I may have been too hasty, last spring, in declaring my newly planted Callistemon ‘Clemson’ dead. I cut it back hard, and it sent up new shoots from the base, but never produced the red bottle brush blossoms I so eagerly anticipated. Look at the above photo. Do you see what I see? I could swear there are signs of life, in the form of swelling nodes. Hands off this time. We’ll see what happens. It really should be hardy, as I have seen healthy specimens in the Reed ‘Hell Strip’. Fingers crossed.
Yay, Ricki!! My fingers are crossed too. I’ve noticed over the years that the longer a plant is in the ground the tougher it gets. So hopefully this will be the last year you have to cross your fingers at all. Isn’t it fun this time of year, traipsing around welcoming our plants back to the upside of the earth?
I hope to get out and check my inventory tomorrow, take advantage of this spring weather. Isn’t it awesome? I’m sure I’ll be saying the same thing. “It’s alive. I think.” Cautious optimism.
Whoo hoo! Live is good! I’m hoping for a similar pronouncement on my two arbequina olives. They look pretty bad, but they haven’t actually lost all their leaves – I’ll see more as the month marches on.
Grace~you got it right, “awesome”is the only word for it. It’s bringing out all the swelling buds…and the gardeners. I had a conversation, leaning on our shovels, with a neighbor I haven’t seen all winter.
Wendy~Sure feels like it here, but it wouldn’t be the first time we had been snookered by a false spring.
Jane~Good luck with those olives. Aren’t we just giddy with “spring”?