I bought a beautiful lobelia plant in Seattle last week. I carried it home with me on the air plane, in my lap! I put it in a pot on the patio I think Tues. night and watered it down. Today I noticed that it had wilted and has some stems that won't come back. Is it just too hot in Texas for that plant? I brought it inside and gave it a drink. Can I put it back out, maybe in the shade?
Lobelia doesn't look so good
Wow lobelia in Texas!
I'm in Zone3 and Lobelia (the annual) does great in sun here but only if it's well watered and in a pot that won't allow the roots to get too hot. It's mostly considered a part shade to full shade plant even here for most uses. Did you get the trailing kind? Was it a cascading variety? Also what color did you get? some of them have exceptional color.
Only guessing-I would bet the Texas sun would be too much!
You do have a chance of it coming back if you keep it protected and it wont hurt it to prune out the damaged branches. The plant could also have been damaged in transit the branches are very dilicate. Up here when they get ratty we just give them a hair cut and a boost of 15-30-15 they perk up quite quickly.
Good luck with your plants recovery
Putting the lobelia in the sun right away together with the heat might affect lobelia as you describe. Get it into shade and keep it watered, not drowned but damp at all times. And I'd follow Annabelle's advice about pruning out the bad spots. I think it'll come back for you. What color is it?
The color is Blue Moon, I saw in all over Seattle in flowerbeds that were in the sun and they looked a flourescent blue color.I'll be sick if it doesn't make it. I don't think the whole pot was dry, I think the limbs and flowers were just to delicate for this heat. I think I'll try the shade and add 15-30-15 to it If it makes it, does it have seeds later on that I can keep?
They say not to fertilize it till it's healthy again. I've grown Blue Moon for the last several years...it's gorgeous! This year I couldn't find it so I planted Crystal Palace blue, but it's not the same. Back to Blue Moon next year!
Beautiful lobelia pot, revclaus. BTW, what's the green thing in the top left corner of your picture?
Shirleygirly, I've found that the lobelia in my area (SoCal) need to be in part-shade or just morning or afternoon sun. They get scorched by the full midday sun and do wilt on hot days. I would imagine that Texas sun would be the same, if not worse.
I'm going to play it safe and keep it in the shade on the patio. We are getting a break from the heat today. It's cloudy and 86, actually it just started raining. I got a lot done outside this morning, it felt great.
Morning glories in a green pot. I keep trying to grow them on my north facing patio. They get a little sun early in the morning and late at night. I think this will be the last year I'm going to try. Sometimes they do well, sometimes not. I need a vine that will produce flowers in mostly shade. But the MG are so beautiful when they do do well that I hate to just give up!
Hi revclaus
Why don't you start them off in a sunnier location and when they get more mature move them. I have some in pots on the south side and early spring they get lots of sun till the tree leafs out then the sun is cut by about 60%. My MG's get a super start then slow down but I always get blooms by Aug. You could put a small trellis in their pot and wind them around a bit till you put them in their home spot.
Their color is fabulous and I totally enjoy mine. I have Heavenly Blu's this year.
Bye for now.
Ann
I don't have a sunnier spot available. That's reserved for my climbing rose and my peony. So I grow them under lights to get them started, and do just what you suggest. I let them wind up teepees I've fashioned from bamboo stakes and then put them out into their north-facing spot. This photo was from early June.
What a beautiful view you have. Is that in back of your house?
Facing northeast from our balcony. We live on the 6th floor of an apartment building. The west view is even better.
And here's the morning glories today, mostly Split Personality. But if they were in the sun all day the vines would be loaded.
Well your blooms are much better than mine at the moment.The two zones difference makes a big impact. I think with me having more space to garden I don't need such a big show so quickly as I have other sources of color.
I think your balcony looks great! You also have a view to go with your pots. Maybe there is a two tone leaf color in the MG's you could try? At least you may have a bigger show of color that way.
Gardening on a balcony is a huge challenge especialy on the 6th floor.
All the best for your quest.
Ann
Last week I visited my daughter in Seattle and I kept seeing white morning glories everywhere. She said they grow wild there and are not liked by gardeners because they choke out the other plants. They weren't as pretty as yours though. I planted some seeds yesterday in a pot and some in the ground. I know it's late but I just couldn't help myself!
LOL!
Don'tcha just love how those morning glories face out - away from you?
It must look nice when viewed from the people below.
Can you take a pic of what people on the outside see?
Nancy
Too much work! Here's one from last night.
I meant this morning...lol
Hi:
I'm in Seattle. Lobelia does well, as long as you leave it alone.
Don't overwater it. Water it once a week, maybe.
In the high desert here in Denver it needs watering daily.
shirleygirly, in the Houston area, lobelias are considered a cool-season plant. You can certainly keep them alive in summer, but they probably won't start looking good again until Fall.