If you're not ready to commit to buying and planting trees, or you'd like to pick out some plants for container gardening, it's important to know what will do best in your area. Some key tips before you start:
- You’ll find many perennial flower choices, be aware that some won’t thrive, in spite of what the tag says.
- Plant materials are very tender when they are fresh from the nurseries. Give them a few days to adjust and make sure you give them temporary shade in the hottest part of the day.
- Pick plants from the center rather than the edges of the displays.
Select a variety that is suited to your environment
Mass buying of perennials also means that there will be varieties are not going to succeed in the harsh conditions and alkaline soils of the Western Slope. Be aware of tags that indicate a plant likes full sun. Many plants thrive where full sun is not desert sun. Planting some of those species in partial shade is a great solution, especially if it can be shaded for the mid-late afternoon, the hottest time of day with our summer sun.
Mass buying of perennials also means that there will be varieties are not going to succeed in the harsh conditions and alkaline soils of the Western Slope. Be aware of tags that indicate a plant likes full sun. Many plants thrive where full sun is not desert sun. Planting some of those species in partial shade is a great solution, especially if it can be shaded for the mid-late afternoon, the hottest time of day with our summer sun.
Hardening off your new plants
Before planting, especially if you are planting later than spring, you need to harden off plants. This is simply putting them in a partially protected area for a few days before planting. Another technique that I use is covering them with a box during the hottest part of the day for a couple of days after you put them outside. This also eases the transition into new soil. It looks funny in your yard, but your plants will thank you. If you plant in mid-summer, expect some leaf damage, like sunburn, even if your plants are given some sun protection.
Before planting, especially if you are planting later than spring, you need to harden off plants. This is simply putting them in a partially protected area for a few days before planting. Another technique that I use is covering them with a box during the hottest part of the day for a couple of days after you put them outside. This also eases the transition into new soil. It looks funny in your yard, but your plants will thank you. If you plant in mid-summer, expect some leaf damage, like sunburn, even if your plants are given some sun protection.
Annuals are less of a problem than perennials all around because they only live for a summer and are cheap to replace if they don’t make it. But they also need to be hardened off if they will be in the full sun.
Remember that these plants were grown in a nursery somewhere else, like Oregon or the Midwest, where growing conditions are easier. I like to read the tag to find out where the home nursery is. That lets me know how tender the plant is and what kind of hardening off I will need to do to help the plant make the transition into my yard.
Pick plants from the middle of the display
And while I am talking about nurseries, keep in mind that these box stores get cartloads of plants straight from their perfect growing environments at the home nurseries. They are unloaded onto hot pavement and left in the sun. When you pick out a plant, pick one from the center of the display. These are more likely to have had enough water and are protected from the wind and the reflected sun that the edge plants get.
As with buying new trees, local nurseries will be more familiar with species that do well in your area. If you're uncertain about what to start with, they are a wonderful resource to help you out!
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