GM
Someone made a boo boo. The only thing I would know to do is to compare the leaves with your hollys, other than taking the plants back.
There are enough varieties of hollys, and dwarf hollys to make one's head spin.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hollys, dwarf hollys and more hollys

Greenman,

It can be very difficult to tell the two types apart when they are that small.

The leaves on a dwarf Burford that has been in the ground a couple of years will be smaller than the leaves on a standard Burford, but the leaves of both of them will be smaller if in one-gallon containers, so you can't necessarily go by leaf size.

Normally, the leaves of dwarf Burfords are slightly lighter in color than the leaves of standard Burfords, but that's not totally reliable with small plants in containers because their leaf color can vary depending on whether their soil mix has slow-release fertlizer in it or if the plant has been fed a high nitrogen fertilizer recently.

A third way to tell the two apart is that Burford hollies tend to carry their berries more out near the ends of the branches, and dwarf burford berries are closer to the inside of the plant than the outside of the plant. However, if the plants are very young, they may not have any berries at the present time.

When you compare the foliage on the plants you just bought to the foliage on the plants you previously planted, how similar are they? If they're absolutely identical, I'd think they are the same. If there are any real differences, I'd be worried.

It could be the plants are fine and someone stuck the wrong tag in them.

Someone on the Shrub Forum here at GW might have some other way of telling them apart that I am not aware of.

Dawn

Thanks, folks. The leaves on the ones I bought are very similar looking to the ones on the plants I have in the ground in both size and shape, though the ones I have planted have darker, shinier leaves. I suspect this is because of the soil I have them in and the fertilizer I've been using on them this past year. It's strange b/c "Holly Dwf Burford" was literally printed on the same tag where it said "ilex burfordii." I got them at Home Depot in Norman for $3 a piece, so I'm not out all that much, but I'd still like to know... Thanks again. I might post this on the shrubs forum and see what I can find out.
GM.

I managed to contact the nursury (House Nursury, Brownsboro, TX) that grows the hollies I bought and they tell me they are indeed dwarfs. Thanks, everyone, for the advice. Think I might plant them this weekend, weather permitting.

GM,

You're welcome. There's always a lot of confusion about plant names, so the misprinted tags don't surprise me.

I bet it will be nice weather for planting thanks to the arrival of the cold front!

Dawn