Nine plants that should NOT be growing and green on New Year’s Day in New England! We plant lots of conifers and other evergreens to keep our yard in color during the midst of Winter. But the unseasonably warm weather is causing all kinds of unwanted greenery and growth way before it should. I may be buying a bunch of new plants come Spring.
Foxglove (Digitalis): Though this biannual’s wide green leaves often persist in Winter, new growth in the center is highly unusual.
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa): This hearty perennial herb always pops up with new shoots in early Spring but not in January.
Wild onions (Allium): Tons of the yummy vegetables grow wild in and around the asparagus patch. Extra seasonings are in store for our cooking this week.
Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii): This bush never really shuts down until the extreme cold hits. But with tons of new leaves and buds I am dubious of its survival once the cold weather really hits.
Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica): Another bush sensitive to early budding and growth.
Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca): By now, this increasingly persistent ground cover should be brown and shriveled. I think not.
Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata): This Spring snack looks ready to harvest and add to an evening salad. That’s not a bad idea!
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum): Typically this ground-covering herb is just gray stems. Not now.
Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis): They usually emerge after the first big melt. These bulbs appear to be confused.
