zone 6a -- can I start planting new perrenials this week?

[andrea922]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I am really anxious to plant some things because I'm having surgery next week so I'll be out of commission for a while...

is it ok to plant this week? I looked it up online and it says last frost approx. april 30? is it ok that its 2 weeks early or am I risking it too much?

also, if it is ok, are there any types of perrenials in particular that are hardier to plant now as opposed to more delicate types that I should wait?

new house so I'm pretty much starting from scratch...so you can see why I'm so anxious! thanks for your help.

[opabinia51]

That is a very hard question to answer; coniferous trees should really be planted in the fall, you could get away with planting a deciduous tree this time of year but, make sure you water it and don't allow it to dry out.

Anyway, watch the weather and once the last frost has occurred you can plant just about anything but, with hardy perrennials; fall is really the best time.

Make sure you water them regularly but, check the soil before watering.

Good luck!

[bullthistle]

It really depends on what you are planting and if you amend the soil well, because you may not be able to water for a while. Daylilies, Geman Iris, these kinds of perennials can be planted, it is the tender one's that I'd wait on, you should be able to judge okay.

https://propagatingperennnials.blogspot.com

[Dom Nizza]

Good luck with the surgery... you will probably be told to take short walks while you recover. I suggest you go to the "Landscape Forum and view the two "Walking Tours" .. then take a walk yourself with a note book. Enjoy your Waterbury CT Area... beautiful landscape ideas there. Then select a few to get started with.

Often your local Nursery will have perennials on display and ready to be planted. Take your time .... you will have it all started and done before the mortgage is paid off. ... Good luck

[JPlovesflowers]

By now you have probably had your surgery and I hope all went well. I am chiming in to tell you what happened to me and maybe save you some time and money and heartache in the future. We moved from zone 7 in Va to what appears to be zone 7 on some maps (older ones) but what is actually more of zone 6 in Northwest Arkansas. Last year it got warm in mid March and so we cleaned the yard out and planted and then fertilized everything so all of my trees and shrubs were sending sap like crazy and then we had an 8 day stretch of 15 degree weather. I lost about $1,000 worth of beautiful specimen trees (japanese maples and dogwoods) and endured some severe damage to my crepe myrtles along with my azaleas. I talked to a friend who has lived here for several years and she advised me never to plant before the first of May. Well of course, I was more careful this year, but only waited until April 15th after having checked the weather patterns and being confident it would not freeze again and sure enough we had 2 days of frost last week and it is supposed to get in the 30's the next couple of nights. Thankfully I did not lose anything because the frost just lightly touched down and most of my new stuff was up against the house, but it has been a lesson hard learned. I still collect plants early and hold them in the garage, because I just can't help myself, but hopefully I am developing a little patience that will save me time and money in the future. Best of luck!