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Planting winter shrubs

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2005
by dumbgardner on December 06, 2005 11:08 AM
I ordered shrubs from a nursery back in August and they arrived last month & I planted them. Today, Dec. 5, I received a duplicate order from the same nursery. Obviously, a mistake. I called them & was told I could keep them at no charge and plant them. My question is this. I live in SE Michigan. The temperature is in the 20's & there's snow on the ground. The plants have bare roots. Will they survive if I plant them outdoors now?
by peppereater on December 06, 2005 11:33 PM
It depends somewhat on what they are, but mostly I'd say they're better off in the ground...You'd have to be careful with leaving them bareroot in a storage situation, they could dry out and die or get warm enough to try and bud, etc. Unless the ground is frozen, I suggest you at least "heel them in," dig a little trench and set them in it, cover the roots with soil and mulch well. When you're ready to plant, they'll be fine. Just one caveat, though, I live in zone 7, you might get slightly different advice from someone in your zone, but I think you can take my advice. [thumb]
by peppereater on December 06, 2005 11:34 PM
BTW...welcome to the site! [wavey] You should check out some of the other threads...check out the Banter Hall, the Recipes section, etc.
by dumbgardner on December 07, 2005 05:29 AM
Thanks for the advice. I also emailed gardening friends and received the same advice so I went with the advice. This afternoon, I planted the shrubs. The ground was moist and the dirt was crumbly making it easy to dig. I planted them in a big hole, adding new soil and thoroughly watered them. Later, when the ground freezes I will add mulch. If they survive, I've received a nice Christmas present from the nursery. Thanks again!

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