Well mine have been up two weeks (asst species), however, I've yet to see growth on little bluestem or prairie dropseed and only just found Joe Pye Weed. Your mileage may vary, because I think we're behind this year? Every year and what emerges when is strange for the last several years.

Well there is nothing on my abutilons but the salvias and fuchsia in the raised beds are slowly creaking into life, while the scented leaf geraniums could also be dead. I don't panic until mid May though.

I have a hybrid Hibiscus 'Awesome Berry' that has been a star in my garden. I'd hate to lose it, but if you had growth 2 weeks ago.... I guess I'll just leave it until there is no doubt. I just looked it up on Proven Winners who produce it - they report zone 4-9. ??

I would have been surprised if it was a higher zone. I rarely buy a plant that is not at least one zone colder than mine. Thanks. Glad yours came back for you. My grasses are just showing the last couple of days and just barely. Penstemons and Carex, not bluestem and dropseed.

I thought my Mums were all dead, but they are slowly coming back, just diminished in size. All the Hydrangea and most of the roses were dead to the base, but are coming back nicely right now. I do have a dead spicebush that was over 8ft tall. Clethra that shows no growth so far. And Calycanthus I had to cut back to the ground due to bunnies. A Taxus seedling dead from bunnies eating it. And I'm starting to give my Japanese Maple tree a concerned eye. I see some leafing out but, at the top I am not seeing what I think I should be seeing. It's supposed to be zone 5-8 and I've had it for over 20 years w/o a problem. This couldn't have been the worst winter in 20 years?

It's not until May that hibiscus start poking through where I am -- sometimes it's even into the latter part of May.

I"ve seen them as late as June.

Seeing that the hardiness zone is z4-9 and some of you have experience with them showing up later, I am encouraged. Thank you!

Definitely too early yet for hibiscuses here - late May or even early June before they appear here. I usually plant them with or near early blooming things so there isn't empty space where they should be...!

Since we are talking about Hardy Hibiscus - I am wondering how you manage pruning. I just cut the dead stems back in spring, but I'm noticing there are now a lot of stumps an inch high. I'm wondering if I should be cutting them off closer to the ground? Will I eventually end up having to dig out dead stumps?

I cut them down to ~4” in Fall - since they are so late to start growing in Spring, if you cut them back too low in Fall, it’s easy to accidentally forget where they are and think you have space for new plants in the Spring! The stubs of the old stems do take a couple of years before they are easier to remove in the Spring! I have autum crocuses planted with them in one place - the crocuses bloom in the Fall without their foliage and the foliage grows in the early spring and then goes dormant. So the crocuses bloom as the hibiscus needs cutting back (be careful not to accidentally cut down the crocus flowers…) and then the crocus foliage comes up in April - long before the hibiscus, and then the crocus foliage dries up and disappears shortly after the hibiscus starts growing. Its a perfect combination!

I cut them as close to the ground as I can in the fall but usually end up with about an inch or so above ground. I just leave them -- they will eventually rot away, that's the natural course of things.

I'm glad I asked. One less thing to worry about. lol

Late. Very late. As in--this is dead, I'm throwing it on the compost pile late.

I was just thinking, I wonder if heat is a deterining factor? It's been a cool spring this year. Hibiscus like heat, right? Maybe in warmer springs they come up earlier?

I checked mine (h.syriacus) and they are just leafing out. This has been a delayed spring over here (at least compared to the last few years). Any luck, Prairie?

its not about how warm the air is.. its all about how cold it gets at night.. and how fast the soil warms.. AT ROOT DEPTH .. for the plant you are waiting for..

its its a crocus that is an inch into the soil.. it warms fast.. and we see them very early ...

if its a larger plant.. like here.. then the soil needs to warm.. 8 to 12 inches down..

and if its still falling into the 40s or low 50s at night... or on cold rainy spring days.. then the plants will be slow to emerge ...

how this all works is a function of your backyard.. and no one else's .. unless your immediate neighbors happen o grow the same plants ..

ken

That's just the case here, Ken....40s at night for the most part. We had 2 days in the 80s and the rest have been cool and cold at night.

Al of mine have shown sprouts but that's it- we had a warm spell a couple of weeks ago that woke them up but it's been cooler since and they've just sat there. These were cut back to the ground last fall and are all moscheutos / Carousel series.

Rosaprimula - nope - still no sign.

Well my native grasses have sleepily awoke, the hibiscus are all up, and the malvaviscus is up about six inches. I think everything that's coming is up...could be wrong ;0

I finally saw growth yesterday! Phew! I'm going to have to put that date on the calendar for next year. lol Thanks everyone!

And yet nothing still for our very established specimen but as someone who often worries about a plants health, for this, I am *not* worried.

Rouge, my DH tells me that every year I tell him, this plant is dead, that plant is not coming back and then a couple of weeks later, I'm surprised and just about everything I was worried about is back. [g] so I guess I am a worrier and a dumb one at that.

Fingers crossed for your Hibiscus!

Ah, good news, Prairie. I have pretty much reached my life/death deadline (no sign of pelargoniums and several salvia) as well as the obvious casualties such as agapanthus and agaves. Does free up some nice pots though...and I have an awful lot of seedlings to rehome.

Nothing showing on mine yet either - and I don't expect to see them showing until the end of the month. The surprising thing for us is a lot of winterkill (?) on the Heptacodium. (I'm about to make a new thread on that issue....) The wisterias are looking good though.

I think there may be some talking at cross purposes here. By 'hardy hibiscus' I think rosaprimula (and I) would understand H. syriacus. I think that the OP and other US contributors are referring to H moscheutos.

Here is a link to mine. I've only had it maybe 3 years? It's a hybrid. I just noticed it is supposed to be hardy to z4, so that is reasurring, I have some leeway.

Berry Awesome Hibiscus

BTW, I just noticed I need to move that Hibiscus. Anyone have any experience? Do they move easily? Is this the right time to move it? Will it set back it's growth?

Fingers crossed for your Hibiscus!

I wont be worried @prairiemoon2 z6b MA unless I dont see anything by June 1.

(I wish I had taken note of when it arose last season as I recall it being lots later than in past years and yet it did just fine in terms of blooms.)

So @prairiemoon2 z6b MA, green shoots for our Blue River II poked through the ground on May 18.

I still have many that aren't up at all. About half are barely waking up. It's been a cool spring, and even on some of the warmer days we've had cooler nights.

Excellent news Rouge!

Ruth, hope they all come up in another couple of weeks. Cooler spring does make a difference.

I put the date on my calendar w a reminder for next year.