there's green in the garden

last spring was so cold everything got a late start...this spring ( and that's only meteorological spring...calendar wise it's still winter ) i have already been watering...i opened the campus garden this afternoon mostly out of necessity and i am a bit concerned that it will turn cold again...not that the yams or the asparagus will be impacted, but when i unmulched the zea diploprennis ( third photo )i covered up last fall i found green shoots...they are sub-tropical and doubtlessly made it this far because of the mulch, the extensive root system they developed, and a really mild winter but a frost could do them in.. i hedged my bets and planted more seeds as well...but those need a cycle of cold to break dormancy so odds are that something isn't going to make it...the winter wheat is filling in nicely and the eastern gamagrass continues to "green up"...had a look at some jerusalem artichoke tubers and they are putting out roots and shoots...should be asserting themselves soon...how many rouges this year i wonder...pulled out over eighty last spring...no doubt they'll be all over this year as well...whatever surprises are out there the perennial garden project's third season is under way...more as it comes up.