These 8 Plants Are Always the Last to Wake Up in Spring – Plus, 3 Easy Checks That Show They Are Still Alive

Spring: a time of hope and renewal, when daffodils are nodding, the lilac is budding, birds start chirping a bit louder, and your neighbor's tulips look amazing (as usual). But something’s not quite right in your yard. While spring is unfolding elsewhere, your favorite plants are still looking a bit (how to say this?)… well, sort of dead.

You’re hoping for signs of life, but instead your beloved shrub or perennial looks skeletal-looking or a stump of sad-looking branches. It’s tempting to grab the shovel, assume the worst, resolve to cut your losses, and drop a few hundred dollars on replacements. But before you declare a state of mourning, take a deep breath. What appears to be a write-off might just be plants dormant for a bit longer than the norm.

Your favorite plant might not be dead, it might just be having a long nap. Extended plant dormancy is a real thing, and some plants love to hit the snooze button. Being a late sleeper is a clever survival strategy. These plants are waiting for consistently warm soil temperatures to ensure they don't get nipped by a late-season frost. So before you reach for the spade, here are 8 plants you may have caught napping – and the 3 easy ways to check they will wake up, soon(ish).

Are Your Plants Dead or Sleeping?

During winter, deciduous plants pull their energy down into their root system, shedding leaves to prevent moisture loss and entering a state of suspended animation. When spring arrives, certain dormant plants require specific cues to wake up. Some respond to the length of the day, while others (the late sleepers) wait for the perfect soil temperature to hold steady. If the ground is still cool, or your growing area has had a particularly deep freeze, that wake-up call will get delayed.

So when plants are slow to break dormancy, how can you tell if they are dead or alive? Before you panic, first perform these 3 simple checks:

• Scratch Test: Use your thumbnail or a clean pruning blade to gently scrape a small sliver of bark off a stem. If you see a layer of moist, vibrant green (the cambium), the plant is alive and well. If it’s brown and brittle all the way through, that specific branch may be dead, but the crown could still be alive. Try a few different stems to be sure.
• Snap Test: Gently bend a small twig. A living (dormant) branch will be flexible and supple, but a dead one will snap with a clean, dry break.
• Bud Vitality Test: Slice a bud in half, making a crosswise cut. A living bud will be green and fleshy, while a dead one will be dry and hollow.

For the slicing and scraping tests, use a clean, sharp blade to prevent tearing plant tissue. I recommend the Felco F-2 Classic Pruning Shears from Amazon, or a high-quality hori hori knife like the Full Tang Walnut Handle Hori Hori from Wayfair for precise scraping.

It’s also wise to check soil warmth (often the reason for the delay). You can buy the Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil Thermometer from Amazon to ascertain when healthy late sleepers are finally likely to stir.

8 Late-Sleeping Plants in Spring

It also helps to have a sense of predictably late risers. Just keep in mind that local micro-climates matter, as does your hardiness zone and region. A plant in a sun-drenched, south-facing bed has a better chance of waking up weeks before the same variety planted in a shaded, damp corner. And it would be reductive to compare your garden’s growing situation to that of a friend three towns over. Every yard has its own idiosyncratic alarm settings.

Age plays a role, too; younger plants with shallower root systems often feel the warmth sooner, while established granddaddy shrubs have more thermal mass to warm up. That said, there are a few famously late sleepers that always seem to keep people waiting as spring arrives. Here are 8 common plants that are slow to break dormancy. Don’t be too quick to give these garden favorites up for dead!

1. Amsonia (Blue Star)

Amsonia (A. tabernaemontana) is a bit of a tease as spring ventures close. Known for its ethereal blue flowers and stunning gold fall foliage, it is notorious for staying underground while its neighbors rise 6 inches (15 cm) high. Native to the eastern US (in USDA zones 3-9), it waits for the soil to hit a consistent 60F (15.5C) before it decides to poke through, which can often be delayed until mid-late May in northern climates.

Because the shoots emerge as dark, pointed spears, amsonia can be mistaken for weeds or ignored until May. The reason for the delay is its deep root system that focuses on stability before upward growth. If you’re worried, don't dig. Just gently brush away the mulch to look for those purple-tipped noses. To help it along, ensure the soil is well-draining. Heavy, cold clay can keep amsonia snoring even longer.

2. Butterfly Weed

If there were an award for Most Likely to be Accidentally Dug Up, it would have to go to butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). This vital host for monarch butterflies (USDA zones 3-9) is a bona fide heat-seeker. It rarely shows its face until the ground is truly warm, and even then maybe not until May in northern climates. To avoid planting on top of your sleeping asclepias, mark the spot with decorative markers, like these sweet rustic Temlum Decorative Wooden Plant Markers from Amazon.

The long dormancy is a defense mechanism for its fleshy taproot, which is sensitive to rot in cold, wet spring soil. If you suspect this native milkweed might be dead, look for the remains of last year's stems. If they are still firmly attached to the crown and haven't mushed out, the plant is likely fine. Test the soil to ensure the dormant roots aren't sitting in a puddle, which is the only thing that will truly kill this resilient native.

3. Crape Myrtle

In the south, the crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) is royalty, but in USDA zones 6-7, it’s a source of annual anxiety. These heat-loving shrubs are tropical at heart and hate cold feet, so it’s hardly surprising that they don't wake up until the ground is warm. It is normal to see a skeleton of grey bark well into spring, maybe June. Even cultivars like 'Natchez' or 'Muskogee' which are bred for vigor follow the "late start" rule.

The danger here is winterkill, where upper branches die back but roots survive. Use our scratch test on the trunk. If the top is brown but the base is green, the plant is still alive. You might just need to prune it to the living wood. These plants thrive in pH-neutral soil, so give the ground a spring top-dress with aged organic compost to provide the nutrients it needs.

4. Hardy Hibiscus

Do not (I repeat, do not) remove rose mallow or hardy hibiscus (H. moscheutos) until you have given it until mid-June, at the earliest. These perennials (which thrive in USDA zones 4-9) are champions of the late-morning lie-in. While the rest of the garden is in full swing, naptime-loving hibiscus still looks like dead sticks. Coveted for its blooms, it languishes under ground, waiting for high humidity and warm nights.

Its dormancy is deep because it produces massive amounts of leaves (the size of dinner plates) in a short window. So it saves all its energy until the conditions are perfect for a sprint. If you're nervous, check the base for tiny, red-colored buds near the soil line. A light application of slow-release fertilizer like Scotts Continuous Release Fertilizer from Amazon in late May can encourage it to break cover. It is one of the last perennials to emerge in spring, so don’t give up on it. Once it emerges, it grows quickly, producing a mass of joyous blooms for the rest of summer.

5. Rose of Sharon

Unlike its perennial cousin above, Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a woody shrub, but it shares the same snooze-worthy DNA. Rose of Sharon (which thrives in USDA zones 5-9) is often one of the very last shrubs in the neighborhood to break dormancy and leaf out. It can look dead in May, only to explode with green foliage in June.

Because it blooms on new wood, there is no rush for it to wake up early. It’s a long-day plant by nature, and its biological clock is tuned to late-summer flowering where it can reliably get more than 12 hours a day. So to ensure it has the best wake-up call, ensure it's in full sun. Plants languishing in partial shade are likely to sleep even longer.

6. Balloon Flower

The balloon flower (Platycodon) is a delightful perennial (USDA zones 3-8) that gets its name from its swellable, air-filled buds. However, in April, it is basically invisible. It sleeps until late spring, and is often one of the last perennials to wake up. The balloon flower has a thick, white, carrot-like taproot that stays tucked deep underground until the threat of frost is gone.

Because the new growth is often a dark, inconspicuous maroon, it’s easy to step on or hoe over, so be sure to place some markers gently in the soil. Instead of worrying, give it a light dressing of pine bark mulch such as Brut Aspen Mulch from Amazon to keep root temperature stable, which can sometimes lead to an earlier emergence.

7. False Indigo (Baptisia)

Baptisia is a tough-as-nails North American native (hardy in USDA zones 3-9) that produces gorgeous pea-like blooms in vibrant violet-blue hues. It is also pretty stubborn when it comes to rising and shining. It waits for consistently warm soil because its initial growth spurt is extremely rapid. It can grow several feet in a matter of weeks, and it cannot afford to have that succulent new growth frozen.

If your baptisia hasn't appeared by Mother's Day, don't worry. It’s likely just building its nitrogen-fixing root nodules underground. This plant is a long-term investment and it should stir from its slumbers by late spring. It can live for decades, so look at it this way – a few weeks of extra sleep is nothing in the grand scheme of its life. To check its health, look for the previous year's skeleton. If the crown feels solid and not mushy to a gentle toe-tap, it’s fine.

8. Bigleaf Hydrangea

In terms of visual dynamics, the bigleaf hydrangea is something of a drama queen, and likes to make its presence felt. It’s ironic that it can feel like a ghost when spring hits the backyard – and a bona fide late sleeper when many other parts of the yard come to life. It often looks like a collection of dead sticks long after other hydrangea varieties (like the panicle) have leafed out. This is because H. macrophylla buds are sensitive to yo-yo spring temperatures, especially in colder climates.

Bigleaf hydrangeas (hardy in USDA zones 5-11) often keep buds tightly closed and brown-looking as a protective shield against late frosts. Use our bud-slicing test here. If you see green inside those dead-looking scales, leave it alone. If you prune it too early, you'll cut off this year's flowers. For these late sleepers, a frost blanket like Greenscapes Spun-Bond Frost Blanket from Wayfair can be a lifesaver, especially during those deceptive April warm spells that are followed by a freeze. Hold tight, and you’ll be seeing those billowy large flower heads by summer.

Companions for Late Spring Sleepers

While you wait for your late sleepers to wake up, your garden doesn't have to look empty. Plant these early birds nearby to provide color and structure while the stars of the show are still in bed. Here are a few gorgeous spring risers you can tuck into the ground now next to your snoozing hibiscus.

Need more ideas for getting the most from your plants, indoors and out, and looking for the best seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!