Yes, it will put out new growth. All of mine are showing some degree of leaf formation....either buds or more developed emerging leaves. And we are currently experiencing some pretty cold temps (high to mid 20's). It takes quite a lot of sustained cold for the leaf buds or newly emerging leaves to be damaged. At 28F this am and with a light snowfall, mine look perfectly fine :-)

There may be some impact on the latent flower buds on old growth, but the stems and roots will be fine and most of the foliage should be as well.......provided your cold periods are short lived.

Bless you! You have made me feel much better...we occasionally have warm spells this time of year, but the really warm nights are freaky. I will try not to worry about my babies...

here is a pic of them in their glory

Very nice! Is that ESs thru the whole length of the house wall? Can't tell if the furthest away shrubs are still ESs.

But do not be alarmed. I have a few macs and serratas doing the saaaame thing. Some are leafing out from the stems or near the crown/base. If winter were to zap those leaves (I try to cover them with mulch/hay/leaves), the roots will still be alive and will force the plant to leaf out a second time... but much later on. If it gets cold enough to zap leaves and the stems too, the roots will eventually develop new stems from the crown.

Long term forecast here looks warmish; hope yours stays the same. If that remains for the rest of winter, I will have again Quinces, roses and azaleas blooming early. That, by the way, is so weird; I used to wait until mid to late March to "see" blooms and now Quinces start in January, azaleas start this month, etc.

Yes, things are so early! Daffodils are completely in bloom here now...and they are usually March bloomers (although I have a photo of my son as a baby 18 years ago taken on Valentines Day that features a big vase of daffodils from my MIL’s garden, so I guess it is just weather-dependent.) Yes...the entire row of shrubs are all ES....they run along the master bedroom wing on the side of our house. They make me so happy, and I have so many blooms I just love giving friends and neighbors cut flowers. :)

nini. Gorgeous pics. Have you pruned them heightwise since your initial 6 year mark ?

Talk about bulbs....I planted some new tulips along a bluestone path that leads to the back. The stone must soak up heat from the sun, as I've got some mid-spring tulips popping through the much along the entire path - whereas in comparison to full blown bulb beds, that probably have not warmed up, are showing nary/nil signs of sprouting yet.

Cut flowers... that reminds me... A friend of mine that is "all for organic this and that", once asked me in Spring if she could come and cut the mophead flowers from my mophead hydrangeas to do cut flower arrangements. I expected her to do it right away since they bloom early down here. I agreed buuuuuut, she did not cut until one day in July when I arrived home and found no blooms almost anywhere on the hydrangeas. I first panicked but then remembered she was going to do that so then I said oh well and forgot it again. Ooops, that is when I learned -the hard way- that my hydrangeas develop their invisible flower buds in July! Specifically, before the date when she pruned. Yup, wooops, got no blooms the next year. Oh well. Live and learn, right? Hee hee hee.

Iris-es are coming out of the ground over here now.

I hope you don't get any damage..those are beautiful!!..my niece just moved to Smithfield (near Raleigh)..is that near you?..what do you think - would they do well for her?..

We are further South, near Charlotte...but I think they bloom just fine up in Raleigh.

A1an, I have always been terrified to prune them...and even though my Dh gets all antsy with the pruning shears I forbid him to touch them, lol. Perhaps they do need a prune but I am scared! :)