How, and why to create a plant teepee

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I'm planting a petunia today in a spot that's just a little too hot and sunny at this time of year. In a week or so the temperatures will be perfect for it, but right now it's just too hot. If I put it in the ground it would die, no matter how much water I gave it. The sun is just too intense. So I'm making a teepee.

I've marked off the area for the plant, took three bamboo twigs (which came as a big bundle from the dollar store) and wrapped a rubber band around the top. Because of the structure (don't ask me why) it's very sturdy. It's only stuck in the ground less than an inch.

The next step is to move the river rocks away, and plant the plant. That just took some digging, and getting my hands dirty, which I like.

Petunia teepee made with bamboo twigs and shade cloth

I had some stray plant shade cloth in my garage, but you can use anything as long as it isn't too dark, or too opaque. A little bit of light should get through, because you're trying to protect the plant from the sun, not kill it by plunging it in darkness. I draped the cloth over the teepee frame and took another rubber band to hold it on the top. I cut it longer on the south side than on the north side, so that the plant will be completely protected from the direct sun, but it will get a little indirect light. I put a couple of rocks on the bottom, but it's not going anywhere. It will only need to be there for a week or so, and there's no strong winds in the forecast. This is temporary.

After a week or two I'll take the teepee off, and the petunia will have established. Petunias grow strong all winter in Phoenix, and all they need is cool weather (it never gets too cold for petunias here!) and plenty of water. I'll be hand-watering it daily, and hopefully we'll get some Christmas rains in December.

This little bit of protection should pay off by giving me beautiful petunias this season!

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