Hello,

I just received hydrangea incrediball via mail-order, but I am not sure if I should plant them now, or find a way to hold off until later. I'm in zone 7 (Northern Virginia right outside Washington DC), and the last frost tends to be late April or early May.

The hydrangeas have a fair amount of new growth on them already -- 2 to 3 new green shoots, each about 2 inch long, with a few leaves, and I wonder if I'm going to kill the plants by planting them outdoors now. But the instruction says it is best for any delivered plants to be planted outside immediately.

What to do? And if the right thing is to hold off until much later when the danger of last frost is gone, then what do I do to keep these healthy for almost a month?

As a newbie on gardening, I'd really appreciate any advice.

Thanks in advance.