It has plantaginea in it's lineage and they like warmth to start growing well. Your in SW Pa and if I recall you didn't have the really warm temps we had here in NE Pa in March so that may have something to do with it being slow. My plantaginea is not coming up yet as are not most of the hybrids with that specie in the genes. Scott

Great topic Lynn, First of all, this Global Warming Thing is a joke. No signs of GW in northern Ohio. In past years, several of mine were up by April 15, about 9" tall, including Manfred's Delight. Francis Williams used to up early and get burned, but so far no sign of it. About a 100 Albomarginatas have eyes about 3" tall. Liberty is the first one, starting to unfurl after I had it covered most of last week. Even comparing with others in the same region is useless, altitude makes a big difference. Here in Zone 5, Cleveland at 460 feet is a whole month ahead of areas 15 miles to the south at 1100 feet. Just hang in there. Manfred

Thanks for posting this. I came on to see if some I planted in the fall last year might be late. But none of my missing ones are on that linked list. I was in a rush to plant (bought like 30 gallon perennials at a going out of business sale) and I have only a vague notion of where I planted them. One is up, and is Queen Josephine. Which was planted about the last and was the smallest. But it is the 3 Halcyon I'm trying to find, and as well as the Blue Angel. I want to work in that bed, and I don't know where it is safe to step. Plus I have more stuff to plant. I normally "map" everything, and have purchase notes written up on the computer. Not this time.

I pulled out the weed matting before I know it could be part of the issue. I also raked off all the mulch so that I could see what was going on under there. I don't know what these Beetles but they are shiny black with rounded back ends, that's all I've been able to see as they are always trying to burrow into the ground to get away. I don't see any slugs, but I do see many earthworms. I knew I should've just left the darn landscaping rock there, as nothing was ever messed with my plants then. I just wanted my garden to look more natural and I thought Mulch was good for plants? I put animal repellent down last week and haven't noticed any holes anywhere in the front yard since. I know I have something small burrowing through my yard and the holes are about an inch or so across. The garden center says it's Voles and that they are nasty little buggers that like to destroy everything. I have an organic matting to put down, but I'm not doing a thing except figuring out how to save the 4 plants I have without killing them. It's really discouraging to find my biggest, hardiest plant just a mass of rotting mush. I don't know what they all were as something took the markers the 2nd yr. All I can say is it was a bluish color with huge leaves that didn't hang down like most, they always seemed to be reaching for the sky and had beautiful purple flowers on shoots that were 5-6 ft in the air. People used to ask what I did to get my plants so big and were shocked when I said I don't do anything but water them when it hasn't rained for a few days. I know this happens to others and that I will get my garden back, but it still makes me sick that they were fine last year and this year all hell broke loose! I don't know what to treat for...Voles? Beetles? I'm at a loss since it seems that more then one thing has played a factor in the death of my beautiful babies :-(