In article , "Natty_Dread"
wrote:

I'm in Zone 7, Washington DC metro area, and nearly all my perennials have
begun sprouting up or leafing out except the Whirling Butterflies I planted
last year. Can anyone tell me when I should expect to see green on them?
We had quite a bit of snow and ice this year and January was reeeally cold,
so I'm hoping they're not dead! Any feedback would be most appredciated.

Thanks!

Rhonda

Gaura lindheimeri is hardy in zone 7 & not apt to be killed by winter
temperatures. But if you planted it somewhere where it stayed too wet in
autumn & winter with poor drainage, or if you watered it too much in
general, or if you transplanted it after it was settled, it might have
been too distressed to live through winter. If ground drains well, it was
never overwatered, & you never distressed its taproot, then it's probably
still fine. Gaura is among the last perennials to return in spring, but
makes up for it by being one of the last to stop performing toward the end
of the year. Mine blooms May through October, in dryer zones it blooms
April through November, but as you're someplace colder & wetter I'd guess
it to be a little less lengthy in its activity.

Now that it's mid-April, I'd think you should be able to see at least a
few green bits starting down near the base of last year's stems, but if
other perennials are only just now getting started in your garden, then
the gaura could still be a week or two from showing signs of new growth,
so I wouldn't assume the worst until May Day. If it turns out it is dead,
you shouldn't be discouraged from trying it again, just make sure it is
placed a little beyond the "regular watering" areas as it likes a bit of
dryness, start with a gallon-sized plant rather than a tiny tender start,
& never move it after it has put down good roots for itself.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/