C, you have never had pineapple sage overwinter? I have kept mine the last two winters with lots of mulch piled on it over the winter. My old neighbor had it about 2 years, lost it, and she had good luck with it reseeding too.
Good news, Hummingbird plant (Dicliptera suberecta) had sprouts when I went outside and checked a minute ago. Podster, I bet yours made it.
What are you still waiting on to come back?
My pineapple sage overwinters too, and it's coming up.
This message was edited Apr 6, 2010 8:42 PM
Decklife , I'm a Texakan,lol , and spend the winters in Holiday Beach , where I , happily , have a mobile home of my own now . My son has a weekend place across from me and is a fishing guide on weekends . We have taken over his place for years in the winter. Just got back to Ga . 10 days ago .
I've been doing a little planting at his place over the years ,but most of it got wiped out .the rubber plant , pineapple,plumeria,banana and a bunch of stuff I don't know the name of is poof , gone.
We'll have to get together when I get back this late fall . I need a DG'r for coffee breaks . digger
Never had the original pinapple sage come back. I haven't tried covering with mulch since I thought they were not hardy here. I bought one this spring (still unplanted) and will try covering it to see.
My Mex. butterfly weed did not come up and neither did my yellow asclepias. It suprises me about the yellow one as I grew them in zone 5 with no problems but both plants were newly planted last fall so that might be the issue.
C
I think Mexican Sage is coming back here but I had to look real close to see there are tiny green signs of life. It's just one plant that I planted two summers ago.
Pineapple Sage is coming back from the root.
Nothing at all on the Turks Cap, one of the plants I can't even find... I'm sure one of the dogs either broke it or pulled it up! (I've caught them pulling up plant stems!)
What about Rock Rose? When does it come up? No signs of it here.
Figs and peaches are coming along. Blueberries are poking along real slow but they made it.
I saw a couple little sprouts of Esperanza yesterday.
Nothing on the Passion vines but they didn't show up until May last year. No flowers on the coral vines either but I think it may have been closer to May for them last year too.
Crazy as it is, we put a spirea in the ground last fall and it's just sitting there with no signs of life, the other is still in the pot and was left outside all winter long and it is green and starting to bloom! crazy.
Allwild, my dogs do the same thing. Newly planted stuff that's not well rooted are in the most danger of being yanked up.
The new puppy (and the older dog probably too - puppy's a bad influence) climbed on and chewed some woody stems on some of my plants almost to the ground this winter. My Texas Aster and Copper Canyon Daisy, which are both very well rooted, were giant tangled messes over the winter (I don't trim until Jan) and I barely had to trim them because of the dogs. I had to pick up lots of limb pieces though. The puppy also climbed in the 'Teresa' Autumn Sage and broke about half of the branches that still had life. grrr...
My Maypop is sprouting and so is the rock rose.
My rock rose didn't wince at all at the cold.
Digger, Holiday Beach must get hit pretty hard by the winter northwesterly winds. See you when you return!
My rock rose never dies back. It's been putting on new growth for the past month or so.
Well upon further inspection there are two holes where the rock rose plants used to be. The dogs. Maybe some of those seeds that dropped will sprout. If not I have more seeds saved - since an abundance fell from two small plants.
sweezel, we have a new puppy too, she's five months old now but she's a chewer and a digger! The others know better! Although they do seem to revert back to doing such things when she's doing it. She will find out soon enough the rules around here.. hahaha even if she is so dern cute!
How about a picture of the cutie .digger
Here's the cute little digger, digger! lol Notice the dirt ring around her nose?!
My Dicleptera suberecta emerged several weeks ago, at the same time as my Salvia Garanitica and Red Mountain Sage (Salvia darcyi). I thought it was a "puny" Zone 8 plant, but it's proving itself to be quite hardy. The Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepis tuberosa) emerged this past weekend. And I'm ecstatic to see that my Kumquat (Meiwa) is showing new growth. I covered it during the worst of our winter weather, but I wasn't sure whether it would survive.
What am I waiting on now? The late sleepers -- Lantana, Mexican Firebush, Mountain Sage (Salvia regla), Hardy Hibiscus. My Trailing Lantana emerged a week or so ago, but I think it came out early? And my St Augustine was very slow in waking up this spring. I haven't had to mow yet.
Carla
About the red mountain sage, what conditions do you have it growing in? I bought one from the arlington plant sale last fall and planted in a shady area. I see it has a few leaves but is very scrawny.
C
I don't think its the same plant, I cannot remember the darn name of this thing.
C
Im reaching down to pull out my confederate jasmine cause I thought it had bit the dust but I suddenly see a tiny little green shoot not even a 1/16 of an in size.. good thing I waited...loll.
Cheryl, my Red Mountain Sage is in most-day sun. During the heat of summer, it gets very late afternoon shade. You can see it in my attached photo, bunched between the Garanitica and the Englemann Daisy (with Mealy Blue Salvia in front). The hummingbirds love this plant.
Carla
Salvia regla Cav.
Mountain sage, Royal sage
Lamiaceae (Mint Family)
I bought this at last falls plant sale and it says it needs shade or part shade and low moisture. Mine has a couple of small leaves and I am hoping it does well this year where it is.
I also bought the big red sage and it does need sun and a little more water but it is looking pretty good right now.
C
I forgot about the confederate jasmine. I lost mine that I planted last summer. Pulled it out over the weekend and replaced it with a climber similar to native honeysuckle that I got at the Heard Native Plant Sale last fall. It survived the winter in it's gallon pot wedged between the brick and a rain barrel, right under the dryer vent.
I have two "mountain sage" - Salvia regla & Salvia darcyi. Salvia darcyi survived amazingly, even with being transplanted in February. It's coming back with sprouts in a 3 foot diameter and continuing to take over (underground runners). It comes back from the roots. Carla, did I give you the Salvia darcyi? I know I've shared it. It's tough. I had no idea how much room it needed.
My Salvia regla is in bright shade against a north facing fence. I have had it in ground 3 years with no blooms or much growth. It keeps some woody growth but is just (2) foot long stems, but surprisingly, has leaf buds starting to open. I planted it at the back of the bed at the back but it's never shown off.
Allwild, my puppy is almost 5 months old. He's trying my patience lately. He keeps digging up the root area around my roses and completely dug up a David Austin that I put in last summer. He's half beagle, half jack Russell terrier and a mess.
allwild I have 2 words for you when it comes to dogs digging in flower beds...
.. electric fence...lol.
Stacy, your puppy is a doll. And part beagle, part JR? A digger with a lot of energy! LOL!!
I have both Salvia regla & Salvia darcyi. The Regla (Mountain Sage) regrows from the woody stems. Darcyi (Red Mountain Sage) dies to the ground in the winter and expands via runner, much like Garanitica. I find that both can take a great deal of sunshine. S.regla doesn't need much water, but I find that S.darcyi does. If these aren't blooming, it's likely because they need more sun. (No, Stacy, I didn't get the S.darcyi from you. But I do agree that it is a mightly tough plant and one of my flowerbed favorites.) Here is a [really bad photo of a] hummingbird enjoying the nectar.
Carla
I'm thinking these are some of my butterfly weed plants coming back from the dead!!
Try a piece of chicken wire laid flat with a cut to the center and a small circle cut out for the rose stem . Can cover it with mulch . It works for diggers . digger
ha!!! ...my digger ate her way thru a chain link fence and Im not kidding ... no puny little piece of chicken wire is gonna stop Gracie...lol..after that I got an electric fence... a couple of run ins with it and she stays away from my flower beds.. I dont even have to have it on to keep her away now..
this is my digging machine..Grace
Nutgrass problems:
Image works on nutgrass and nutsedge - let the lawn get a good head start first. Before June is the best time to apply, after that the roots stop growing. Soaks into the soil and is taken up by the roots. Takes 2-3 weeks to work. Second application may be necessary. Read and follow the directions explicitly.
Here's an organic method using sugar and/or corn gluten.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Lawns-725/kill-Nut-Grass-organically.htm
Saw something else called Dismiss - but it may only be a commercial product according to a golf course turf guy who commented on it. Manage and Sedgehammer are the same product.
I have a Gracie too . She looks harmless , but the trash had better be up if I leave her in the house . I guess the chicken wire is for smaller pooches . Yours is a love . digger
My loquat wasn't harmed by the low temps . Schefflera bit the dust. digger
This past winter was pretty severe for everyone - and the nurseries are being cleaned out for sure.
Someone commented on Esperanza - in Dallas area I've never had it return - I treat it as an annual. Even if I mulch it heavily, it freezes down below the crown. I treat Mexican Heather the same. Pulled some out to examine and the usual dead roots were apparent.
I cut my brugs in sections, overwintered in a water bucket - 10 sections are back in the ground and sprouting well. Lost my two huge corkscrew vines though - froze the basal crown down several inches. Waiting for my cajun hibiscus I overwintered in pots to spring back to life..........
Even my Constance Elliott passion vine stalks got hit hard. Usually very hardy, but 10-20 degrees for 2-3 days will test any plants ability. It is coming back.at the lower base and some new basal shoots. The large 1-2 inch wide stalks stayed green after the freeze, but recently gave up the ghost.
Coral vine is usually very late coming up - no signs of it yet.
yours is a cutie too.. love the ears!!!!
Ok the two plants I have that I planted last fall are the Salvia penstemonoides and the Salvia regala. I am open to suggestions about either as they are new in my yard. Both survived but am wondering just how much shade the relga needs, if any.
C
No coral vine or Dicliptera suberecta here yet but I was delighted to see the Mexican sage sprouted overnight! Rain right now so will hope for more new sprouts tomorrow!
Chuck, does Image work for you? I used it years ago before I was organic, and it seemed to work well. But 20 years later it's back. So last year I broke my organic program and used it again. It didn't seem to have much effect. I have nutgrass already coming up.
Rock roses - usually mine are semi-evergreen, but this year they went completely deciduous. They are resprouting now, though.
Pineapple sage - I don't put any special mulch on mine, and it's coming back for the 4th year. One of my favorite plants. It is semi-protected by a pasture of obedient plant, though. LOL - wonder if Image would work on obedient plant? j/k (sorta!)
Has ANYONE seen signs of life from a firespike? That one came to me at my first RU (from Carl) and was a mature plant. I would really hate to lose it, but I'm about to give up. Same with the root beer plant, which came from Lynea and was gorgeous last year.
Firespike is usually one of the last plants to come to life after it freezes back in the winter for me. Pest and disease free - I've had it for about eight years now.
Love this plant, but it flowers so late in the fall it usually gets whacked by a freeze just as the blooms are starting to peak in November. It probably looks great in zones that do not freeze.
I've used Image successfully for nutsedge in St. Augustine. Will try the sugar regimen to see if it works on nutsedge. Not so sure it would work on nutgrass through. Occasionally I have some nutgrass pop up in two spots, but I can usually pull the nut grass out in early spring before it spreads too much and becomes a problem. Main thing is to not let nutgrass go to seed.
I went with an organic fertilizer program for about six years, but soil tests under my oaks kept coming back as low in the big three - Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash. The St. Augustine Del Mar shade grass was poor from too much shade. I heavily cut back and lifted the trees recently due to house and street requirements, waiting to see if this helps.
The recommendation was to use Ironite to free up the locked nutrients- so I put eighty pounds on my yard last spring. It helped, but I have since started supplementing my organic fertilizer with an all purpose synthetic and I noticed all my plants are responding well.
I mulch very heavily with the oak leaves turned in, and 2-3 inches of bulk composted mulch in the spring. Found that if I don't put a good dose of nitrogen down after spreading it, the plants suffer from the nitrogen leaching effect of the mulch. Things were OK with the organic fertilizer, but I have noticed supplementing with a synthetic greatly helps.
Oddly, the worm population increased dramatically and are huge with the organic program. So big and so many that by mid summer there was little organic matter left for them. It seems to be a trade off as to which is better in my opinion. The organic mantra of feed the soil, and the soil feeds the plant is very true though. That organic ferts help reduce the stress of heat and dry summers pans out with the grass. However, the Del Mar St Augustine which I prefer for the darker color, shade and cold tolerance, seems to be more susceptible to fungal problems than other varieties using either fertilizer program. High nitrogen and warm nights supposedly promote it.
digger, that's a great idea about the chicken wire circles over the roses. I already put chicken wire rectangles straight on the soil where I seeded cilantro, parsley, and chives in the same bed - my rose and herb bed. It worked.
We have an we ran an invisible fence about 3 years ago when Susie (the pit mix) was digging a lot. I have a very big yard so it was a chore. We only covered half and circled back around so the dogs could be on the porch. Susie hated going outside when it was on so once she was trained we took the collar off. She still stayed out of the beds before the puppy came along. There are several breaks in it now from various projects and the rose bed is in a large area that was not covered. I may have to get a smaller receiver collar for the puppy and fix the wiring.
Chuck, do you, or anyone for that matter, know if Image can be used in flower beds? I'm guessing probably not. My problem isn't in the lawn but the beds. I've dug this stuff out, following all the runners and getting them and the nuts out, but it just keeps coming back. I've decided it's in the bulk mulch that I've had a landscaper apply a couple of time to the entire garden. I've never had a problem wigth this stuff before, but I hate it :(
Crow
Cheryl, my Salvia regla is up already (I think it's early, but I guess what do I know?). My plant gets most-day sunshine, with shade very late in the afternoon.
Carla
The pooches sure can look all sweet and innocent!
Another one going strong is the Monarda Bee Balm, it's about a foot high already. I've been surprised at how many of the herbs survived and stayed green throughout the winter.
And I'm "sold" on the firespike plant! Sounds wonderful.
Hmmm on the Obedient plant which I am growing for the first time this year. WS the seeds and they are sprouting. Is it native to Texas? Need to figure out where to put it.
In checking with a neighbor, who is watering a hugh potted shrub in my absence , the pencil shrub bit the dust also as did the cherimoya's. I brought my mango's ,( potted), back to Georgia. Sure glad I didn't put them in the ground before the freeze . I'm hoping the coast won't have another freeze in my lifetime . Sad , losing your stuff like that. digger
Got a picture of the firespike? Sounds like something I'd like to have. Oh yeah , the crotons didn't make it either. digger
digger, I was just looking at the firespike plant here:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/267821/