76
Because winter was a little milder, I was expecting to see lots of plants peeking out of my annual flowerbeds this spring. Often rudbeckias or even an occasional salvia might survive winter and get a head start on the growing season.
It turns out that none of my annuals successfully overwintered, but I was happy to find a couple of very well-behaved clumps of anise hyssop.
This herb is a borderline perennial in southern Wisconsin (it prefers Zones 6-10). The plants grow about 2-3 feet tall with fuzzy purple flowers that bees adore:
Once again some plants croaked in my north-facing retaining wall over the winter, so I will use these happy, healthy plants to fill in the gaps.
