Hi Ken. Please forgive me for not getting back to you sooner. Your information (as well as everyone else's) was invaluable. I just wanted to give you and update on everything. The 2 GoldenRain Trees arrived and were leafed out on several branches. I do believe the leafing out could've occurred during the 2 day shipping as Brian told me they were close to coming out of dormancy when they shipped. The 2 Red Sunset Maples arrived with very soft buds that were close to flowering out. We decided to go ahead and plant all of them, and just protect the trees if we get any frost or snow. The trees are not guaranteed beyond the 48 hours after they arrive. I trust Sooner Plant Farm though. The products they ship out are gorgeous and well packed. I have no complaints at all... As it has turned out in the last week all the trees have exploded with spring growth. The Raintrees have leaves everywhere and the 2 Sunset Maples have flowers popping out everywhere and one has a very long stem on one of the branches. No transplant shock of any kind. I credit that to taking your advice you mentioned in another post, Ken, where you said your best luck was planting between April 1 and April 15. After we planted, for one week we had 70-80 temps and everything was great, until the weather report for this weekend that is. They've called for lows in the low 30's. possibly high 20's with snow mixing in. So dh spent about 4 hours yesterday morning putting up wood stakes around each tree and took gigantic, thick, black contractor trash bags and placed them over the stakes so they didnt come into contact with the trees. The bags go all the way down to the ground. He stapled the bags to the stakes. They look great! It's snowing outside now and the trees are oblivious to it. I also wrapped the trunks lightly too, to keep them warm. We'll take everything off tomorrow sometime. I am so sorry I didnt get back to you sooner. We were busy this past week building fencing, down 6 inches deep, around the trees and mulching with Permatil and working on trapping for voles. We've caught 6 so far and one frog too. lol Anyway, thank you so much for your time.

you all miss my point ... moving a household is insanity ... moving a household plus a garden is double insanity ... been there.. done that.. what was i thinking .... especially in the high heat of summer ... [i moved when it was all dormant in january] so your plan.. as i understand it.. is to move everything you own.. into a new house.. and abandon the house.. while you plant a garden ... and i am presuming the tree is not the only thing you are taking ... maybe i am wrong ... i was glad to have 4 months to put the household back together... before i had to start messing outside .... painting.. cleaning.. unpacking .... etc ... so all i am trying to say.. is this tree really a priority ...???? now.. why do you know about the house and all already ... building??? .. is there an option to go plant it now... are there facts we dont know ... when i moved.. between the accepted offer in oct. .. and the closing in late dec ... we were allowed to deliver 1500 potted hosta to sit outside the barn ... also i had many local friends who adopted garden plants ... plant sitter if you will .... which gave me the luxury of 'time' .... at least it sounds like your move is local .... mine was 65 miles ... this is not a rare tree.. and there are much higher priorities in moving... sacrifice the tree if need be ... BTW... you cant plant it in august... it will have to be held ove, until the next proper planting time.. in fall good luck.. whatever you decide ... ken PS: just cuz the nursery would leave it in the pot until sold.. does not make it right.. they most likely have hirelings to water them 2 or 3 times per day ...

teeka, as I said, check the roots before you unpot it. If it is rootbound, then it NEEDS to go to a bigger pot or into the ground. If it isn't, then that's not your problem. But I suspect it IS, and the water you are putting into the pot is just running through without the plant getting a chance to drink. To plant it in the ground, take it out of the pot and pull the roots apart a bit, even if you have to slice them slightly with a knife. (In case they are really tangled badly.) If you don't do this, they will stay wound around in a circle and it won't really put down new roots into the soil very well. After you have separated the roots properly, dig a nice hole slightly deeper and a good bit wider than the root ball. You can add some organic material to the hole, or a bit of timed-released fertilizer, if you want. Sit the plant in the hole, making sure the crown of the plant isn't below the soil level. Fill the hole with water, then start adding back the dirt to about halfway. Water in again. (This insures that the dirt is filling all the hole properly, and that there are no air gaps to dry out the roots.) Put the last of the soil in and water well. Continue to water daily for a week or so until you think the plant is becoming estalished. Baby it along with extra water for a couple of weeks. By then, it should be doing great and you can pretty much forget about it. Lantanas are tough. Good luck, Marcia

I would say your roots are dying. Repot into clay or punch holes into your container, as Steve does. Citrus are horticultural crops that do well in arid regions with regular watering. However, in pots the situation is different. You use plastic containers. There is no evaporation except the top layer. I have grown stuff in plastic containers with only one water exit. Even after two weeks of lying in the sun (and my sun is HOT), only the top half of the soil was dry. Needless to say, the plant died out eventually. I am 95% sure this is a soil/container issue.