Return to the Perennials Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
Posted by
linlily z5/6PA (
westmay2@verizon.net) on
Thu, Jun 7, 12 at 22:46
| We have not had a long, really cold and snowy winter in some time. For three years, my Black and Blue Salvia has been perennial and returns faithfully, much to my surprise. I had understood that it would probably be an annual in my zone, and I'm always pleased to see it return as healthy as the summer before.
But, here is the real surprise! I bought a Salvia Patens called Patio Deep Blue last year at a greenhouse we visit from time to time to find new and different plants. It was sold as an annual and after looking it up on the web, I noted that it was hardy to zone 8. When weeding and cleaning up dead leaves this spring, I saw something coming up in the spot where I had planted this salvia last summer. I ALMOST, and I mean almost, dug it up and threw it in the composter. Something told me not to and I did let it grow, watching it from time to time to see if it resembled Patio Deep Blue. I even checked pictures of this plant to see if I could tell what the leaves looked like - these are quite a unique shape. It turns out that my Patio Deep Blue has returned even larger than before and it about to open up. No way had I expected to see it again.
And I also have the return of another Salvia, Argentine Skies, that I received in a trade last year. I had not expected to see it again either.
Do any of you have plants that returned this year and that you had not expected to see again? Our area is definitely experiencing some climate change.
Linda |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| I lost all of my salvias 2 winters ago, but this year as I was weeding I see that there are 2 salvia seedlings. Not the same as "coming back", but I'm happy about it! |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| This year my Petunias and Calibrachoa were Perennials! |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| My snapdragons have come back two years in a row now, making large, bushy plants that bloom early. It surprised me when they came back in the spring of 2011, because we actually had a colder than normal winter, but with a snow pack during the coldest spells that protected them. It didn't surprise me at all when they came back this spring, because most of them didn't even lose all of the foliage over the winter, it was that mild (I had Hellebores blooming all winter). I doubt they will continue to be perennial once we have a more typical Michigan winter. |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| Caladium, Dahlia, Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus,) Bougainvillea, Tradescantia zebrina, Callisia repens. Still getting used to gardening in the south but my googling had led me to believe none of these were supposed to be hardy here. I didn't have to add much to my porch-steps pots. Still full of live plants! Probably be unpleasantly shocked the next time winter is normal. Evergreen Buddleia. Not sure if that's normal here or not? Need to pay more attention in the "off season." Thank God the morning glories didn't live, though! They were a little too much last year (all volunteers) and going for a different look this year, pulling sprouts a few times a week until they're all done. |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| A few calla lilies here and there, and big surprise, I found some plants of flowering tobacco quite early, the first time I went thru the garden weeding.It had sent runners underground and has been blooming for about a month now.Normally the seedlings would only be coming up now. |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| I forgot to add one more. Late in the fall, we dug out several amaryllis that were spending the summer in the veggie garden. Looks like we left one in because I found it when the leaves started growing this spring and remembered that that was where the amaryllis had all been planted! I had greenery on my buddleias almost all winter. We had a very warm spell in March that started many things growing that shouldn't have been, including more leaves on the butterfly bushes. Then, we had some very cold weather in April, several very hard freezes, and I lost all the nice foliage that had been growing on them. They did recover quickly and I did just a bit of tip pruning to tidy them up. Linda |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| I had a perennial trailing petunia. |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| mimulus aurianticus and several perennial nemesias survived....for me, though, the story was what failed to come through this very strange and challenging winter - months and months of mildness followed by two weeks of absolutely vicious freezing weather - all sorts of UK records were broken and previously reliable plants (in my tiny walled courtyard) such as agapanthus, crinum and various salvias were toast. |
RE: Surprises This Year-Unexpected Perennials?
| | |
| I do annual hanging baskets around the pergola above my hot tub and this year half the plants lived. I often have fuchsias live, even those not supposed to be hardy here. This year it was all of them. |
Post a Follow-Up
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in.
If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Perennials Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
