One of the rituals of spring is patrolling the yard to see which perennials have survived yet another winter. Because insulating snow cover can play as much of a role as low temps, you just never know. As I welcome back the reliable peonies and hosta for another season and watch the bleeding hearts unfurl, I hold my breath for those Zone 5 plants I took a chance on. So far, I'm one for three, but the other two would be late risers anyway. My Zone 5 hops plant is back for its third season, ready to reach for that chain link fence it's planted next to in hopes it will decorate it a bit. The Raspberry Parfait hydrangea hasn't shown any signs of life yet, but since my zone hardy Endless Summer has been in a holding pattern during last week's colder mornings, I'm not giving up on it for a few weeks yet.

I also haven't seen any movement from my third Zone 5 plant, but that brings me to another spring ritual: remembering what I planted and where last season. I start out each season methodically, assessing my die-off gaps and what would benefit from dividing. Then I go to garden centers, farmers market and plant swaps with a shopping list, and at some point I'm standing in my yard with some unplanned plant in my hand, surveying my options. And if that point happens late in a long day of gardening as it often does, the plant placements have been known to get a little random.

That's how I get to spring 2015, remembering only that there was a Zone 5 shrub I got on a late-season sale that I put in roughly the spot where a honeysuckle died out last year. I know it has pink blooms and gets up to 4 feet high, so it was a logical spot for it, but it didn't come with a label, so until/if it shows signs of life and my memory gets a refresher, it's another one of spring's ritual mysteries.

How has winter treated your garden? Are most of your perennials back or do you have gaps? Do you roll the dice and try Zone 5 plants? In my world, I call any winter casualties shopping opportunities.

(The Tuff-Stuff hydrangea shown in the picture is billed as "very hardy" but still listed for zones 5-9. Anyone tried that one yet? Photo credit goes to the Washington Post.)