I'm in PA too and got the snow and sleet. I'd say pot them up if they don't come potted, then in shade outside during the warmth of the day and inside to a cool spot in the house at night. It will warm up quicker than you think and some of the plants you are getting are strong even in the chill. The hens and chicks will be fine, just don't let them freeze at night. The flowering peach should still be dormant or just sapping up. Good luck and happy gardening.

Hi Deborah,

If it is a reputable company write back to them explaining that the ground is still frozen and see what they suggest.

If it is not a reputable company, you will have to do a triage. Dormant trees are usually shipped bare root and can be healed-in until you can plant them. Bulbs will need to be planted soon since they will be breaking dormancy. Other plants can be potted and either set outside if they are hardy or in a garage or some other cool place with light until they can be planted outside. In any case keep them moist but not wet.

Good Luck!

Okay, I will do what you all suggested. It seems silly for the company to be sending things now. Surely it is going to create more returns for them. Well, I'll give it my best shot. Thanks again!

~Deborah =-)

I order in January from the companies, and they usually break my order up. They will send the things that can wait to be planted, seeds and some bulbs, but then send my live plugs at a later shipping date.

Be sure to check and see if this is what they are doing for you. I recieved my veggie seeds already, but my potatoes and strawberry bushes aren't coming for another few weeks.

I'm with you, we had nice 70's weather last Wednesday, and now we are here with 12 inches of fresh snow from Friday. YUCK!!! I can't even find my garden.

Stacy.

Isn't that annoying? I had the same issue with an order from Spring Hil a few years ago. I called to tell them that there was still 3" of snow on the ground, and their response was "well, they're guaranteed. Let us know what doesn't grow, and we'll replace it." And to be honest, they did sent replacements, but some of them did not come until the next spring. And for that order I explicitly stated, and then called to double check, that they were NOT to send my roses out until after April!

Heel them in. Your can lay them on their sides and cover their bases with mulch. You should be able to get some mulch about now. Cover them with a tarp at night and uncover them during the day. Most plants are shipped dormant and are fine with the cold.

I received most of the plants today and (kind of surprisingly) they look pretty healthy, if very small. I will try everything you have all suggested. The hens and chicks are just kind of brown balls, but perhaps that's normal. For what it's worth, these were ordered from Michigan Bulb. I read some pretty bad reviews for them after I had already placed my order and, though I think they sent way too early, the plants were well packaged and look healthy so far. Well, thanks again!

~Deborah

I once came home and found this small box in my mailbox. I look at it, thinking, "I didn't order a box of checks", because that's what it looked like. Imagine my surprise when it was the entire butterfly garden I had ordered from Michigan Bulb! I know they warn you that the plants are either bare roots or small seedlings, but it just shocked me that they'd gotten about 15 plants into a check box! However, they are all growing beautifully, so don't worry about their size Deborah, they will get bigger!

Now, all we need is for this snow to melt!

Oh my goodness. Not to laught at your little plants, but that's pretty funny. That is about what I had expected. It seems like the comments for Michigan Bulb have been getting a little better on Dave's Garden Watchdog. I good a few more today. The weeping peach tree is a fair size and though the bittersweet vines were short, they have big fat green buds coming out. And, really, you can't beat the price. And it was warm today! :-) Off to do a soil test. The test kit looks fun!

Herb Lady is right! "Heel them in. Your can lay them on their sides and cover their bases with mulch. You should be able to get some mulch about now. Cover them with a tarp at night and uncover them during the day. Most plants are shipped dormant and are fine with the cold." I did this last year and it worked like a charm.