However, despite breaking dormancy so late, only the first 3-6 inches of the stems have tip kill.
The irony of this, though, is that this same Crape has died back to the ground, in similar winters, perhaps 8 or more years ago. The last time it died back to the ground, I "leaf-stuffed caged" it, in the next few winters, in order to save its wood. A few years ago, it out grew the cage I used for it, even though I could have made the cage taller. Recent winters have been milder (dropping to only between 0F and -5F), so there was no wood damage to it, in multiple winters. Crape wood seems fully hardy, a few degrees below zero. Multiple winters with no damage, allowed the main stem/trunk to increase in diameter (two inches or more in diameter). I think the thicker stems have contributed more hardiness, than the thinner, "same season stems, re-growing from the root" stems, have. Here's a pic of the "late budder". Its foliage is a lighter green, than the Boston Ivy behind it...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/7ZoD8KQvDto2aNeR6



'Black Satin' blackberry flowers are pink, as opposed to the white blooms my other blackberry type has:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/nRu2P3nEcuNHh7ic9



ENGLISH HOLLY, or Ilex aquifolium, is blooming, now. This type of holly is borderline hardy in z6. So, it has been getting a styrofoam cone, in winter. This plant is the variegated (leaf variegation is not evident, when grown in shade) FEMALE clone, Argentea Marginata. However, since I don't have a male English holly, these flowers will not develop into berries and ripen, unless one of my other blooming male hollies has compatible pollen..


https://photos.app.goo.gl/BR3mrifutUj4a4Mb8



This LOBLOLLY BAY or Gordonia lasianthus, I got, and set in the ground, in March, while its foliage was red (I got it from Woodlanders Nursery), has become green, and beginning to put on new leaves. For anyone unfamiliar with this plant, it is a subtropical evergreen tree...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/MtBWpCcVP9TtaPKq8



Here is a new tropical fruit plant I got. It is a Tahitian gooseberry tree, or Phyllanthus acidus. As its botanical name says, its fruits are sour and acidic...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZLDgz3Vamm4aBKHW6


Here is a pic of some temperate gooseberries, getting close to harvest time:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/LW3FasKfMu4Daw6C6



The DAME'S ROCKET, or Hesperis matronalis, a wildflower, is blooming:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/GrzshXH2wSrD1Bf18

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DoYFLohQu2d11xBG9



The SUN/ROCKROSE or Helianthemum spp., is beginning to bloom. For anyone not familiar with this plant, it is a hardier form of the xeric western plant, known as Cistus...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/sBxn1YmHdZ71tH3q6



The AMERICAN HOLLY or Ilex opaca, is blooming:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/BZ9TEScrfUL3Fw2VA



The LILAC 'Miss Kim', a dwarf, is blooming. These blooms are fragrant!


https://photos.app.goo.gl/mnykpTv9ZctsSUGH7



Camellia japonica 'Margaret Davis' is still blooming:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/9jXU1zS23yzd9q9i7



The DEUTZIA 'Carminea', is blooming!


https://photos.app.goo.gl/FJ9cchyCZHxAEQTb9