got it :-) Lucy

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 ...

look up CIS.. and stockmans dwarf .... and humphrey's gem ... full names somewhere below ... there are some very dwarf mugo .... below is 2 pics of a similar type bed ... and further below is a list of what i have planted there... good luck researching zone info ... ken the list... alpha repeats due to location in the bed ... and some are mistakes.. lol ... they need to be moved due to 6 inches of growth ... live and learn... AND SOME OF THE CHAMS ARE DEAD .. SINCE THEY HAVE LITTLE SENSE OF HUMOR ABOUT ZONE 5 ... AS WELL AS ALL THE LAWSONS ... carp caps .... they really dont get the idea of zone pushing in zone 5 .... never really got to the point of growth rate issues ... since they have just been burning to death for years....: Pinus parviflora 'Adcock's Dwarf' Abies balsamae 'Nana' 1 IN Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Aurea' Picea glauca 'Conica Baby' Pinus banksiana 'Pedula' Pinus banksiana 'Schoodic' Pinus banksiana 'Wisconsin' Pinus mugo 'Meg's Short Needle' Pinus mugo 'Mops' Tsuga canadensis 'Popeleski' Abies concolor 'Compacta' Abies concolor 'Scooter' Abies koreana 'Cis' Juniperus communis 'Compressa' -- the tall thin one ... Picea abies 'Dumpy' Picea abies 'Little Gem' Picea glauca 'Gnome' Pinus banksiana 'Chippewa' Pinus mugo 'Valley Cushion' Pinus parviflora 'Hagaromo' -- gift for pots Pinus parviflora 'Ogon Janome' Pinus parviflora 'Pentaphylla Azuma' Pinus strobus 'Ned's Broom' Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Blue Lullaby' Pseudotsuga menziesii 'Brooks' Tsuga canadensis 'Everitt Golden' Tsuga canadensis 'Jeddeloh' Tsuga canadensis 'Stockman's Dwarf' Juniperus horizontalis 'Golden Carpet' Juniperus horizontalis 'Golden Carpet' Juniperus horizontalis 'Pancake' 3 9/16 Abies procera 'Prostrata' Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Alumii' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Green Globe' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Silber Star' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Snow White' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Treasure' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Treasure Island' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Aurea' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Ceramic' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gold Fern' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Golden Fernspray' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis' SEE C.o.AUREA Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Lutea' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Saffron Spray' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Sparkles' Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Tsukumo'SOLD AS OBTUSA??? Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Verdonii' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Compacta Variegata' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Cream Ball' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Dust' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Pin Cushion' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Sands' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Tsukumo' --PROPER NAME Chamaecyparis pisifera 'White Pygmy' Ginkgo bilobal 'Variegata' Picea abies 'Dan's Dwarf' Picea abies 'Humphrey's Gem' Picea abies 'Wagner' Picea glauca 'Witches Broom' Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' Picea sitchensis 'Papoose' Pinus contorta 'Mt. Hood Marble' Pinus mugo 'Mitsch Mini' Pinus parviflora 'Tanima No Yuki' Pinus parviflora 'Toyo Nishiki' Pinus viginiana 'Fanfare' AND DONT FORGET.. THESE GROW HERE.. ITS FOR YOU TO DECIDE IF ZONE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU .... GOOD LUCK KEN

Hi, I didn't realize there was a "Name that Plant" forum, and I found out what it was! It's Phyteuma spicatum, or common name Rampion (wasn't that what someone in a fairy tale had a craving for? :>) It's native to Europe and Asia. I wanted to collect seed, so I let the seedheads form- as a result it didn't bloom very long- if I'm successful propagating it, I'll try deadheading and see if that prolongs the bloom period. So, of course I didn't get a photo in full bloom, but here it is further along in bud, the flowers opened to be pin cushion type.