We recently purchased our first new home and are in the process of getting the back yard in order.
We finally have the lawn pretty well established and are now turning our attention to the borders.
We have a northeast corner I want to do lavender and catmint in, so we ordered both from a garden center.
The plants are very small and after a couple days outside on our patio in limited sun exposure, both the catmint and lavender are not looking well.
We brought them inside and now we are not sure what to do with them. We can't risk putting them in the ground if just being outside nearly cooked them.
I'm guessing if we can keep them alive indoors until the weather cools down some would be best, but they don't seem to be thriving indoors either.
Help!!

Tophatjimmy
You haven't said where you are and that would be helpful. Generally July is a tough time to plant, but those pots are too small to hold until fall. You want to adapt your plants to full sun gradually, especially if you are in a hot area. Find a spot under a tree where they can receive dappled sun for a couple of days, then gradually move them into morning sun, then full sun. Keep them well watered.

Plant them in your garden and provide plenty of water. Create a canopy out of shade cloth (or tulle or screen) and protect them from mid-day sun until they appear to be putting out new growth. You don't want to shade them entirely, just cut the sun's intensity at its hottest time. Even though eventually both of those plants will do well on limited water, they will need regular watering until they establish new roots.

I recommend cutting that leggy catnip back by about a third. It will grow back bushier. Good luck

Thanks for the response. I live in northern Idaho and unfortunately we are suffering through a record breaking heat wave this summer. Figures this would be the year I get the gardening bug.

We don't really have any natural shade to provide the plants due to the house only being a year old in a brand new neighborhood. We have one tree in the backyard, but it is still barely more than a large twig.

I'm sure I can frame up an old bedsheet or something as a makeshift 'cabana' to give them some shade until September or so.
Or should I leave them in the house and just re-pot them?

Neither will be happy in the house.
I just looked at the pots again. Initially I thought they were 4" pots but... Are those gallon pots? If so, keep them in those pots in whatever partial shade you can rig up. Morning sun/afternoon shade is good, or filtered sun as mentioned above. Shade cloth is readily available online or at hardware/big box stores. Plant and follow initial instructions when the blazing heat lets up. Most important, keep them well watered but don't let them get soggy or sit in water-filled saucers.

We got the scorching weather during the first three weeks in June. Some plants I'd planted in May died because they hadn't established enough new roots and simply couldn't suck up water fast enough! Now we're heavy monsoon rains! In spite of flash flooding, the rain is a welcome relief. Maybe you'll get some. The weather is so weird, who knows?

Thanks for the suggestion, I didn't even know that shade cloth existed.

Looks like I can shade the whole corner with a 6' x 10' cloth. Is there a preferred filter % ?

Once they are in the ground, should they be watered every day? I get confused when I see care instructions say catmint and lavender don't like being watered a lot.
I know I sound like a dummy, but I've literally never planted anything before.

I'd aim for 40%-ish as long as your temperatures stay below high 80s. If you're still getting anything close to those recent high temps, don't plant. Really, your chances for failure increase the higher the temps. A plant that has grown and developed since early spring — or better, the previous fall — has established an extensive network of feeder roots that are able to provide adequate water and nutrients to support it in the longer, hotter days of summer. With its foundation in place, the plant can direct its energy to flower, fruit and seed production, which is what it wants to do at this time of year. I'm explaining this to address your question about watering.
Drought-tolerant plants have developed coping mechanisms to withstand drought and also because they develop roots that are very efficient at pulling water from the soil, but while they are developing those roots they need regular water. When you put a potted plant into the soil, you unavoidably damage its fine feeder roots and they need to regrow along with creating a wider and deeper root network. So you need to provide a steady supply of water but at the same time these plants don't like their feet to stay wet, so it becomes a delicate balancing act, which is one reason planting in hot weather is tricky, especially in arid climates. The drainage properties of the soil play a huge role. So yes, you might need to water daily, depending on heat and soil properties.

I am totally unfamiliar with your growing zone, but I see on the map that you're way the heck up there. I recommend seeking out local resources for info specific to your conditions. Independent nurseries, local gardening clubs, online blogs, neighbors, etc. I also strongly recommended getting this book:


Here is info about shade cloth
https://www-cmac-com-au.cdn.am...

Also explore the resources on this site; lots of good info here!