story elm due to it’s proximity and damage it was causing to our neighbor’s foundation and we needed to get some green back in the desert wasteland of our yard! Thank you for your advice!
You probably need to hand water at this early stage for your garden but, for next season or even for this fall, consider a simple irrigation system. We have soaker hoses which are easy and inexpensive. Basically they are hoses made of recycled bicycle tires with tiny holes in them. You lay it around and between your perennials, either burying it about 1-2″ down in the soil or — for greater flexibility if you want to move it — just covering it with mulch. Water slowly oozes out and doesn’t evaporate from the surface because the hose is covered. Leave it on for an hour or two every other day, or every day when it’s fiercely hot. Generally, the shorter the length of soaker hose you use, the shorter time you need to leave it on because the water pressure will be greater. Our yard is 80ft deep so we have to leave it on longer to be sure the back area gets a good watering. But it’s an awfully easy method and should be compatible with raised beds.
Something to keep in mind when watering. If the hose has been laying out in the sun, let the water run until it’s cool. The water from the hose can be hot enough to damage the plants if you’re not careful.
thanks everyone for such great advice! I watered again last night and they perked up a little bit within a 1/2 hour (right after I posted this plea!) and this morning my husband watered again. I will get some mulch (not red) too. Thank you all, keep cool and come over for a bbq in my garden oasis you helped save!
I always water new transplants daily for at least a week. Water right under the plant where the root ball is located, plus stretch a little bit past that to encourage the roots to grow.
This summer I’ve been watering almost every plant and the grass in the garden daily. (Except when it rains.) They seem to be doing well.
If a transplant dies, it could mean that the roots broke off or never stretched out and the plant was unable to absorb the water you gave it. Or some plants just don’t like to be moved.
You could be under-watering. You need to water deeply, at least two inches. Take a pencil, pen or a bamboo stake and mark two inches from the end. After you have finished watering push the the pen, pencil or stake into the ground past the two inch mark. When you pull it back out, check that it is wet at least to the 2 inch mark.
When you plant in mid-summer it is sometimes a good idea to provide a temporary tarp or covering to protect the newly arrived plants from the full sun. even a large beach umbrella propped up to provide shade will help. By September the temps and sun should be milder. I agree that you should not worry about over-watering.
With bottomless planters, you can’t really overwater unless you have a huge drainage issue. Did you plant them in full sun? was it very hot? It could be shock or damage to the roots. I second Silvermax’s recommendation, add some mulch to keep the roots cooler.
This summer has been brutal in terms of heat and dryness. I’ve been watering the containers on my roof deck at least once if not twice a day and some things still look stressed out, including the extremely hardy coral bells and I think I’m managing to completely kill a forsythia.
Once your plants get acclimated, your raised beds should fare better than my containers. I’ve found that crepe myrtle (nice choice – I love the blossoms!)likes quite a bit of water.
If you want to plant something temporarily just for some extra greenery through August and Spetember, I highly recommend radishes or lettuce, both of which grow quite quickly from seed. This year I also tried some melon (crenshaw, perhaps). I don’t really expect it to fruit but it sprouted quickly from seed and is full and viney and makes things look much more lush.
And in addition to watering, put mulch around the base of the plants to keep them cool — finely shredded bark (but NOT colored, because that red coloring is toxic) or a layer of compost laid loosely. This will help cool them off and also supply nutrients over time.
The larger plants will probably recover if you keep them evenly watered and cool their roots down in this heat. The bee balm actually likes some shade — if it survives, you will see it next year. If not, put new plants in a less sunny spot.