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A. Fall is the best
time to plant, and of course you can plant in spring and winter.
But, if you want to take advantage of nursery sales, you can plant
now. . .with care.
The key is to provide the right amount of water. Remember that
the plant’s been babied in a container, and given water daily.
In fall through spring, new plants should be thoroughly watered
at planting, and then given deep watering every week or so.
But in summer’s heat, you want to treat the plant as if it
were still in a container. Water it thoroughly at planting, and
provide some liquid seaweed. If it’s small enough, immerse
the entire container in a bucket of water laced with liquid seaweed
for a few hours before planting.
Then, give it a small amount of water around the roots every day.
Don’t drown it! You simply want to keep the roots moist, not
saturated or soggy. If you’re in clay soil, be especially
careful. Gradually back off so that by fall you’re watering
only once a week.
Producer note: When I simply must move or add
a perennial in summer’s heat, I give it a “baby blanket”
for a week. My version is an old white pillowcase suspended on bamboo
stakes. You can achieve a more professional look with row cover
or shade cloth. Make sure there’s plenty of air. This is simply
an umbrella to keep the hot sun off the leaves until the roots can
start doing their job.
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Passionflower
(Passiflora sp.) 
