patience

There are some plants, in fact many plants, that should not be moved until the right time. Try to transplant them at another time, and they will languish or die. The most famous of these is the peony, which should be moved in the fall. In my yard, most of the native plants will not survive a summer move. Their roots have spread in an almost nerve-like fragile invisible network extending far from the plant and deeper than a shovel, so that digging them up breaks this essential network. Combine this with the dry heat of this time of year, and the plant is doomed, even if it seems a large rootball is obtained, and care is taken to cut back, gently replant, shade and water. In fact, too much water, and the dryland plant whose roots are not adapted to wet soil, will rot, while the leaves wither and dry.

This is also true for non-native dryland plants, as I discovered with Origanum 'Kent Beauty' whose luxurious roots seemed adequate to support the few waxy leaves (which should hold moisture) that quickly turned crispy even with the plant potted and held in my air-conditioned house. It also occurred with Salvia daghestanica, whose tuberous roots and water-retaining fuzzy leaves seemed made for enduring abuse. Salvia coahuilensis, who has a garden performance of over-agggressive stolons, has not survived a transplanting.

Note that I say "transplanting" and not "planting." Planting from pots, such as those purchased from a nursery, may succeed, since all those tiny roots are contained and retained. But even those, at this time of year, moved from the shaded nursery holding areas, and planted in the blazing sun, will need careful shading/protection, and delicate watering to survive a move at this time of year (as I have discovered on numerous occasions).