I scattered these trachy seeds in the far reaches of my backyard in late fall 2012. Last summer they germinated and grew one strap leaf each before winter set it. I did nothing to protect them going into winter. No extra mulch, no leaves, definitely no heat. I only let them have what mother nature decided to deposit on top of them -- as if they were alone in the woods and on their own. Unfortunately their first true winter alive would prove to be the coldest winter in the last 30 years. The average highs and lows were as follows:

Nov 2013: 44.0 / 29.8
Dec 2013: 28.7 / 13.2
Jan 2014: 22.7 / 5.5
Feb 2014: 23.9 / 9.0
Mar 2014: 36.7 / 21.2

The ground froze at least 3 feet down -- solid! I would assume it was frozen from late November until late March. But, after winters grasp withered away, I was astounded to see these guys looking back at me -- saying "is that all you got?"

Here are pictures for proof of their existence.

Let's see how long they can keep partying in my backyard.