Caring for Your New Plants:
Proper care is vital for your new plants to flourish in their new environment. Below are some helpful tips on watering, pruning, and general good practice to ensure your plants do their best.
Planting
When planting your new plants in your garden be sure to first water them enough to lightly dampen the soil. Remove them from their pots and inspect the roots. Gently break up the root ball to loosen them a bit. Dig a hole just as deep but twice as wide as the root ball. Place your new plant within the hole and backfill with the native soil. Lightly compact the soil and provide a deep watering to saturate the area. Adding a 3" layer of shredded wood mulch over the dug out area will help preserve moisture and reduce heat from the sun.
Proper Watering:
Your plants will need a fair bit of watering until they are established. It typically takes at least one growing season for newly planted plants to establish roots into the native soil. Below are some guidelines for keeping your plants happy. As always, your local soil and weather conditions may impact your plants need for water so keep an eye on them!
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A good rule of thumb is to plunge your finger into the soil near each plant's base to check for moisture. If its cool and damp, you may not need to add any water. If its dry and crispy, your new plants could use a drink. Do this every few days to be sure.
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For the first few weeks, your new plants will need to be watered often. Depending on weather conditions, this may be daily or every other day. Once established, most plants will need watering 2-3 times per week depending on natural rainfall.
Pruning
Most perennials and ornamental grasses should be pruned back to the ground once per season. This is typically done in late fall or early spring. For the first season, we recommend leaving your new plants alone until spring time. Their existing foliage will help insulate them throughout the winter.
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For shrubs and evergreens, pruning is typically done on an as needed basis to keep them looking nice. Stray branches can be trimmed any time so long as the temps wont dip below freezing soon after. Some shrubs, like Spirea and herbaceous Hydrangeas can be trimmed to the ground seasonally. They grow back rapidly and the trimming helps them look their best.