I received replacement plants in the fall!! What now?

I purchased a large order of plants last year, but many died. The warranty allowed for a one time replacement. Its October and my plants just arrived. Isn't it too late to plant many of them? I figure the hard ones like the red twig dogwood a Weigela would be ok but i got a bunch of softer type plants. Should I keep some of them inside for the winter? If so how? Here is my list...
Honeysuckle
Weigela
Red twig dogwood
Dahlia
periwinkle
Creeping phlox
lavender
maypop passion flower
Goji berry
astilbe
freesia
fern leaved bleeding heart

Please help! I live in indiana.

Most can stand outdoors IN POTS till early spring when you need to plant them into the ground.
I say outside in pots however I have NO idea if you get hard frosts, the frost will harm the plants because it's too late for them to get their roots down where the frost cant get them.
Also, you dont say if these are bare root plants, bare root plants are best planted in spring or early autumn where the soil is warming up with the spring weather, or early Autumn when the soil is still warm and allows the roots to settle both of those times.
The Dahlia
Freesia
Lavender
Passion Flower
All above I would have potted up and winter store inside,
All the others I would pot up and store outside in a sheltered area where the cold wind or frost cant get to the, just make sure the indoor ones are kept JUST watered in no more to allow them to stay alive BUT wont die through lack of water.

Come spring time all going well prep the soil well and make sure you allow the soil to warm up, then plant out where they are to grow on.
My test for the soil warming up is to look out for any weed seedling to appear as these wont start to grow unless they know the temp allows survival.

Hope this helps you out BUT others may advise knowing your zone/temps etc over winter.
Kindest Regards.
WeeNel.

Most can stand outdoors IN POTS till early spring when you need to plant them into the ground.
I say outside in pots however I have NO idea if you get hard frosts, the frost will harm the plants because it's too late for them to get their roots down where the frost cant get them.
Also, you dont say if these are bare root plants, bare root plants are best planted in spring or early autumn where the soil is warming up with the spring weather, or early Autumn when the soil is still warm and allows the roots to settle both of those times.
The Dahlia
Freesia
Lavender
Passion Flower
All above I would have potted up and winter store inside,
All the others I would pot up and store outside in a sheltered area where the cold wind or frost cant get to the, just make sure the indoor ones are kept JUST watered in no more to allow them to stay alive BUT wont die through lack of water.

Come spring time all going well prep the soil well and make sure you allow the soil to warm up, then plant out where they are to grow on.
My test for the soil warming up is to look out for any weed seedling to appear as these wont start to grow unless they know the temp allows survival.

Hope this helps you out BUT others may advise knowing your zone/temps etc over winter.
Kindest Regards.
WeeNel.

I agree with the list of plants that should come indoors for the winter. While it would be nice to plant your passionflower in the ground, check the hardiness of your variety as I thought that a few were hardy to zone 6 but not below. I'd love to be wrong. The plants that can stay outdoors should have their pots sunk in the ground - better insulation. Goji can be tricky. When started from seed, they need to spend their first winter indoors but if yours is older, sinking the pot in the ground should work. Keep the sunken pots watered until the ground freezes.

Thanks for your help. I am confused as to the difference of putting them in a pot outside and putting them in the ground. Being a newby, It seems to me that they would be better insulated planted into the ground and mulched.

Yes, if you are ready to plant the hardy ones in their permanent places (that is, not the dahlia, freesia and passionflower - the lavender, depending on species/variety, should be hardy for you... if not it's going to have a short life anyway), you should do so before the ground freezes. That is the best place for them. Heeling in (i.e. burying pots in the ground) is only meant as a temporary or emergency measure, usually done when plants can't yet be put in their intended spots. The ground is far from freezing even here, let alone where you are.
If you received these plants bare-root(?), there would be no point potting them up and then heeling in the pots. If you received them potted, be sure to loosen the roots prior to planting, as potted nursery plants are often rootbound so late in the season, that is, the roots are tightly compacted in the pot, and have often grown around and around the inside ofthe pot. Unless the roots are loosened and even trimmed, rootbound plants are often unable to overcome that initial handicap.

By the way, the goji berry (Lycium barbarum) should be perfectly hardy... this species has naturalized in the wild in much colder zones than yours, strongly suggesting that any problems that people may have with seedlings are likely related to methods, rather than to adaptability or cold hardiness.

Wow thanks you all! Very helpful. Everything was bare root except the passionflower and goji berry. The goji berry had two woody stalks 6 to 8 inches tall with lots of healthy growth in probably a 2 inch pot, not root bound. I was worried most about the tiny passionflower. It was a 1 inch plug like thing not even in a pot but in a plastic carrying thing. It had two skinny 6 inch stalks with two large sunny yellow leaves and two tiny leaf growths. Before anyone responded to my first post I went ahead and planted them outside thinking they would die quickly if i did nothing, but that was only a few days ago. I can pot up the passion flower if need be. The ground is not even near frozen yet, and it has been rather warm lately. Ugh, I totally did not expect to get these until spring. I am so glad for all of your help! (sorry for all of the run on sentences!)

This message was edited Oct 24, 2015 5:31 PM