you have to tell us where you are ....dont you think ...

until then.. get it out of the plastic.. put it in a pail with an inch of water .. set the roots in there .. and cover with a rag ... we want the roots damp.. but not soaking in water.. it is not a bog plant ...

do you have media.. and a larger pot ... if potting is the way to go ..

btw ... it looks like the pot was removed prior to shipping .. and my answer presumes such ..

ken

Hi ken,

Sorry, I thought Zone 6B would be enough... oops. I'm in Central Pennsylvania. Yes, the pot was removed... wasn't sure how to explain it and figured I'd add a photo.

Thanks for the advice for how to care for it in the meantime. I do have soil and a large pot. Is that preferable to the bucket/rag method? I have two established butterfly bushes, but this is my first time planting a baby bush.

you peeps always catch me by putting it in the title.. i reread the post 3 times .. lol

first .. to be clear.. i wanted the rag covering the water.. to soak up most of the water.. so the roots stay damp.. but its not standing in water ... and i would put it in the garage ...

where did it come from physically .....are the buds starting to break.... is it coming out of dormancy ...

what im getting at.. it needs to be hardened off ... if its not completely dormant ...

moisten your media today .... pot it up tomorrow ... then in my MI ... it would go in my garage .... to acclimate to temps for a few days ... by then.. i would probably put it on the north side of the house.. which happens to be my front door ... and i would leave it out there for a week or two ... and only bring it in the house ;... if a hard frost or freeze was forecast .. like under 30 degrees ..

if any amount of leaves pop out. .they will then need to hardened off to direct sun ...

being outside in the relative cold.. will keep it in slo motion until its time to go in the ground ...

i have no clue as to specific planting time in your area ...

ken

Lol... I've done similar things elsewhere.

Understood on the rag and pail. We have an unheated garage, so I can put it there. Here's what it looks like.

Also, it shipped from Kentucky.

Any chance you can find out if butterfly bushes in your area are starting to come out of dormancy yet (i.e. grow new leaves)? Here in southern Indiana, 6a, ours are still just sticks, and they tend to be one of the last plants to leaf out. If outdoor plants haven't started growing new leaves yet where you are, I would be pretty wary about putting a plant outdoors that already appears to be green and growing.

Maybe a friend with a butterfly bush, that you could ask? A particularly nice one you remember from a walk in your neighborhood, that you could go surreptitiously check?

Thank you illsstep and tsugajunkie! I have two established butterfly bushes... I'll keep an eye out for buds. And yes, it's been a cooler Spring, so I'll watch the temps. :)

Should I be watering the potted plant that I'm keeping cool until planting?

As it may be weeks before you can safely plant, yes, you will need to water. Just be careful not to overwater.

tj

i hope its out of the plastic bag ....

im a bit late returning ..... but i would have dampened some new media... put this thing in a larger pot ... packed in the media ..... and water it minimally ... and with the cold weather i would probably not water it again for a long while.. water is simply not going to evaporate in cool or cold weather ....

the garage ought to be fine ... even on a real cold night.. it should not get that frigid inside a closed garage ... but if there was some freak below zero event or something... i might bring it indoors for that night ...

once it starts warming.. it will need to be hardened off to sun ... and that when i might be wondering if it needs some more water .... out of the garage in bright shade for a day or two.. then some early or late day sun ... then plant on a cloudy day ...

ken