On 7/21/11 12:31 PM, Suzie-Q wrote:
I'd like to plant a weeping willow tree in my front
yard for shade. I live in central Texas, zone 8.
Is now a bad time to plant a weeping willow? Some of
the websites I've visited won't ship until November,
but I'd really like to plant as soon as possible.
I'm just concerned about the plant's health if I
plant now.

Can someone please advise?

Thanks in advance,

I would wait until fall, at least until further heat waves are unlikely.
If you plant in the early fall, the soil should still be warm enough
(not hot) to encourage root growth while the air has cooled enough to
reduce the demand by foliage for moisture.

However, if your winters are as severe as indicated by the US National
Arboretum -- 10F to 20F -- you might want to wait until no more freezing
weather is expected. Prepare the planting hole in the fall, but plant
in the late winter or early spring. That's because planting the tree
will encourage new growth that will be extra sensitive to frost damage.

For the US National Arboretum map of Texas, see
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-sm1.html.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary