I enjoy trying different plants and one of my favorite follies is ordering mail-order plants from Japan. I have been doing this for about ten years now. They usually arrive in December and have to come bare-root to meet import requirements. I just got a text confirming this year's order was shipped from Japan this morning, so should arrive in a few days. I usually pot them up in pots and keep them in my unheated garage until spring. But this year, the weather has been so warm, I was thinking of planting them outside. The soil isn't frozen yet. But I expect at some point, typical winter cold will arrive. (Last year, it was -6 degrees a few days before Christmas. It's supposed to be in the 50's for at least the upcoming week.) Planting outside would allow the plants to emerge at a more appropriate time in spring (they come up too early in the garage and start getting leggy from the imperfect conditions of my garage which I think weakens them before I can plant them out). But would their dormant roots be able to withstand sudden winter cold before they have had a chance to settle in? These are perennials, by the way, not shrubs or trees (mostly woodland perennials such as polygonatums). I would appreciate any opinions.
