Don't know about ajuga but do know that the closer you are to Lake Michigan, the later Spring arrives. I visited a brother of mine near Watertown last week and his garden was way ahead of mine and he's nearly a zone 4b.

tj

I don't have chocolate chip, buy my ajuga doesn't really start growing until the evening temps are consistently in the 50's.

Seriously? Well that's good news...I thought they'd start peeking through by now. I'm out in Tosa, not too far from the lake.

Well, I just added another gallon size variety because I thought the Choc Chip were goners --- Ajuga Black Scallop.

I also had some hostas (tiaras) that I divided LATE last season, October I think. Think those made it? I don't see anything peeking through yet, but then again it's in total shade.

I can't find my mouse ears hosta...that darned little thing. I'm trying to move a planting bed, but don't want to lose all my plants, and mouse ears was expensive (dummy me..I thought he was going to grow...LOL).

Maybe I should stop digging in my yard. I'm probably killing things that would normally have survived!

The good news is my Tulips, my first try with bulbs, planted in freezing late November temps, are doing really well... just about to bloom.

Hostas are slower to come, however mine are peeking through already, some a couple of inches tall. Ajuga for me stays all winter. I have several areas where they are and all are looking very lively. My primroses are already starting to flower. With all the snow cover all winter, they all survived really well, even my roses are sprouting and I didn't bother to winter protect them this year. I live about a mile from Lake Michigan in Manitowoc which is between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

Rachel, what kind of roses do you have? I tried Sombreuil and Don Juan and both died back to the ground. I did winter protect them, but I'd rather have something that doesn't need winter protection.

Ajuga Chocolate Chip is a no show so far but Black Scallop is up plus Metallica Crispa. As for roses, I mainly grow rugosas or the Explorer series. Try looking at Spring Valley's website ... they are a Wisconsin company with good info for hardiness. Hope this helps!

LOL @ the part about killing things that normally would survive.

I went out to look at the ajuga. Nothing at the surface survived from last year. There is a lot of new growth, but there is still a big bare patch in the center of it all.
I don't see any new shoots on my Blue Mouse Ears either. April was cold and rainy, so I haven't given up on it yet, but I think the crown may have heaved out of the ground somewhat over the winter.

I have several types of roses. Mostly I have the ones you can get cheap at Menards or Aldi. I have a couple that are the old faithful that I got from friends that have huge bushes that never need protection or bug control and bloom all summer. I don't know what kind they are, but they are definitely hardy. The ones I get cheap, I usually plant deeper than recommended and that seems to help keep them alive. I also have some mini roses that are very prolific and I find them at the greenhouse on County O off of Hwy 29 north of Green Bay. They are very inexpensive, too.

Rachel, what is the name of the greenhouse? I'll be going up to Green Bay in the near future and would might add that to one of my stops.

Still no sign of the Ajuga, but Janet, I found my mouse ears hosta peeking through. I had to flag it with a marker so I don't step on it as we're redoing some landscaping.

The tiaras that I moved last October actually made it, just now peeking through. My husband, of all people, actually found them peeking through the mulch.

I've heard the Rugosas are very thorny. Everyone says New Dawn for zone 5 as a great candidate for no winter protection, but I'm just not a fan of the pastels. I think John Cabot was another one good for our zone, very pretty and not pastel, but gets huge. I have a small yard.

Glad to hear your BME made it. I think mine did to, but I will need to bury it a little deeper, if it isn't too late.

Janet,
Sorry that I didn't get back to answer sooner on the name of the Nursery on O off of Hwy 29 North of Green Bay. It's called Green Acres and it's just a couple miles up the highway and off to the left on County O from Canterbury Farms, if you know where that is. Both places are excellent for plants at reasonable prices and they have lots of variety. Green Acres doesn't have their plants labeled very well individually, so be sure to take little markers and a pen with you if you want to remember what you are buying. Over the years I've learned to recognize a lot of plants, but the first time I bought things there, I didn't have markers and when I got home I couldn't remember what I bought, especially in the herb catagory. A lot of the plants are grown in the 16 cell packs, and you buy what you want by the cell. So you can fill a 16 cell pack with 16 different plants, if you wish. It's really fun to see what you can all find there. Green Acres is a good place to find more rare and unusual plants. Canterbury Farms has a bigger variety of the more common plants, and lots of the summer annuals for hanging baskets. I always find more than I can afford at both places.

Thanks Rachel!