Will I have much success growing heirloom hollyhocks in Hempstead? It they will grow will they reseed? What about Dahlias?
Joy
Hollyhocks near Houston???
I don't think you'll have much success with either plant, but I haven't tried. Maybe someone will come along with a different experience.
I don't know about hollyhocks, but I grew several varieties of dahlias with relatively good success. They were planted on the northeast side of the house, so they got morning sun (until about noon or so). Eventually, they died (mostly due to neglect), but I had them for a couple of years.
I'd plant some again, but these days I'm more into plants that produce something (like blueberries, grapes, etc.).
BTW - I'm up around FM1960 and SH 249, if that helps. :)
Thanks for that bit of info. I have some hollyhock seeds that a friend gave me (from ID) and he was going to send some Dahlia tubers or whatever they are called. His bloom almost all summer and having been up there in summer and seen the 98 temps myself, I know it isn't heat that is the issue. Throwing the seed I have out on the ground doesn't bother me, but I got to looking at some of the colors and don't want to buy seeds if they won't grow. I will give him the ok on the Dahlia's.
Anything pretty that can attract birds and butterflies is a plus for me.
Mercer Arboretum has a list of native plants that are either host plants for or will attract the various butterflies:
http://www.hcp4.net/mercer/pdf/ButterflyChecklist.pdf
Also, they have a field check-list of the birds that have been sighted at the arboretum (but nothing about plants to attract them):
http://www.hcp4.net/mercer/pdf/BirdingFieldChecklist.pdf
I have an island garden in my back yard that I planted specifically as a habitat for butterflies and other insects. I put in a combination of native plants and herbs. Unfortunately, some of the plants have over-run others. I lost one of my echinacea plants - it got over-run by the pigeon berry and the pennyroyal (which I have since ripped out). LOL The birds like to go into the garden and get seeds that fall off the lime basil, and they use the lemon grass to hide in when there's danger (a hawk flying overhead). Now that the pennyroyal is gone, I've sprinkled a bunch of dill seeds where it used to be. Last spring I noticed that the ladybugs were using the flower heads as a nursery. And after the dill had pretty much died down, I noticed a wasp that was putting pieces of straw into a hollow dill stalk (presumably it had laid eggs or something).
I also have four different bird feeders - one "cardinal" feeder, a caged feeder for the little birds, a wooden peanut feeder for the woodpeckers (but the Carolina Wrens and Chickadees like it too), and a suet feeder that has tail support for the woodpeckers. And I keep a bird bath filled with fresh water (during the heat of the summer I'll fill it twice a day).
I took some gardening classes at Urban Harvest this past spring and learned a lot - not only about growing veggies, but also about the soil food web and the part that insects play in the ecosystem. It was fascinating. :) I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you can attract all kinds of insects to your yard, you'll also get the various birds, too. Very few birds are strictly herbivores - most will also feast on insects, too. (Although I have yet to see any that will eat those danged stink bugs that plague my garden! LOL)
Here's the wasp's work. She painstakingly flew over with each individual piece of straw (hay) and stuffed it into the hole. Wish I could have gotten out there sooner while she was still working on it, so she'd be in the photo, too. Alas - I was too slow! lol
I am in the process of building a cottage garden on three sides of the house. No lawn, just plants and pathways. Right now I have veggies mixed in with various buddleias, sages, firebush, duranta,sunflowers, cone flowers, on and on. Have several things still in pots that I haven't been able to plant due to the drought. I am working on getting them planted as I can. I still have lots of room for spring flowers and such. I remember hollyhocks from my youth and how much I loved them so I was thinking of tossing in some seeds when I got the dirt worked up just right this winter.
That is a cool picture. We have several black swallowtail cocoons on my Satsuma trees and scores of butterflies floating around. Have three hummers who are fighting over the feeders and the bottlebrush which has decided to bloom for them.
Joy
I think hollyhocks would grow there. You need to sow the seed in the fall/winter but remember they are biennials so you might not get flowers till next year.
Lisa
I grew hollyhocks last year. Once it gets warm, rust becomes a problem but they looked beautiful in March.