Susan, I forgot to answer your question
I have several dormants and have added more this year. I don't really look at the foliage habit so much because most things do well here, but I have purposely bought dormants this year because I want to cross dormants with the evergreens and semi-ev to try and get dormants that do well in the south or a foliage type that does well all over. A lot of the dormants are going dormant, but I have some that are showing no signs whatsoever of going under, some need more cold than others to go under. The ones that are slowly turning yellow and gradually dying back are what is called photoperiod dormants meaning the foliage slowly dies back as the day length shortens in the fall and don't have to have a cold spell. By next month all my dormants should be under because we really haven't had any really cold days until now, it was 40º this morning but the "feels like" said it was 34º and I believe it!! It's only 53º right now, supposed to be 35º tonight and next week we will have 2 days that are supposed to be 32º. I hate the cold weather, but at least it will kill off some of the insects that may be lurking around.
The oldest dormant I have right now is LILLY DACHE (1957), most of the older ones that I used to have I had to get rid of when I moved because I had no room for "garden flowers". If I wasn't hybridizing and only had "garden flowers" I would buy only dormants.
I have ICICLES from Floyd Cove that is reg. as a dormant, but it hasn't gone dormant yet. BROADWAY LAST MOHICAN shrunk down earlier this fall and started growing back when it warmed back up into the high 80s and 90s, but should go under soon. I don't think my BROADWAY ATTRACTIONS has gone under yet either.
