Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Dormant Tropicals, 1 by glendalekid

glendalekid wrote:
Hi Steven,

Yes, the oakleaf hydrangea is a native to the southeastern U.S. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/131/ At the same time these were blooming there were many of them also blooming along the roadside in among the trees. We dug these up in Feb. 2007 from the landfill in Birmingham. They have a plant rescue day every year, and people can go in and dig up anything there. Can't see them in the photo but there are a lot of ferns underneath that we also dug up and planted here. Check out the cultivars as some as listed hardy to zone 5a. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher[com...

The mulch will be a big help not only to keep the ground cooler but also (I hope) to cut down on the frequency I need to water. My granddaughter and I watered and laid mulch last Wednesday. We started at 9 AM and finished about 3:30 PM. On the beds where I had already put mulch, the ground was at least 20 degrees cooler under the mulch. So, that part at least does work.

I've not had good luck with getting cuttings started. Either they dry out or if I cover them then they get too moist and rot. Sigh!! I got some vermiculite the other day to set up a forsythe pot. Have you seen those? I had not heard of them until recently.

Good news! My Tecoma Stans, which was not supposed to die down here, is coming back. I also got a little seedling going as well. Going to dig him up tomorrow and put him somewhere else. The little guy on the upper right is the seedling.

Karen