Plant out now or wait?

[SignOnTheWindow]

I bought some shrubs and perennials a few days ago, just before the temperatures dropped again.

Should I leave them in their pots until the frosts have passed, or will they be better off in the ground?

Grateful for any advice (gardening novice, here)!

Where are you storing the plants at the moment? Are they outside or under cover?

What are the shrubs?

If the ground isn't frozen I'd put them in now. A bit of frost won't hurt them (unless they are tender/not frost hardy). If they have been stored in pots outside I'd get them in the ground and water them in well - but try and do it in the morning so they aren't sitting with cold wet feet all night.

If you aren't sure if they are tender or not - put them somewhere sheltered and wait for it to warm up a bit.

But if you've stored them somewhere warm - like inside - then leave them out in the day and bring them in for the night for a few days so they don't get a shock.

Thanks for the replies! Good tip about getting them in early in the morning.

I've got some achillea, a couple of shrub roses, salvia, loropetalum, irises, a fatsia japonica, ferns and grasses, camellia, an early flowering clematis and some trachelospermum.

They're currently outside, but in a sheltered spot next to the house.

Personally I would wait a bit, they have been in those pots for a while, a couple more days or weeks won’t harm, make sure they aren’t too dry, put somewhere sheltered but with a bit of sun(!) outside. The problem with being out and planting at the moment is not the plants but the gardener! You need to spend some time positioning them properly, digging them a decent planting hole, and making sure their roots are teased out, adding some compost to the hole, firming them in, watering well, staking if needed, all of which I personally do a lot better if I have a bit of sun warming my back and my hands and ears aren’t frozen to little stubs! Cold, windy days mean I rush outside gardening jobs.

JustJam, aha - putting them out in the day but bringing them in at night must be what 'hardening off' means, right?

@SignOnTheWindow yep. And @viques makes a very good point - you are much less likely to rush if you are nice and warm. Just keep an eye on them drying out - if they do then dunk in a bucket of water to get the water properly in them (I usually do till the bubbles stop) - but make sure they drain afterwards.

It depends where you are really. In the warmer south I would possibly put them in, in the colder North no way. If you are in the Midlands then we are in the middle of a snow storm today brrrrrrr

Might be worth keeping them out of the wind for the next day or two, especially if you are also getting snow showers as well.

Viques, that is a very good point!

Right then, I shall spend a day or two more staring at the beds and trying out different arrangements.

Thanks all.

@SignOnTheWindow

Thanks for the replies! Good tip about getting them in early in the morning.

I've got some achillea, a couple of shrub roses, salvia, loropetalum, irises, a fatsia japonica, ferns and grasses, camellia, an early flowering clematis and some trachelospermum.

They're currently outside, but in a sheltered spot next to the house.

I would plant them all except the salvia. Some salvias die with frost.

I think camellia fo better in slightly acidic soil, do you have any ericaceous compost OP?