Some lantanas (white, beige, piñata), Texas kidneywood, bottle bush and Molly's apple. Some of them, like Lysimachia congestiflora, Cherry Barbados, Night blooming cestrum have not come back. I am starting to think they never will.

Omar

Omar, you have Cestrum nocturnum planted in the ground? In case it doesn't come back, I can give you some cuttings. To date my C. nocturnum cuttings have a 100% track record. Barbados cherry is always iffy after a real winter.

Thank you, Irving, but that was my third and last attempt to grow C. nocturnum. I guess some plants are not meant to be in my garden.

Omar

Psst…container culture; bring them inside when it's cold.

My flax lilies are all late emerging. Only one this month and finally a second and third peeked through in the last few days. Peggy

Irving, I know, but I don't want to add more plants to the garage during the winter. I already drag inside 12 bougainvilleas, 4 hibiscus and 15 cacti. :(

Omar

31 plants in the garage? Gardening before vehicles, I always say. We wouldn't be gardeners if we didn't experiment with borderline species. I'm testing a vine-like moonlight cactus (Selenicereus spinulosus) from Mexico in a raised bed. This is the first year it did not remain evergreen. Although it still has some quick in it, right now it may be the ugliest cactus I've ever seen.

We tried 'Edward Bowles' Jerusalem sage (Phlomis) and Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) last year because both are listed as evergreen/semi-evergreen in 8a by some sources. Not true (at least in unsheltered spots) - looked like both were goners after very hard die-back to stumps during our 14 F low. Both are returning strong, so do appear root hardy in north Texas. Also finally starting to see a bit of green at the base of the bird pepper which was about to be written off.

None of the potted Turk's caps and Texas lantana we left outside made it; ones in the ground did fine except one TC in an apparently tough location. Our other potted starts and tenders all got caught outside by an unexpected light freeze. Most did fine thanks to the heat in the ground from the unseasonably warm days just prior. It's pretty clear firespike and Mexican heather didn't make, but still waiting to see if chocolate plant, hidden ginger, one or two others will return.

Don't give up on them as things have been much slower than normal to resprout at my house. Both the firespike and hidden ginger need much warmer weather than we have had, but I do have a couple of firespikes peeking through. Give them until we quit having these unseasonably cooler nights.

Oooh, Carrie! You reminded me about my firespikes. They have not returned in my garden. Funny how sometimes I totally forget some plants I have.

Omar

Bostedo, how big were the pots where you had your turk’s caps in? Something I have learned is that the bigger the pot you have the plant in, the higher the chance the plant comes back. I had several white passifloras planted in different pots. The only one that came back was the one planted in a big terracota pot.

Omar

Carrie, Glad to know the hidden ginger is slow to return... remaining hopeful. The potted firespike was the survivor from a couple of your cuttings and healthy going into the fall. Not sure if leaving it out in the light freeze by mistake or for most of the February deluge did the worst damage - will give it a bit more time, but pretty certain it's gone.

Omar, The Turk's caps and TX lantana left out were large volunteers or divisions placed in 1 or 2 gallon nursery pots last spring and early summer. They were left out because they were large and most had rooted in place by the fall. Thought they had a chance, but this is the second year in a row with a 14 F low where those left out died while the ones sheltered or in the ground survived. We had a "grove" of massive TC plants for several years, so still getting a reasonable supply of new volunteers each year and didn't mind the risk. Only other potted plants intentionally left out were cedar elm, hardy hibiscus, pale-leaf yucca and Maximilian sunflower which have all returned.

Today, I was peeling the leaves off a large dykia. One head had rotted off and the second head is surrounded by a thick collar AND necklace of very dead leaves. I wonder how they are at coming back from the roots. I have yet to attack my aloes AGAIN. the place I store them in got under the dreaded temperature.

Looks like the firespike (Odontonema strictum) did survive after all :-)

We can add a pentas to the list. Pentas was the last thing I expected to survive, but to my astonishment it's actually breaking dormancy. Of course, since it's emerging this late in the year, it may not reach blooming size until November.

My hidden ginger isn't up yet, but it's always late. I just saw life on the Pride of Barbados, I thought it had kacked from the cold winter.

@ annie, I just love it when those long awaited tiny green things make your heart flood with joy. I froze my Patchypodium saundersii this winter. I had it in a shelter but I think my son went in and didn't shut the door all the way. Lots of things froze. It was BAD, I lost a lot of things. The branches rotted and I cut them off and it looked like a armless, limbless, headless wounded soldier . I just now am seeing some tiny joyful little green things breaking out of the scarred caudex.

Here it is in happier days last September.

Wow - it may look like Jabba the Hutt right now but it's not giving up!

It is building "character". I planted some Wafer ash seed and some Voodoo lilly seed last fall and they are just now sprouting. I guess they really do need the warmth to bust a move. Thank You Ragna and Barbie4me2.

I just found some rot by a root on my patchy so I might need to uproot it and do some more surgery. Darn it! . Tomorrow morning.

IT"S ALIVE has changed to "WilL IT SURVIVE this afternoon. Here is poor Joe , A "Johnny Got his Gun Reference" He is soundlessly yelling for help or singing with his mouthful. That small brown mushy spot grew the more I dug into it.

Here Mr. Joe Bottoms is resting callusing his wounds in the shade of a Bilbergia windii before being potted up in a slightly raised manner to elevate the wound above the soil line and to further accentuate the growing caudex and gnarly roots. Joe is gaining character and grace under pressure..... well, maybe I won't go that far.

Most of the fronds on my Sago Palm froze off this winter, as I do nothing to protect it. I was sure the rest would likely die or at the very least, it would look lop-sided all summer long. Well, these little baby fronds just showed up 2-3 days ago and are pushing skyward to beat the band. Went from 3" (when I first saw them Monday) to 12" in just 7 days! This palm is a survivor! That's exactly what happened with this plant the previous season as well.

Butonni, when a bad front is coming in , I will cut off ALL the fronds and use them to lean up against the trunk. I will also use the left over to protect other tender plants. All of those fronds are going to get all deadish anyway.

Hmmm. Great tip! This Sago, already here on the property when we bought it, is the first one I've had. All 3 years now, unless the fronds turn brown (at which time I cut them off), the remaining green fronds I have left alone and they have stayed green all Spring and Summer for me. Mara, are you saying if Sago is pruned back completely, all fronds, it will actually likely come back a nicer, fuller plant and be better off for the severe haircut, than if I just cut off the frozen/dead fronds as I have been doing? Curious minds want to know. ;)

I do not know if it is my imagination or faulty reasoning but I think if I cut them off before the coldfront , I can use the bio mass to keep the sago palm warm. Also they are not wasting energy trying to keep the dying fronds alive. God knows, They are easier to cover and protect. I think they come back fuller nicer , and quicker. If the winter is not thaT bad , I don't do this. Here it is after a warm winter.

Spring growth after a late bad freeze to 13ºF. I did not cut this down till I saw the fronds turning brown, but then I cut all of them off. I think I just piled some leaves on the growth point.

Here is the picture of my sago with this springs flush of leaves. This was the second hard winter in a row. I cut it off before the coldfront this time. It has a huge head of new fronds. I admit that when my palm was your size , I was still protecting all that I could and covering the whole plant. I only started doing this when the plant became too large to that it that way. I had an ah Ha moment when my blanket was too small to cover it and a cold front was whistling in. I think it got to 10º that time and was freezing for over a week. I lopped it all of and bundled it up good and tight.

Oh, my, Mara, your plant is beautiful and definitely FULLER and healthier looking than mine. I'm going to start doing your hefty haircut and cover approach on mine every winter when the first fronds freeze off in a bad freeze. Thanks so much for the tip and photos. Seeing is believing.

Another one: A datura seedling just popped up in an otherwise empty container. It looks more like the native D. wrightii than the exotic D. metel (sorry, no photo yet). Do they often wait this late in the season to emerge?