(big) online plant order - too late to plant???

17 years ago

At the end of October, I (perhaps foolishly) took advantage of a sale online at a popular plant seller's website. I [went a little nuts and] ordered lily of the valley, creeping phlox, black eyed susan, wisteria, magnolia trees, canterbury bells, grape hyacinth, anemones, verbascum, sweet pea, poppies, penstemon, pink sundrops, sweet lavender, peonies, bellflowers, creeping myrtle, yarrow, trumpet vines.

The website said the company ships things at the right time to be planted in the customer's area. The items will all be delivered from now until the beginning of January. But I got to thinking - is that too late?? Will I really be able to put these things out when they arrive? I live in Greenville, SC, zone 7.

Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you.

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Comment (1)

Dibbit
17 years ago
It SHOULD be fine until about the middle of Dec., and maybe later than that, depending on how cold it gets for how long. As long as the soil is warm, the plant roots will start to grow - adding a little triple phosophate to the planting hole won't hurt. If you water religiously until the soil cools - unless it rains, or temps stay in the 40's - everything should be OK. Watering after the new year should be done during warm spells, again unless it rains, and mulching things with several inches of hardwood or pine straw mulch will help. If you think anything is marginal in its youth, you could put pine boughs over it, about the beginning of Jan, to protect against frost damage.

Anything you get late, or are uncertain about, you can go to the effort of potting up, and either putting in a very protected area outside, not forgetting to check on moisture levels, such as against a south facing wall, or keep in a garage or unheated shed, and shuttle them in and out as the weather dictates.

The hyacinth and anemones should certainly go in the ground, or in pots that don't get too much protection - they require cold to flower. The peony also needs a certain amount of cold to do well, so should go in ground or in an outside pot. The same for the lily of the valley.

The sweet peas will wimp out as soon as it gets too hot (they are a cool weather plant down here), so the more growth, and flowering time, they can get before then, the better. The lavender will need very good drainage, so you might want to put that in a pot until you come up with the perfect place for it. Almost all the rest are pretty tough, so it depends on the arrival time, and how much time you have as to whether they get planted in the ground or in pots....
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(big) online plant order - too late to plant???

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Dibbit

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