First it sleeps...

There's a general rule of thumb for planting perennial flowers that goes 'first it sleeps, then it creeps, then it leaps.'  I have certainly seen it play out fairly regularly in my ornamental plants.  Though sometimes it may creep for more than a year it then reaches a point where suddenly it starts growing much more than previously.   The really interesting thing is that I divided several plants over the last couple of years that had become overcrowded due to leaping and the transplanted divisions skipped the sleep year.  One of them went immediately to the leap year and it was one of the plants that was slower to leap in the first planting. One plant (not divisible) slept 3 years, put out one flower last spring and this year is nine flowers on and still adding buds this spring.  

I am in that weird climate location where I sometimes can and sometimes can't overwinter tropical plants.  I am trying a few traditional temperate perennial vegetables and some tropicals this year for the first time and they seem to be sleeping.  Do perennial vegetables and tropical plants also sleep, creep, and leap?  I am hoping this slow early growth means they are directing their energy to becoming well established rather than struggling to survive our easiest season.

I am also in a "cold tropical" setting where things don't always make it (9b), but I always hear sleep, creep, leap and think of passionfruit (occasionally other vines, but mostly passionfruit. It's like kudzu: don't blink or it will take over your entire yard).
I find the weather lately has been really odd, and things I know how to grow are suddenly taking forever or are just out of season (exhibit a: okra. I planted it at least 5 times at the start of summer. The ones that didn't die or get eaten just stalled til the end of summer. It's mid fall and I am getting okra now. Same with the pigeon peas, which spent all summer doing nothing, suddenly are 7 feet tall, but still haven't made flowers and we are expecting maybe frost this weekend. What the heck.)

To be honest everything I try seems to be different every time. I just keep throwing things in the garden until something starts giving me food, and I keep things at least a few seasons just in case they're saving up to do a leap of their own next year. (Hey plum tree, I'm talking to you, better get your act together before you get replaced!)