05/26/2026
NATIVE PLANTS…..MAY, JUNE, JULY….IS IT TOO LATE TO PLANT?
You might recall how hot and dry it was this late winter into May, with temperatures soaring in the 80’s, when our soils were anything but moist and arable. Mercifully, the rains began cycling in and pulled us over the drought hump to where the ground was summoning us once again to be filled. So here it is going into early June, soils are as good as they can get, when suddenly many folks are backing off with fears of looming summer heat and drought.
Aargh. ‘IT’S TOO LATE TO PLANT!!!”
Let us ask you this. What is happening to your shrubs, trees and flowering plants during the early summer? Are they curling up and having a pity party? Last we looked, they are growing by leaps and bounds and inviting our pruning shears and saws to take some control of their ebullience!
Owner Avi Askey here at OVERHILL GARDENS endorses how his best gardens are planted in summer months! And here in the nursery, when folks ask, ‘is it too late to plant’?, we hopefully suppress their fears with the time- tested tenet that ‘OVERHILL plants gardens from January 1 to January 1’. Now the caveat for all gardeners is water. Would you put a large shrub in the ground on July 4th and assume it does not require water because it’s ‘native?’ Planning to hydrate this initial year has to be factored into warm season planting, and with a little pampering, you’ll be golden. Growth vigor is highly observable, [those roots are happily arranging themselves outwards and rapidly], evening pollinator opportunities soar and the rate of photosynthesis enjoys both day and nighttime temperatures.
And…plant smart! Juvenile plants immediately adjust, so don’t be seduced into the larger version of that [i.e.] anise hyssop: immediate blooms are cute but pick them off initially in favor of having energy go into the roots, rather than blossoms and seeds. If the plant is taller than needed, prune off some of that legginess in favor of generating more basal growth...this is preparing your plant for its optimal success. Dig and plant in the early evening hour. Get some water and mulch on to the area around the plant to lock in more even temperature. The extra sunlight of these months plainly feeds your plant, and up to 92 degrees, this should continue to intensify. The next phase of later summer heat will deal you slower progress in proliferation [unless it happens to be a sunflower, aster, goldenrod or native grass], yet you made no mistake in planting, even if those leaves begin flagging. Because they were able to establish such beautiful root growth in the warm season, their future increase is set for the following year. You may trim it back a tad to manage the heat, but be not disappointed, we want you to realize that all is well even when the plant takes a back seat in beauty at 95 degrees.
DO continue to hydrate! And don’t stop planting!!! Pictured are a few of the MANY choices we have! - Eileen Askey
