you are wayyyy ahead of the curve in z5... to be TRYING to come to any conclusions about whether anything is alive ... in my z5 it is still in the 20's at night ... it really doesnt matter how warm it gets during the day ... its about how cold the soil gets in the pot at night ... warmer nights .. means warmer 24 hour soil temp... which will trigger the end of dormancy ... no matter what the plant is ... one thing for sure.. i would get those BLACK pots out of all sun ... anything on the south side of the pot is good.. a brick ... or.. just dig a small hole and stick it in the ground temporarily ... you dont want the plant to get all excited and start leafing out.. only to get hit by some late may frost/freeze in z5 .... I KNOW YOU HAVE THE FEVER .... so do I ... just try to do no harm.. and not worry too much .. for a few more weeks .. ken

Jan how large is your Hoya erythrina and is this it's first bloom? This has been a fairly slow plant for me but it does put out growth in spurts. I have been watching it closely for signs of a peduncle but I think I am going to be waiting a long time. I literally gasp when I saw your Hoya Mithilde it's absolutely fantastic! I am looking forward to seeing the plant in full bloom. I wonder if the unusually cool weather this winter was a help in developing so many blooms? Do you find this Hoya to be a heavy bloomer or has it only bloomed this well as it became a larger plant? Mike

This has been a strange Spring. The days are warm enough to expect shrubs and perennials to be breaking dormancy, but very few are. I just made my garden tour "inspection" this afternoon and found tiny leaves swelling on my roses, lilacs, and hydrangeas, but the fruit trees are still sleeping. Half my newly planted rhododendrons and Blue Prince Holly look as if they didn't survive the winter, but my wisteria does have some swollen buds. Two of my six peonies have tiny red shoots piercing through the surface. The poison ivy, on the other hand, is bursting through the soil. April is indeed the cruelest month!

I bought a blue moon wisteria for my mom aboaut 3 years ago. She also had trouble with bunnies or deer eating the new growth, especially the first year. I bought her some spray that was made from pig or cow blood. It worked, but we researched to try to find something less gross. Our discovery--soap shavings. She buys cheap bath soap bars at the dollar store and walks around her flower beds and shaves bits of it around her plants using a paring knife. It seems to work. I guess the scent keeps them away. You have to relace over the growing season. Especially after a few heavy rains. I've heard of people using dish soap and water as well. I wonder if human hair clippings might work also. Good Luck! Her wisteria is very beautiful now.