Don't worry,
Just put them in your unheated garage and water them once a week til the ground thaws out.....
which I hope will be soon....hate winter
this weekend it is suppose to be nice and warm,
plant them then.
I totally understand why you bought them.
We all do that.
Happy planting this weekend!!!!

do i keep them in the garage during the day too? right now they are outside and its very very windy, should i bring them inside the garage right away?
thanks you made me feel alot better =)

im new to gardening, does the ground thaw out pretty quickly? that would be great if i can get them in the ground this weekend

Yea - I would keep the in the garage, especially out of the wind which can be very drying. IF they are dormant then do nothing until you are ready to plant and they will be fine. If they are trying to put out new little growth areas then keep the root ball from drying out too - once a week water sounds about right - and move them to where they will get some sun every day. Definitely keep them in the garage when the temp is in the teens though.

I don't blame you for going on a shopping pree either - which Lowe's were you at? I'm not supposed to be buying anything either, but maybe I can just go look (oh SURE LOL).

Alexa

the lowes in sinking spring
they have some huge trees! nice thick trunks and dang are they cheap lol
they are stocked, it didnt look like anyone has been buying them. they had a huge cherry tree, maybe 13 feet, but there was no way of getting it in the car. very large flowering pears too.
how we managed to get a 10 foot maple in our SUV was indeed a miracle lol
times like these i wish we had a pickup truck lol

i brought them in the garage, its just way too blustery out.
the maple is hitting the ceiling!
i dont know why i took pics, i must be excited lol
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WOW! Very nice!

I am definitely going to sneak out one morning this week and see if my Lowe's has any....

Congrats!

Alexa

Do you mind sharing how cheap? I am not too far away from that Lowes;)
Thanks!
Heather

Mmm, those are nice trees. Thanks for posting the photos, seeing them REALLY makes me want to get crackin' in the garden. I need to buy a zillion junipers, and I'd love to find a spot for a few river birches.

Hey Carol - not sure if you know the Hirsts (terrific people) but they are very into the barter system. He is usually overstocked in River Birches and will trade them cheap. Look at his "Trades Wanted" section on the web site.

Alexa

Here is a link that might be useful: Highland Hill Farm

heat90
all four trees came to 80 bux
the maple was 18.98 (i thought it was 14.99 but when i went back it was few dollars more)
something was 16.98..i think it was the redbud
the birches were under 20 but i forgot exactly.
i just hand everything to hubby and he checks out lol

i do remember they had huge thick trunked flowering pears, i remember those were $60. if only they would have fit in the car i would have gotten those.
and a huge cherry (upright) the cherry was around $50 if i remember correctly
they are def stocked now since no ones buying in this weather. thats kinda why i jumped the gun a little bit. usually when i go back everythings gone, so i learned this time to buy quickly...too bad mother nature had different plans lol

caliloo, thanks for that Highland Hills link! They're only a few miles away from me, and I had no idea they bartered for plants. I'm definitely going to stop by, with a list of tradeable goodies in hand.

Actually the trees are just fine outside. Lowes plans to keep them outside until it is time to sell them.

However once you bring them inside. DO NOT take them back out until it warms up and stays warm. Once you encourage them to grow by placeing them in a warmer environment and begin to water, the trees will bud up . If you planted out and then in got real cold - the buds may be damaged.

It would not die. Would have been better to just keep outside. The trick is to look at what zone the are able tolerate. I bet Maples can take as cold as zone 3 , which is pretty cold.
Just ask the expects at Lowes!

If the pear trees were Bradford Pears, you are better off not planting them in your garden. They have a reputation for trunks that split easily and weak branches.

plantman yes i noticed today that lowes still had all their trees outside. i touched the soil in the pots and they were frozen. i guess i could have kept them out after all, but its only been four days so being in my garage for only 4 days shouldnt hurt too much. my garage is cold, a bit of water spilled in the garage and its froze solid
i put the trees outside today on my deck in the corner out of the sun.
i plan on planting them monday :)

i bought a few bags of soil today at lowes and the bags of soil were frozen solid lol