Question: What time of year is best to plant shrubs?

Answer: You can plant container-grown shrubs at any season, although cold-sensitive types should be set out in the spring, so they can establish themselves over the entire growing season. If you plant shrubs in the summer you’ll need to be vigilant about watering them. The soil in their original root balls will dry out much more quickly than adjacent soils, so normal sprinkler irrigation won’t be adequate. Plan on hand-watering all new shrubs (and trees) every 3 or 4 days for their first summer.