Why I Oughta...

Late last Fall, I put in three Baby Blue (dwarf) Spruce trees.  Two IB2DWs and one in the back by the Linden espalier.   This one has been getting a little bit of water from when I water this bed, but not a lot of attention.  How is it doing?  Seems to be ok.  Below is the current look - where it has put on new growth this season and held on to some of the blue needles: That part - the needles - and....lack of real needle-drop - is the most promising.  Fall Planting seems to be the ticket for conifers.  It appears to have given this dwarf conifer enough runway to get established and - as of now - survive the hot part of the Summer.  We're not out of the woods yet - still another month of hot, dry heat.  But, with a little bit of attention, I'm thinking this one has a good shot. 

At what point can you consider a perennial 'established'?   There are tons of posts out there on the Web that talk about this very topic - what it means to be well-established ?   It appears that there's no clear-cut answer as every plant in every garden has a different timeline.   One of the colonies of perennials that I've been watching closely is also one of the colonies that was amongst the very first that we put in:  A dozen or so Fanal Astilbes .  They went in back in early Summer 2020 and came with a reputation for being finicky and wanting things like moist soil.    I posted in June 2020 and when I look back , I'm surprised by how far they've moved - I dug them up and transplanted them - over the years.   But, how are they doing in June 2023 - their fourth growing season?  Seemingly....they are 'established'.  See below for a photo showing the red flower stems that have emerged from the green foliage in the south beds: They're a really strong