It is mid April and the nightime temperatures in my area are still in the mid to upper thirties.  The long cool season keeps the spring flowers blooming longer, but it also poses a challenge for those of us who order plants from online or catalog vendors.  It is too cold to put the plants outside or install them in the garden, but the boxes full of bulbs, dormant roots, bare root plants and tiny pots of young plants arrive daily.  What can you do?

Don't panic, but do unpack the plants.  Store any bulbs in a cool dark place, but make sure you make a note to yourself to retrieve them as soon as the weather warms up.  Dormant roots and bare root plants need to be potted up temporarily and placed in sunny spots in your house.  Remember to water them as necessary.  Young plants in small pots should be checked for problems,placed in trays or saucers and also situated in a sunny spot inside or a very protected spot outside. Water from the bottom by pouring water into the tray or saucer for the plant to take up as needed.  If your purchases spend a week or two inside, be sure to harden them off gradually by placing them in a protected spot outside when the weather warms up.  A few days in the protected spot and they will be ready for planting in the garden.

How do you know if your soil is ready?  That's easy.  Pick up a handful.  It should not feel particularly cold and should have the texture of good chocolate cake--not too wet and not too dry.   If the soil is too wet, it will clump in your hands like a mud ball.  Many plants, bulbs and seeds will rot if planted in wet, cold soil. 

Take a little care with your young plants and the mature ones will give you joy later in the season.