Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Dormant Tropicals, 1 by glendalekid

glendalekid wrote:
Hi Steven,

I really like your rack -- looks terrific! I have one that is white I would like to put by my sliding glass door, too, but I can't have plants inside like that. A couple of my cats think it is great fun to throw the potting soil all over the floor.

I finally got the Confederate jasmines (jessamine) planted along the fence. I'll take a photo in a couple of days and post it. Right now they are sort of just sitting there. They need to get adjusted to being outside in the ground and get their root growth growing. Because they hadn't been watered properly they have to come back from that, too.

I've not had an Alice Dupont, but they sure are pretty. I don't know why she's not blooming. It might be enough light but not enough actual sun. Maybe you can get some advice on the climbers forum as lots of folks there have Alice Dupont. I got a yellow mandevilla this year. It's not blooming now as I've not gotten it planted and it needs more sun than it's getting. I'm going to put it out on the fence, too. It's not supposed to be hardy in my zone, but I did notice one just like it growing in the ground at a small nursery here. He said that it had been there for three years and did not die back in the winter. I'm sure he's telling the truth as the vine was way too big and thick to be only this year's growth. I did notice that he was selling what appeared to be two kinds of mandevilla. They were all climbers, but some had larger, thicker leaves than the others. The one with the larger, thicker leaves had pink flowers on it just like an Alice Dupont. The others were yellow like the one he had in the ground. I've tried to look this up in PF but I really can't tell from the photos.

My Carolina jessamine is not blooming either, and I think it should be. It bloomed well this spring, but not since.

My brugs are now about five feet tall and have been blooming for a couple of months. They have dwarfed the ferns and banana plants. Guess I'll have to move those after next winter's dormancy. At least move them to the front.

joegee,

I don't know why my lantanas died to the ground. They shouldn't have. I have a yellow one with varigated leaves but also Ham and Eggs. The post office in the valley has the Ham and Eggs lantana outside its front door. They are a zone higher than me (8b), still theirs died down to the ground as well. My varigated lantana and the cestrum nocturnum were both protected with freeze cloth this winter. They should have been fine, but both did die back to the ground. They are coming back fine, however. I guess it's the vagaries of "shoulda". LOL.

Karen

My brugs at the end of May. About three and a half feet here.