Spring Report Card

We did this last year and it's very helpful. Now that things are coming up, leafing out and blooming, please report on what has not come back, what is struggling and what is doing great.

As I mentioned in a thread, my corydalis planted in the fall - Chocolate something, died. I left me weeping katsura in a pot outside the entire winter and it made it fine. I did wrap it in bubble wrap around the side, but not the bottom.

Some clems I was trying to grow up shrubs did not return. The challenge with doing that is water. This year I am trying to only do it where I normally water and also am using crystals.

I'll think of more. What about everyone else?

Victor, Good idea.

I have had many tiny clematis bought in a coop return to my surprise as they where beyond looking dead last summer. I cut the bottoms out of 4" pots and put them over the roots to shield them and to keep the mulch away last June and I left them in place all winter. Now this spring many are thriving with their little pot hats still over them. I thought it was weeds popping out of the tops until I looked again and found that it was my missing clematis.

I have to do a complete assessment this week of all of the clematis and everything else and then I will list the grim news of what has gone missing. I think some roses are dust. Patti

Good news on the clems, Patti. I need to do a more complete assessment too. My arborvitae had so much deer damage that I am in the process of removing them. I had said in an earlier thread that my Gaillardia Oranges and Lemons seem to have all died. Major disappointment.

I think I lost my very dwarf crape myrtle Violet Filli. That's a shame because I really liked it. A couple of roses bit the dust. One epimedium has not returned. Sadly, Coral Lake magnolia is really struggling.

All the clems returned including the sieboldi that I thought had died. The agastaches are looking great. I wondered how they would fare in a Jersey winter. They came through wonderfully.

Are you sure about the crape, Weeze? They leaf out very late - especially the small ones. My Pocomokes have not started yet.

Not sure at all. I would love for it to be still sleeping.

Forgot to say that I'm pleasantly surprised to see quite a few delphiniums returning!

So far, and I was forewarned when I purchased it, my Aconitum is a dead clump in the ground. 2 out of 3 of my 'Camelot' foxgloves are growing...they should be flowering this year...1 clump looks just like a dead clump.

And, I posted this somewhere else, but the 'My Monet'Weigela came back! I was a little skeptical because of where I planted it, and it seemed to die back/drop it's leaves way before anything else did, including the other Weigela that I have.

I'll have word on all of the Hosta that I purchased last year on whether or not they made it in the next few weeks, I know that some cults. take forever to leaf out.

Delph. have a short shelf life Victor?

My Oranges and lemons Gaillardia did not make it though the winter either. I also have a Yellow Blaze climbing rose that looks very dead. all of the othere roses I have look great and are leafed out - this one still very brown and no signs of life. All of my daylilies, coneflowers, geraniums, hostas, astilbes, coral bells, pulmonaria, creeping jenny look great. I am especially pleased with the creeping thyme I planted last year from seed during the summer. They are growing really well. I have ordered some more of the same seeds and will continue to fill in until i have a nice carpet of them around my stepping stones. Eleanor

Allison, the delphs have a tough time with humidity and require very good drainage. They also prefer a more alkaline soil. I have not had success in the past. If they make it, they will re-seed new babies.

I do not think it was a good year for roses. Three have gone missing and four more are struggling to come back, all in the same bed that is very exposed to wind. The drought and early snow followed by strong winds when the snow melted I think all have taken a toll. All the NZ delphs are back, the two from the nursery are toast as usual. Of the new plants last year: one lobelia, one of the campanula lactiflora have not returned. Everything else is up and looking good. The new echinaceas have finally leafed out and the casualties are 'After Midnight' and one of three 'Twilight'. All the clems are growing well, even the two new ones. May have lost one of three 'Black Lace' sambuca too, these have not impressed me as much as I had hoped overall. Considering all the highs and lows of weather last season, the bug invasions and the bambi/monster bunny presence not a bad report.

I am very disappointed with Black Lace too.

Oh and I forgot to ask if everyone else's Balloon Flowers were up yet. That may be another casualty although they can be late putting in an appearance. Speaking of casualties, I just came in from putting out seed for the birds and while I was standing still the blonde fox that frequents the woods around my house went trotting along the tree line with the Monster Bunny in his mouth! Well now I feel bad for the bunny and I'm sure he will feed the fox family well. He was a big guy who liked my garden far more than I liked him. Farewell Mr Monster Bunny and I hope you don't have any relations out there either to attend the funeral. :)
In Memorium:

I wish I had a family of fox in my area, it's to close to the city, and not far enough away to have them here. There is no place for them to "den" up. I just trust that my dogs will keep the rabbits at bay. Theta has almost gotten several of them, and since I've moved Theta's lead tie out into the middle of the yard, with a 25' lead, no more Beaver notailus (Woodchucks!). I know for a fact if she got one, she would snap their cute furry herbaceous eating necks.

On a lighter note, all of the Balloon Flowers (Platycdon-sp?) are coming up nicely. I've moved them several times, I just can't seem to put them someplace and like where they are at. My campanula are all up and spreading like bajeezus. The only dead thing I'm sort of disappointed in, because I've had great luck with other cults. Is a red/maroon flowering Coriopsis. It's dead, nothing is alive withit it...I was able to pull the whole thing out of the ground, the roots are all intact, but dead.

Thom - on your post yesterday about a possible shrub order, I didn't know if you meant now or in the fall, but today is Fairweather's last ship date.

Well, I'll just have to wait until fall...crap-o-la. lol

I have some decision making to do anyway in regard to specific cults. within certain genus. So, maybe it's a good thing I'm going to wait!

Plus, I think the FF shipping went up. I was doing the "potential" orders on their pre-order page, and shipping was always a little less than 1/2 of what the plant total was. If my order was $110, shipping would be like $50! Fairweather was definitely cheaper in regard to shipping, but had smaller sized plants. It will be a decision to make.

Report card wise, unless they are up and haven't set any of their blooms up, all of the dark purple 'Queen of the Night' tulips bit the dust as well.

I had an icky thing happen with about 7 of my roses; I posted this on the rose forum, but think it might be helpful here, too, since I think it is NE weather related.

I took three weeks to gradually uncover my roses of their winter dressing of soil, leaves and straw. On the last day, when I finished the uncovering (about 3 weeks ago), the weather was cool but sunny. All of the canes had buds on them, some of the buds even had leafs peeking out. Everything looked spectacular.

I went to the city for the week and it turned hot and dry. When I came back on Friday, the canes on about 7 of the roses were totally dessicated. In five days they had turned brown and all of the buds had dried up. The roses themselves looked totally dead.

I think that the combination of the hot weather, dryness and uncovering all at the same time combined to clobber these roses. Any other guesses?

Almost...almost...all of them have sprouted shoots from the base and I think they'll live; but of course those that bloom once in spring on old wood will not recover until next year. (Sob, my La Belle Sultane heirloom is one that I won't get one flower from this year.) Most of these were own root roses, so the new shoots will come true, but what a scare. I think I almost lost them!

This message was edited Apr 30, 2008 12:59 PM

Thom, you said,
"The only dead thing I'm sort of disappointed in, because I've had great luck with other cults." and
"I have some decision making to do anyway in regard to specific cults."

What kind of a cult are you in? Are you thinking of switching to a different one?
LOL!!!

Wow, that's odd, Daisy. Thom, you probably have more than enough to keep yourself busy anyway!

Now that I read this post I thought of a Delphinium I bought last year, it was mid June and it was doing so-so. Then all the sudden it died completely to the point it was all dry sticks. I didnt give it much mind because the plant did not look good from the beginning and it was on sale. But what do you think I found leafing out last week? My dead Delphinium making a comeback! Do they die early in the summer? Or was this just a lucky shot?

ngam no signs of my balloons yet .... i think the ground was warmer when they started last year

Oh good Onewish now I feel better, I know they are about the last thing to poke their heads out, but everything is really early this year. I will wait to see if they feel the warm sun in a few weeks.

My garden has emerged from the snow and things look pretty good, I think our snow added protection. A boon to the voles and moles. The ground never really froze so they spent the winter making surface tunnels in the lawn. What a mess! Another good reason to get rid of lawns. LOL
The deer ate a lot of my evergreen shrubs and groundcover.
It is bittersweet for me as the snow was so deep this year that the deer were unable to reach any food and starving. For the first time in 4 years we had them in the yard every evening looking for something to eat. I felt really bad for them and have a hard time being mad about what they ate. So this year things got a pruning. Our woods are mature and don't normally even attract them, so I know they were desperate. Some people had pictures of them walking neck deep in snow looking for food. :(
I have not seen them since the snow melted so I know they must be okay now.
I also have not seen my balloon flower. They are the last thing to come up. Don't give up yet.

My balloon flowers were the last things to poke through the ground. I just saw them a couple of days ago. I was sure one of them was dead but that has also made an appearance so be patient they may still be alive. Eleanor

Balloon flower (1) doesn't appear until mid-May here, they do take their time. Daffs in front of our roadside stone wall are a bit slow this yr. The others in scattered place seem fine. Emperor & species tulips ok, Darwins comomg. Rose canes up didn't get a chance to prune them in March so don't know how the will do. Pumila and a couple of MDB irises in bloom. Tulip tree is slow in getting started. Ticks seem active after the rain. We DON'T need them.

Ngam, my roses are not faring well either. the OGRs are doing okay, but most of the HTs are not liking life in NJ right now. Although the aphids are loving my NJ roses. We had an extremely mild winter this year so I can't blame the weather.
Victor, I had the same pleasant surprise seeing the delphs coming up. Not all of them, but at least half. I expected zip.
Hem, that is really a shame about the aconitum. I have one and it's looking great. I'd love to get a few more.
Onewish, my balloons have just started and if I remember correctly I was about 3 weeks ahead of you last year.

Why can't aphids feed on ticks? Solve a lot of problems.

Not all of mine either, Weeze. Probably about 1/2 as well. Still waiting for any sign of a campanula from GC I planted in the fall. Just brought in one of my favorite fragrant plants - Narcissus 'Winston Churchill'. It's heavenly.

Dulci, I think Delphs do die back in mid summer, have some new growth and shorter blooms again in the fall, and reseed easily. I've had a few planted for 3-4 years now.

I am missing a Hollard's Gold Acanthus and some experimental hebes that I knew would be iffy. Some look like they are coming, others are not so likely. Also a winterberry and a clematis The President and clematis Multi-blue seem gone or missing and there is no sign of Papaver Beauty of Livermere . But I haven't really looked yet at a list to see who is gone. I did find that a tree peony that was beyond tiny is showing some life but not so with a pretty dead looking Rhus typhina Tiger Eyes. My balloon flower seems to be emerging which is early for it. My European ginger which I was sure was going to be a loss with my stream building is returning. I will look for more losses and wins tomorrow. Patti

I'm happy to see my Tiger Eyes returning, with one dead branch.

Victor, Mine looks totally dead. no hope, but I didn't pull it out, so maybe..........nah. I have a new rose ready to put in its spot. I had it for 2 years and it did fine. Patti

Just to be sure, this is the picture of what i think is the Delphinium that came back to life. Does it look like one?
Thnks
~Dulci

I had a couple of white heath that didn't make it.

Dulci - no it does not look like it to me.

Oh my! I suppose is a weed. I didnt put anything else in that corner. :-{

Dulci, I would agree with Victor. Mine have much more serrated leaves showing.

Winter before last I lost several things, but no casualties that I've noticed yet this year, crossing my fingers. I do have a question about dogwood trees though. I planted my first one last June so I haven't seen it in bloom yet. It is starting to leaf out, or at least that's what I thought it was doing, but today I looked at it closely and the "leaves" almost look like faded, old flowers. Do dogwoods flower before they leaf out like Magnolias, or do the leaves sort of resemble flowers when they first open up? Either way, whether they are leaves or flowers, they don't look all that vibrant or healthy. The foliage of this dogwood is more burgundy than green, so it's possible everything's normal, but it just doesn't look right to me...

The natives - Cornus florida - bloom before leafing out.