Q.Planting flowers in mid summer
I live in Dallas, Texas and we have had an extremely hot summer. All my flowers have stopped blooming and leaves yellow and dying. Is it too late to plant new flowers. Shade until 2pm and west sun rest of day. I am so disappointed this year. It is now mostly in the upper 90’s.
HELP
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
It would not be ideal to replace them at this time. It is far to hot, and anything that you plant now will likely share the same fate. I would advise waiting until it is cooler to plant anything.
This article will give you more information on plants that will do well in that area: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-8/zone-8-perennial-plants.htm
Summer weather is changing. For this reason the American Horticultural Society developed "heat zone" plant ratings. We are all used to USDA zones that tell us about cold hardiness. Heat zones provide information on how well a plant will do in extreme heat. Zones are determined by the number of days a region has temps over 86F. Look for plant tags to have both zone numbers on them. Texas has 4 heat zones; most of the state is zone 8, I believe. This system gives a range for a plant starting with the hottest zone it can tolerate. So you may see a rating of 9-4, for example, with the warmest zone given first - just the opposite of USDA zones on plant tags. If a rating is 9-4, zone 3 and colder (north) are not warm enough for the plant to do well. Zone 10 and hotter are also not going to work well, even if the plant is kept well-watered. Below is an article on plant choices for your region. The second link is more info on heat zones. You can look up the specific zone for Dallas. Planting mid summer is difficult but can be done. Plant on a cloudy day; water the plants a day ahead. In addition to ample water, you'll need to provide shade for new plants for 3 days minimum. If they wilt, more shade is needed. Use a shade cloth, a sheet or a leaf bag over a shovel - anything that casts shade will do. Before you even plant them, slowly get them used to being outdoors in the shade and gradually move them into more sun. Plants may be root-bound this time of year. Loosen the root-ball and tease out the roots. You may need to cut into the rootball to do this but roots must be able to extend into the soil. I have found that soaking a plant in a bucket of water allows me to tease out the roots more easily. Persistent circling roots must be cut.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-9-10-11/zone-9-sun-tolerant-flowers.htm
http://ahsgardening.org/gardening-resources/gardening-maps/heat-zone-map
