HelpfulGardener.com

Hi everyone.

I posted this on the hydrangea forum also, but I am really needing an answer before I decide to plant this or not. I could use some help with this purchase I just made. I ordered 3, 5-GAL limelight hydrandeas. The price was equivalent to 3-GAL elsewhere so I thought I'd go for the bigger size. They just arrived & I this is how they looked.
I couldn't find these in my local nurseries but I do know the other hydrangeas offered definitely did NOT look like this.
I'm not familiar with ordering plants, so I don't want to make any complaint until I am sure what I should have expected.
Thanks a bunch.

I buy quite a few plants online every year from several different vendors, & frankly your shrubs look healthy & par for the course for shipped plants of that size.

You can't really expect them to look the same as local nursery plants because of packing/shipping, but your plants look well-hydrated & have fresh growth. In fact, considering their size, they look pretty darn good for shipped shrubs.

I'd simply trim them up & plant them asap. I'm betting that in a couple of months or even less you'll be surprised at how quickly they've sprung to life & approximate or even look better than local nursery stock.

I agree with GardeningCook. The first one looks a little sad, but the other two look fine. I'd plant them all asap. When I've gotten plants that big through mail order, they can look a bit shocking on arrival, but recover and fill out nicely.

Thank you GardeningCook & Allyn! I was so worried that this was not normal. I am going to get them in the ground right away! Much appreciation for your time

I have not ordered plants but I ordered roses. The company usually ships them at the time of year that they should be planted and they come with instructions for how to keep them and plant them.