Home Grown Notions: Where Are My Plants?

by Beth Cook, Mammoth Cave Transplants
I'm sure a lot of you have been frantically wondering about some of your plants that hasn’t made an appearance this Spring. Give your plants a chance. Even though your plant may not be showing signs of life yet, it may not be time. All plants break dormancy at different times in the spring. So wait until we have consistent warmer temperatures, allowing the ground to warm as well, before digging up a plant you may think is dead.

This Spring seems to be unlike many in the past with these cool temperature on into late May.  If your plants have not broken dormancy by the end of May, then it is time to take action.

Roses, Butterfly bushes, Hardy Hibiscus, and even ornamental grasses are some that can be slow to show life.Crepe myrtles are slow to show life anyway, but sometimes that can be later than usual. Before you have decided they are goners, dig them up, look for new growth from their roots. You should cut away any dead portions to allow the new shoots optimum growth.

If at the end of May, they have not made an appearance, go ahead and dig them up. Look at the bright side, this will give you an opportunity to try something new or different!

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. ~Chinese Proverb