Campsis - is it alive?

I bought a campsis (Indian Summer) last autumn. It came as a twig in a pot. So far I can see no growth at all. Is ths normal for the end of March? If so, when can I expect to see buds forming?
Stephanie

Campsis

Reply from Kathy C

Hi, Stephanie,
As a general rule, Campsis are late to 'leaf out' in spring compared to other plants. I'm not a Campsis expert, but I think it is safe to give it a few more weeks before you give up. To check if any plant is alive, you can always scrape the very top layer of a tiny section of a twig off. If it is green underneath, it is still alive. I'm not sure, though, if I would do that with yours since you only have one twig right now. As long as the pot didn't get dried out over the winter, and as long as it didn't freeze or frosted, it should be okay. If you don't see anything if a few weeks, try that scrape test (but only a very little section). Hopefully, you will see green.
Please let me know what happens!
Kathy C.