What plants do you really like, are supposed to be easy to grow and DO grow in your area, but you can't seem to keep?
I have several. Dahlias are one that, for some reason, I seem to do in whether from seed, tuber or plant. Poinsettias are another. We're supposed to be able to grow them outside as a bush, but I can't get any to winter over or, if they do, they're dead by the next season.
I love Hens and Chicks, grew them up north like crazy, but can't keep them growing down here. They are supposed to be good to zone 9, but even with sandy soil, they die out or rot. But I can grow sedum without many problems. I grow Sedum and try H&C in the same locations, but I think that it just gets too humid here in the summers. But someone grows them here as they are for sale.
I also have managed to do in all of the Coreopsis that I've planted except for Zamfir. One variety if Tickweed is wild here and self seeds, ususally in places that I don't necessarily want them to. They seem to not like the areas that I hope they inhabit.
What are some of yours?
Love 'em, supposed to be easy, but.........
I've had the same thing with hens&chicks. Seems like other people around here can lay 'em on a rock and they'll grow, lol, but not me! I live in a wooded hollow, so I'm chucking it up to my environment. Lavender has been another for me. I love them and have tried them practically every year for the last few years, trying a new spot each time. Keeping my fingers crossed because I have a couple in a sandy-rocky area that have done fairly well. When we had our hottest, most humid weather, they had a few spots blacken and die, but the rest of both plants looks ok. A friend of mine grows them in sun or shade in whatever soil she has and they're always beautiful- it drives me nuts!
Hen and chicks do better if in a container. They don't require a lot of water, so basically, plant them in a container, water sparingly, put them in direct sun, and watch them multiply.
Stu, my friends did some rsearch and dahlias are native to Mexico (the national flower, I believe). FL heat should not be a problem.
Dave
I've tried a few of these. Coreopsis turned black, lavender and lewisia rotted, butterfly bush grew spindly and short. Gaura didn't over-winter for me. And I lost a few grasses the first year I grew them, because I didn't cut them back hard enough, and the old growth smothered the crown. I'm not giving up on gaillardia, in spite of the fact that a few of the perennial 'Fanfare' rotted, the annual 'Torch Flame' grew like wildfire,so I know I'll figure it out.
Dave. I think it's the humidity as much the temperature. the humidity and amount of rainfall in our summers does in a lot of things that should do OK in zone 9. For example, we have problems big time with black leaf on roses not hybridized for resistance, whereas the same rose in California zone 9 does well. And remember, Mexico has diverse climates, much like zone 9 in the USA, so it depends are where in Mexico it is native.
This message was edited Oct 18, 2006 4:52 AM
Stu, That's true. It's a big country.
I can't seem to get clematis to grow. I know they have weird root/sun requirements, but they just don't do well, even near the house foundation.
poppies...even the ones that say zone 9
On another thread, someone related that she wished that zone Heat indexes were used along with zones for cold tolerance. I know that Blustone perennials will even notate the part of the country that they recommend the plant for in a particular zone if the plant has not been shown viable for the entire distribution of that zone #.
On this topic, I can NEVER get poppies to grow. We've bought them in flower and had the plant die, we marked off an area, prepped it well, manure mulch whatever, planted seeds, no germination. Tried 'em in a pot, no germination. This year, in addition to buying some young plants M/O that haven't flowered (or died) yet, I'll be wintersowing them. A friend in another part of town had then growing when she moved in umpteen years ago! (Not a gardener, unfortunately.) So I know thay can grow in my climate, zone, whatever... Just not for us!
xxxxx, Carrie
This message was edited Oct 23, 2006 2:33 PM
What I can't grow -- and I must have tried a million times -- is larkspur. I know to plant the seed early in the spring or even in the fall, but no matter what I do, it doesn't germinate, or if it does germinate, it just doesn't seem to make it. And I love larkspur, alas.
Happy- I'm no pro but larkspur self seeds for me. a mystery! I'm sorry I haven't saved any seed to give you another free try at it.
And almost every one of these plants has a whole forum for it!
x, C