I live in Zone 7b (Mississippi)------and, I see no sign of my Brugs coming back this year. Am I too anxious? Is it still too early? I have a number that I rooted and had inside on a glassed in porch, and I will not give those away if I am not going to have any come back. Several years ago when we had another extreme winter I lost a large clump of these plants. Of course, I realize that time will tell------but, I am tired of tending to the rooted ones.
Shirleyd
Brugs coming up?
You might try what Gordon did. That is Carefully dig down along the dead trunk. If there is no green anywhere along the trunk, the Brug is dead. If all the underground trunk is dead, there are not dormant buds from which new growth can start. If there is some green, there is a chance. This winter was way too cold for some in-ground Brugs, even here. I took extraordinary care of my one in-ground Brug. Even then, I managed to save only the bottom 1-1/2' of the trunks.
Thanks so much bettydee----I can always depend on help from you---
Shirleyd
You're welcome. I sure hope they came through for you.
I can echo your remark Veronica. I along with two other neighbors. So far only one of the 3 of us has one brug sprouted back. The winter was unusually harsh this year for brug in our zone.
We lost a lot of our in ground ones this year also.. the one that has survived several years did not make it... too many weeksinstead of days in the low 20's and teens in a row did them in I guess even with the wraping and heavy mulching. Good luck though... at least 4 seem to have some green showing in the bottom inch or two near the ground. We are happy to see that.... gives them a head start anyway since they have an in ground root system already so they will grow fast once they really get going... one really is growing well. This was a really cold winter. We did keep 3 buckets of cuttings in the garage and they are rooted so those will be planted to replace the ones that did not make it. Nothing really lost... it never hurts to try to save them each winter. I just replace the ones that don't make it with a cutting from the buckets and am that much ahead when one does survive.
I really do not see any sign of my brugs coming back. So, I won't be giving away all the plants that I root over the winter. Normally, I do this just for the fun of it-----------but, now they will be going into my garden.
Shirleyd
None of mine show up either, thank goodness for those cuttings and those that were left in pots. Hope we'll have better growing year and winter.
I stopped by the garden center where I gave them a potted pink last year.. they rooted a cutting from it and it grew to about 6 ft and bloomed beautifully last fall... Well you should see it now! It is about a 9 ft tree covered with blooms! Big thick trunk.. absolutely beautiful. Sad story is that they had taken lots of cuttings and rooted them.. had a big table full for sale until some misinformed idiot came into the business and told them they were" highly poisionous, dangerous to have around,,, even to touch!" They threw out everything and had a FENCE around the tree with big signs posted saying "danger... poison!" I was laughing so hard .... I pulled off leaves and blooms and rubbed them on my skin to show them that it was safe.. they tried to stop me until I told them I was the person who gave them the plant! I then informed them properly about the nature of the poison properties... just don't eat it.. just like orleanders.. and they sell those! They sell lots of other plants much more dangerous.. I had to point that out to them. Plants that produce berries and such. I informed them that box stores such as Home Depot and Walmart occasionally sell these. I wish people would not just jump to conclusions and properly inform themselves!
That really is a sad commentary on what's happening to our curiousity and the willingness of some to accept whatever garbage they hear. Sometimes the most vociferous are the ones with the most misinformation — your "misinformed idiot".
I've a surprise. One of my outdoor planted came back! Yes, this was a seedling that survived outdoor 2 years, this will be its 3rd year.