Never-mind I watered it and magically it bounced back. Now I know :)

The bush is young, had been planted last season from bare root. I do remember now that I had to replant one last year, into a pot because I had initially put it into a spot which I didn't realize was too moist all the time. That one also took a while to come back to life but, was ok in the end. It's one of the ones now in the ground. The reason I'm so worried with this one is it's my Reine des Violettes, which had herbicide damage done to it last year, and was never the same thereafter. I was assured that it would recover this season. So, seeing it this way is somewhat disappointing. I had hoped to get it off to a better start this year. Anyway, I'll give it a few days to settle in, and prune back a bit as suggested. Wish I was able to have my sprinkler system turned on already, that would make my life easier but alas, it's another couple of weeks before that happens, so I'll be dragging buckets of water out to the poor things. Thanks very much for your help!

You have received some excellent advice. I will add my 2 cents. First not knowing your soil makes it hard to give good advice. Mine is deep sand. So no chance of getting too wet. I've been setting out some large late plants over the last two weeks. Going out to set out some when I finish posting this. First from my experience some of the potting mixes will tend to dry out in my sand although the sand around it will be moist. On the large plants if daytime temps are over 90 I will have to water lightly every day for 7-10 days till the roots get established and reach out into the soil surrounding them. In a tighter soil like clay I don't imagine you would have that problem. But since I've gardened for 40 plus years in deep sand it is all I know. Another thing I do is I put the cage up around it when I transplant and put large squares or shade cloth over the top. This allows them to get indirect sun but not direct sun. Then even in the heat where I use 2 ft diameter cages I put a trash bag with a cut in the bottom over the outside of the cage and pull it down where the top of the bag is just below the top of the plant. I mulch the inside with straw leaving a small area around the stem unmulched. Using these methods I have set out plants when the outside temps are over 100 and the winds have been high and had very few problems and minimal wilting. Each grower has to find methods that work in their garden. As I stated above my soil is sand and very fast draining. If it wasn't I wouldn't water the way I do. Most of the other methods I use I feel should work anywhere. Once established I normally water once a week. During the extreme heat of last summer I watered once every 4 days. I try to water the least I can once a plant is established. I gradually pull the bags down to adjust the plants to the severe wind. I leave them bunched at the bottom for a few weeks. If I know severe weather is coming I can pull them up and put straw in the top and they usually survive well. After they get 4 ft or taller I remove the bag totally. I have tried various methods and this works well. If your cages were a smaller diameter or you didn't mulch you might bake a plant. But the way I use them with the large cages I have never hurt a plant. Jay

When transplanting, the root structure needs to be considered. Plants with tap roots like Perovskias will need to have a lot of deep soil taken with them, if that is where the fine roots are. Tap and trunk roots are not very effective at gathering water and minerals from the soil. If you have only 6 to 12 inch sections of these rhick roots, there will be a few fine roots around the base of the plant, but not enough to keep the tops if these are kept whole and not pruined back. The foliar leaf surface has to be balanced by an adequate number of fine roots. If I make a mistake in transplanting, I check to see how many fine hairs are left and prune off the tops accordingly. I put the remainder of the plant in sand, moisten, and keep the plant in the shade. Basically, I am working with a large cutting. After a few days, I might start feeding the plant a soluble plant starter fertilizer. Once growth resumes, I'd check the roots and replant in the ground when the root system is again robust.