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Jai_Ganesha
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Can I plant perennials or seeds in July/August (PA), Zone 6?

I recently moved to Pennsylvania (Zone 6).

At my new house I'm wondering if there's any perrenials that I can plant right now, or do I have to wait until fall?

I'm not used to living in this climate so I am not even sure where to start. I asked a nurseryman and he said to wait until fall and plant bulbs but in the meantime I can't really grow anything.

In particular, I have a shady area between four trees that I'd like to plant but I'm guessing that between the shade and between the time of year, it's hopeless?

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applestar
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I'm a little further east and over the river in NJ, but unless you are up in the mountains where it can be a little bit cooler and a little more rainy, the temperatures and climate are similar. This is the HOTTEST time of the year. It's not IMPOSSIBLE, but if you plant, you will have to constantly monitor and keep them watered. The heat stress might be too much for some plants during the fragile transplant stage, so you would have to choose wisely. I could understand the nursery not wanting to sell you stuff.

Most plants typically on sale around this time of the year are overgrown, root bound in containers, or have been put through cycles of dried out stress because they have to water 2 or 3 times to keep them alive, flushing out all the nutrients.

If you go to garden centers that supply landscapers, they sometimes have better quality, better cared for stock, including annual bedding plants for quick splash of color, but you still need to plant them and take care of them properly for them to stay looking good and get through this season.

Shady area -not out in the blazing sun- will actually have a better chance (depending on type of shade and trees) if you can get good plants that are suitable for the area.

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Jai_Ganesha
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Thank you. That is helpful. I'm used to a longer growing season with full, unfiltered, sun.

What species could I plant where I am now? Sorry, I'm not a new garderner but I'm new to this climate so I feel pretty clueless!

Susan W
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I'll throw in my 2 plants worth, FWIW. Your climate basically the same. Difference is situation!
Break it down to what grows well with the trees and somewhat shady, and what can you play with now. Big questions for your situation is the dirt, do you have garden beds, might you do large awesome containers? Can you do ferns and hostas with containers of pretties?

As for planting in heat of summer, and this one a beast, is done plenty enough. Shrubs and trees best to wait, also dividing perennials done fall and spring. I've worked in garden centers, and now start and (try to) sell plants. Plants need to be showing some color to sell, and I am realizing that myself. I have coreopsis, coneflower and more awaiting until there is at least one bloom, otherwise sits. Plants at the garden center are in season for time of year, and forced a bit early or pushed late for sales. Often now through August, the growers will be pushing their plants that haven't moved, and lists are faxed at least every week to the retailers. They often have a number of plants going and moving through to make rent during the otherwise down time. September picks up with pansies, mums and some asters.

Challenges are good, and I know you're up to them!

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Jai_Ganesha
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Thank you. This is helpful.

Just to be clear (I promise, I'm really dumb, haha) are you saying that I should buy the somewhat-wiltered plants on clearance like mint, echinacea, and plant them now? Some of them are really cheap ($2-3) so I wouldn't lose all that much. Just curious what happens if I plant them super late. Should I cut off all the flower heads to allow them to make roots for fall?

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applestar
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I'd like to know what kind of trees you are planting under, and what kind of sun exposure this area gets right now.

Remember that the sun exposure will change over the course of the season -- right now daylight is still long and the sun is at near highest.

Also, depending on trees and their maturity, you will have tons of leaves falling on the area. Will you be needing to rake or blow those leaves?

The area may have more light after the leaf fall and until they leaf out in spring. If some kind of nut trees are in the area, squirrels may be doing a lot of digging in the fall and spring.

Have you tried digging there yourself and seeing what you may need to do with the existing soil? You want to prep the area well before planting perennials.

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Jai_Ganesha
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Yes, I only know that they're decidious, not evergreen. And most likely native to PA since they're wild (not planted on purpose). There are also vines such as Virginia creeper and honeysuckle, which I've cut a lot off off. There was also some kind of wild mustard growing on the edge (I recognize it from the seed pods) and touch-me-nots as well as poison ivy and English ivy.

The dirt was surprisingly rich when I first went back there a few days ago. My impression is that there have been years and years of leaf litter that composted itself naturally.

I don't think I need to rake/blow leaves for any visual reason, as nobody can see the area except me because it's behind my house but in front of a the big trees.

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applestar
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Definitely sounds like an area that you would want to grow native plants in. Otherwise, you may have rampant growth that will take over like the English ivy has done (That and poison ivy are going to be a bear to control :x ).

I could see native ferns and maybe bluebells and woods poppies for spring, Turks cap lillies for summer, tiarella, wild ginger ...and perhaps gingseng root if sloped and well draining. crested Iris near the very front.... fragrant and colorful azaleas and mountain laurels..... Aquilegia would grow well in sunnier edges, too I think. If you want something that grows huge and spreads, you could try elderberries.

What part of Pa? if near northeast, Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve will have their annual fall native plant sale in September (next one will be around Mothers Day). IF near central part of the state, there is another one that I would love to go to but is too far for me -- Yellow Springs Farm (artisanal goat cheese there, too -- I wish I lived nearer). Southeast - Tylar Arboretum has plant sales but in spring.

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Jai_Ganesha
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I'm in the southwest corner, closer to OH/WV than to the Philadelphia area.

Thank you for all the species names. I'm definitely going to look into them.

What are woods poppies, just curious?

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rainbowgardener
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woods poppy is one of my favorite native shade wildflowers:

Image

It is a spring bloomer and the plants go dormant later in the season. But it is adaptable to most soils, spreads readily but not too aggressively and has those beautiful sunny yellow blossoms.

ButterflyLady29
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I'm in a similar area to yours. And I've been planting potted plants like crazy and dividing and moving perennials. (not by choice, I have to have a new well drilled and will lose them if I don't do anything about them) It can be done, it just takes a lot more work. Water, water, water. Water before planting, water just after planting, water daily at least until this heat breaks, then every couple days if you don't get some rain. Mulch will help keep the soil moist, just water well before adding the mulch. Some sort of shade cover may be necessary if the plants are in full sun all day long. Also, don't plant early in the morning. Wait until 2:00 pm or later so they don't go through the hottest part of the day as new transplants.

Sometimes it's better for plant roots to be in the ground instead of being in a pot. In the ground the roots have more protection from the heat. And if they are well watered and the soil is kept moist they run less risk of drying out.

Yes, trim off the flowers, old and current. And yes, you can get the clearance plants but make sure they aren't wilted or sick looking. Sometimes a plant is just too far gone for even an experienced gardener to save it. I wouldn't recommend that a beginner buy less than healthy plants. On the bright side, now is the time when a lot of garden centers clearance out seasonal bloomers or slow sellers to make room for new inventory. I ended up with a shopping cart of ferns and hostas at $1 each just because they were making room for new inventory. Plants are now very happily settling in in my shrub garden area.

Falling leaves, you will have to remove some in the spring so your new plants won't be smothered by leaves. The best thing to do is gently rake them off in early spring and chop them up with a mower. If you collect them with a bagger mower you can spread the chopped leaves back in the area to use as mulch.

If you can take pictures of the leaves on your trees we just might be able to identify them for you. In some cases you have to be very careful about what you plant under trees. Maple trees will suck the moisture out of everything and they have a lot of surface roots that keep coming up above the soil level. It's best to plant in containers under maples. Walnut and hickory trees produce a substance called juglone. Juglone will kill some plants, but other plants will grow well under walnut trees. Oak leaves produce a lot of tannins which keeps some plants from growing under them.



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