I was at a local garden center a week or so ago and they had some Frostweed plants for sale. (Also had milkweed.) This is a place that is very organic and if it were more conveniently located, I'd be there more often. So when I looked closely, I noticed that most of the Frostweed plants had tiny little dots that appeared to be rust. I asked about it and was told that a little rust was not unusual for Frostweed and that it wasn't anything to worry about. And if I were to buy one, they didn't think I needed to do any type of treatment (assuming there is a treatment such as Neem).
What sayeth the experts?
Question about Frostweed plants
Which garden center was it? I'm always interested in finding ones that sell unusual natives.
Redenta's in Dallas. They also have an Arlington location but haven't been there. The Dallas shop is very small. It's on Skillman at Oram. (I think the side street is Oram.) They do have good stuff. The aforementioned Milkweed is Asclepias curassavica with the red & yellow flowers as well as the Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Gold'. Plus they have Asclepias tuberosa. I might go back this week to see if they still have the Silky Gold or the tuberosa, altho I did get seeds for the tuberosa at the RU. I know they had some sedums and succulents but no idea if any are unusual ones. Noticed Flame Acanthus, Golden Groundsel, Frog Fruit, and a number of other plants that were traded around at the RU. Last year around the end of June they had a fantastic buy one get one free sale. I got 2 large abelias for $18.99. I don't think they're going to do that this year.
While not an organic garden center, Jackson's in Dallas (near Love Field) has an annual 4th of July sale where you buy one and get the 2nd one for 4 cents. And they have some very large shrubs as well as perennials. Not cheap, but it is if you want 2 good sized plants.
This message was edited Jun 9, 2014 12:17 AM
Joan, Frostweed doesn't get rust around my house, and as everyone knows I am the Frostweed queen.
But it does get attacked by a small striped beetle that can suck all the juices. This is only temporary, once the beetle has completed his life cycle I cut the plant back and all is well.
Frostweed has remarkable recovery power and will grow right back.
If it happens to be rust, just cut it back and let it make new growth.
I hope this helps but please don't buy it, you can get it free from basically any of us.
Yes, I know you are the Frostweed guru and was hoping you'd chime in. I do have a small plant of it that you gave me at the fall RU and it has tiny little rust colored specks on it. Not a lot. And the ones at Redentas looked the same so that was what piqued my curiosity. I'll go outside again (when it's not raining) with my magnifying glass to see if I see any little striped beetles. As far as buying another one, I hadn't planned to. I was just surprised that they had it in stock and that it had the same little specks as mine. But, I certainly wouldn't mind getting a friend for my plant at the next RU. :D Thanks for the advice.
Let me know what you find out, I will be glad to give you as many as you want.