Lotus (Parrot's Beak) Ground Cover

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handy911 Redondo Beach, CA Sep 19, 2014

Hi -
I have the plant on my front yard, but I'm not sure how long they have been there, since I moved to the house about 3 months ago. For a while, the plant seems to be doing great with 3 times / week watering, with no fertilizer. Then, I started noticing that they are dying. So, it's really hard to know if I over or underwater, or if the soil drains the water too quickly, or if I need some fertilizer. The yard is getting the sun 8 hours a day.

When I searched on the internet, some suggest that Lotus (Parrot's Beak) is considered an annual plant. Is this true? If so, when should I start replanting?

PS: I'm very new at gardening. I hope someone can help me here.

Thank you,
Handy

Post #9943514
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altagardener Calgary, AB(Zone 3b) Sep 19, 2014

An annual plant is one that blooms and sets seed and dies in a single season - it's a definition of the biological characteristic of a species, as compared to other species that are perennial (living from year to year and being sustained by the root, as opposed to having to further the species by regrowing from seed).

The plant you are asking about is actually a perennial, but the confusion arises around loose usage of these terms. Many ornamental plant species that are perennials are not hardy enough to withstand freezing temperatures, so where these are sold in cold climates, they're often (incorrectly) referred to as being "annuals"... meaning they're used "as if they were annuals". A better term, that would avoid this confusion, would be to refer to them as "tender perennials" but the damage (i.e. creation of confusion) is long since done. ;-)

This message was edited Sep 19, 2014 1:50 PM

Post #9943622
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altagardener Calgary, AB(Zone 3b) Sep 19, 2014

And, I should add, you are probably in a pretty darn warm zone, so I'd guess it would likely act as the perennial that it is in your conditions... but I'm sure someone will be able to verify if that's a correct conclusion or not.

Post #9943626
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