Whoops - I was thinking Sunset zones, and see that you are a zone colder, not warmer, than me. If you expect more nights below 22, say, maybe you ought to wait. I should not post when I am so sleepy :).

call your county extension office.. or the county soil conservation office.. and ask for precise times ... the soil cons district offers cheap plants for sale.. and delivers them at the right time for planting ... so if you can find out that date you should be all set ... i will invert daves logic.. and start with buds ... that is what is important to me. ... fully dormant plants ... can PROBABLY be planted immediately .. dormant is dormant... and the difference between z7/8 and z7 .. should be negligible ... the whole point of the temp controlled truck .. should be ... to deliver them fully dormant ... that is why big brown trucks can hurt delivery as they can get warm and trigger budding ... dormant buds are tight and small ... once they start enlarging.. softening.. and extending.. is when late frost or freeze can cause harm ... they would probably do just fine in your garage for 2 to 4 weeks .... i would NOT leave them in the sun .. and i would leave the door open all day.. so as to not allow heat to build up and warm the soil balls too fast .. NEVER leave a black pot in the sun ... we do not want the soil to heat ... and thaw the roots ... while the rest of the plant remains dormant ... whether or not you plant ...on your days off ... is not the issue.. you can still dig all the holes ... and prep the site.. so that when the proper time rolls around the job will be much easier and faster ... you would be amazed how much of the process is involved in simply hole digging .... on a 20 gal pot .... it might take you an hour to properly dig the hole ... the planting might only involve a few more minutes ... so you can accomplish a lot, whether or not you actually plant ... you might also try calling the best high end nursery in your area.. and get their opinion as to when the best planting time is ... ask when they expect delivery of their conifer stock ... because.. admit it.. you will be looking for more... lol ... they will get their stock.. when it is time to plant .... dont overthink it ... and dont kill them with too much love ... in very early spring.. potted stock does NOT need all that much water.. dont drown them ... and water at planting.. and then walk away .. until they NEED water... none of this.. i watered them everyday stuff.. unless they need it ... ask if you dont know how to determine WHEN they need water ... if you soil is clay ... start a new post about proper planting.. if you need direction ... or for any other reason .. i sum it up this way .... you would prefer to get 6 to 8 weeks of in situ root growth.. BEFORE the heat of summer hits .... for me in z5 .. consisitent with dave.. that is about 6/1 ... so we prefer to get the plantings done between 4/1 and 4/15 .... see if you can work that out for your locale ... i would GUESS a week or two ... for each zone higher than 5 .... and dont forget root pruning.. if any of the stock is pot bound.. another post if you need info on that .... since you are working on the perfect time to plant.. i would have no qualms about severely pruning offensive roots .... good luck ken ps: i am envious ... 3 degrees this morn ... pps: if any of your stock is zone pushing.. err towards planting AFTER all chance of frost/freeze is gone ...

I've done that many times, don't worry, it's a normal symptom of Compulsive Horticultural Acquisition Disorder (CHAD). I would not recommend planting them outdoors just yet; as you mentioned, there will surely be some cold snaps. If you keep them indoors, you'll have a good jump on the growing season and may have nice-sized plants come spring. What works for me is to pot them up and keep them on a fairly cool windowsill until the ground is workable. I try to keep them in semi-shade for a few days after potting them, until their roots have gotten fully functional and the plants have recovered from their dormancy. I don't feed them, but otherwise treat them like houseplants. Through my own poor planning, my cool windowsills have all disappeared, so I can't give in to those bargains any more, but I bet your plants will do just fine.

You have to know what you're doing with rescues. And the success rate is lower than with healthy plants bought new. In addition, there is sometimes a good reason why the plant was thrown out (pest infestation, fungus, mold, other contagious diseases, etc.). Not everyone wants to hunt though things thrown out, take those risks, and wait years for a lovely mature plant (assuming that even happens). As Caro123 says, sometimes you just want a nice plant. If I were getting a first plant, I'd want to know it was healthy so as to give myself and the plant the best chance at a happy relationship. Also, when you're new to a field, it's hard to know what a good price for something is. And that is a beautiful, big, healthy-looking plant. I don't think we should be too hard on No Thanks, just help them along as requested. No Thanks, it's good that you came here. This site has lots of friendly, knowledgeable and experienced plant lovers that are happy to help. Welcome, and good luck with your beautiful plant.