Easter Plants May Thrive Beyond Easter

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - What to do with Easter plants? Try planting them!

Many people say that plants forced in greenhouses won't survive in the ground. But unless they're tropicals that can't live in this zone, if you want to plant that hydrangea or azalea or lily or those tulips outdoors, I say go ahead and give it a try.

But not right away.

Since these plants were coaxed and coddled in cozy conditions, they're super-sensitive to sudden temperature changes, so you definitely want to wait until after our last-freeze date in mid-May. But, once it's warm, I plant them outside.

Little pots of roses from the supermarket have survived for years. Gifts from my father of happy daffodils and hyacinths - the ones forced in pots that people always say to throw away - I plant them anyway, and wave a happy hello to the ones that come up each year.

Why trash a plant that has a chance to thrive? If it doesn't survive, it'll become compost to feed future plants - and that's a lot better than winding up in a dump.