Maggie, I thought the list would be helpful for that reason.
dmj1218, my orange blooming esperanza is in a large container. I had been wrapping it in freeze cloth and covering the root area with a blanket so it would not freeze back and the roots would not freeze. Unfortunately, it was not supposed to freeze last night so I didn't wrap it, but the temp is right at 32 now and holding. I have cuttings in te greenhouse, but I turned on the heater an hour ago and it is not putting out warm air. It is 38 in the greenhouse. I never let the temp fall below 50. Crossing my fingers that all of my cuttings don't go into shock.
Plants that are doing well right now
htop--got any seed pods on that orange variety? I'd love to have some when they mature in the spring (shamelessly begging here on virtual bended knee). I think the variety Cornelius had was called sunrise/sunset or something to that effect. It actually had both colors on the blooms. That will teach me to go to the garden centers with no money!! When I went back about a week later they were all out--no surprise to me! I bet they were all grabbed up that very day! Your plant should be ok with a light freeze in the pot. Mine in the ground survive them every year--its a tougher plant than it gets credit for being...I also have some friends in Austin that say it will freeze to the ground there in a really hard freeze (below 28 prolonged hrs) and when they cut it back it takes off again in the late spring. Although I would risk it with Goldstar I wouldn't with your orange variety!
Oh no Hazel. Don't tell me I was supposed to bring the tecoma inside!?! You'll recall I was hot to trot for the orange, found it locally and have it sitting outside in a pot. Leaves are kinda ugly, but I was also seen some baby leaves.
Same with the regular yellow. Has winter-worn leaves, but not dead. Am I doing something wrong?
I notice people that have reg. experanza planted in ground blooming, as we speak.
It blooms as we speak in my yard....
My orange is blooming in my yard, planted in the ground. I had read somewhere that the orange cultivars are actually hardier than the yellow- that doesn't sound right, but I read it...wish I could remember where. With cold enough weather here they also freeze to the ground and do return in the spring.
dmj1218, I don't think that the hybrids will come true from seeds. I am trying to start some 'Orange Jubilee' cuttings and I have bicolor 'Sunrise' cuttings also that I am attempting to root. I will send you a cutting if they do. I like the 'Sunrise' the best. The 'Sunrise' is in the ground and it froze to the ground last year, but came back just as the yellow 'Gold Star' ones do.
Vossner, I really think the containered "Orange Jubilee' roots won't freeze in the container, but it was so expensive I just don't want to take a chance. Just be sure to water the soil well before a freeze. I had been wrapping it so it could retain its height. These cultivars do not seem to grow as rapidly for me as the 'Gold Star' which have not totally frozen to the ground yet due to the mild temps so far this winter. They have some freeze damage, but not much.
Aprilwillis, thanks for the information. I really need to plant it in the ground this spring so I don't have to worry about it. I have seen an orange blooming one whose leaves and growth habit resemble the "Gold Star' more than the 2 cultivars mentioned above. It doesn't have as many blooms on it as "Gold Star' does , however.
Actually I read that all of the hybrid varieties are less cold hardy than the original....which does make sense if you think about it; but this may all be a "moot" (sp?) point soon because it looks like we aren't going to have a winter this year.....kinda makes you wonder just how hot it's going to get this summer (like it COULD top that dry hot spell we had last summer--end of June/start of July).
I really wonder if the perrenials will suffer for not having any time to rest and rejuvenate. Even if we actually have rain this summer, they may just be too "tired" to be in real good health, to look their best.
good point--and if they get stressed by early intense heat...
I agree w/ the thought that hybrids would be less hardy, that's why when I read that about the orange and I believe it was Orange Jubile, I was amazed.
It is true that seeds of hybrids will not produce the hybrid- they must be grown from cutting. The seed will produce the parent.
I think our perenials will be tired by this lack of winter. I am going to use lots of superthrive, good fertilizer and seaweed extract.
That's an excellent idea April--I need to go out to the garage and check to see how much seaweed I have. Can superthrive be used foliar? I'm just lazy (or time challenged which is really the truth!) and if you can add that to the foliar seaweed at the same time (I usually throw a little fish emulsion in there too at the same time, just because I can) seems like that would take care of feeding all those things to the plants at the same time.
Thanks for the reminder April---am going out to garage to check.....
The instructions say to be sure Superthrive gets to the plants' roots. As I understand it, it really is for the vascular system.
Added plants, Can take the heat and the cold:
These are terrestail and hardy bromeliads. Mine are in conatiners; however, they may be grown in the ground.
Queen's Tears, Friendship Plant (Billbergia nutans) - can withstand more cold than the zones that are listed in the PlantFiles
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2116/index.html
Queen's Tears, Friendship Plant 'Mini' (Billbergia nutans) - don't know how much cold it can take
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/126929/index.html
Queen's Tears, Friendship Plant (Billbergia nutans var. schimperiana) - can withstand more cold than the zones that are listed in the PlantFiles; winter hardy billbergia and can be grown in the ground; it is blooming in January and February; part shade, filtered shade, bright light
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/126091/index.html
Queen’s Tears, Friendship Plant, Hardy Queen's Tears, Hardy Friendship Plant (Billbergia nutans var. nutans) - can withstand more cold than the zones that are listed in the PlantFiles; hardy billbergia and can be grown in the ground; it is blooming in January and February; part shade, filtered shade, bright light
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/126864/index.html
Just wanted to drop by and say Hi to my sweety. Hi Hazel Luv ya
ah2
Kipper2, I was just thinking about you at about 7:45 PM. Luv ya, too.
Additional plants that do well in hot weather:I tried out the dwarf 'New Look' pentas; they do great (My photos do not do them justice - the bloom colors are very bright.)
http://davesgarden.com/pf/adv_search.php?searcher[common]=&searcher[family]=&searcher[genus]=Pentas%20&searcher[species]=lanceolata&searcher[cultivar]=new%20look&searcher[hybridizer]=&search_prefs[sort_by]=genus&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
This message was edited Feb 21, 2006 11:25 AM
Bumped in case our new Texas DGers had not seen this list ...
This message was edited May 14, 2006 11:39 AM
Good Bump Hazel...went through and made a list of those plants I still want to get.
Debbie
I will be listing plants that I have added to my landscape or have knowledge of their heat hardiness since my last posting when I find some time. It is good to know what plants are heat and drought hardy at any time of the year. Its spring (almost summer)so I am bumping this thread again in hopes that it might be useful to someone. Please add plants not already listed or discussed that you have found make it through the heat in your area. BUMP.
Hi Hazel. We are finally down to the planning stages of the landscaping for our new building. The soil is really pathetic. I think it's called Desmonia sand or something like that. It's just really alot of sand and gravel. So we have to decide whether to add a bunch of clay and compost or just use what's there. DH doesn't want to mess with raised beds, so we 'll have to take out alot of what's there to add anything. I'm referring to it as "what's there" because it doesn't really qualify as dirt in my opinion. Our neighbors have had theirs professionally landscaped by somebody so they have the usual zeriscape stuff pretty much. But I'm just wondering if they didn't add clay will any of that stuff survive.
Hi, Mary Lee. Boy, that is going to be a lot of work if you have to remove soil (rock). What I would do is sneak over and examine the "dirt" in your neighbor's landscaping if you can. I don't know anything about Desmonmia sand. If the plants that are used are native to the area, the plants will probably do fine. I think that most professional landscapers, if they are up to snuff. guarantee their plants for a year. So, you would think that they would use apppropriate planting soil.
Yes youwould think. I asked one of theneighbors if they added anything tothe dirt and she didn't know. Not a gardener apparently. She said she would look through her papers and see who did the work. I'd like to talk tothem to see what they did. The plants I want to use are lavendar, rosemary, lantana, honeysuckle, H. Duehlberg sage, Tx Mountain laurel, shumard oak, coral honeysuckle, Tx lazy daisy, esperenza, hot lips sage, ruby crystals grass, and thyme. I'm guessing most of those won't make it without some clay.
The rosemary, lavendar, Texas Mountain Laurel (would grow quicker with some additional soil), and shumard oak would do okay, I think. The others would depend upon how much is rock and how much is sand. Lazy daisy grows in dry, sandy soil, caliche type and sandy loam. It is a prairie type flower. Lantana urticoides (Lantana horrida) would do okay, but it is not as "showy" as the Lantana camara plants which are what most of the ones in the nurseries are. (Desert Lantana) Lantana achyranthifolia would do okay, but agin is not as "showy" as Lantana camara. My Lantana camara are not in really gravelly soil. Ruby crystals grass might do okay because I had some come up between the asphalt in the street and the cement curb. I let it grow there for a while and then pulled it up and planted it in a bed. It doesn't look too good because I didn't obtain a lot of roots. But, I think it would do better with some amendments added to the soil. HillCntryGrdnr who is in Spring Branch states it was very invasive in that area. I don't know what kind of soil the plants were in though. I don't know about the others.
Thanks Hazel. That kind of goes along with what I figured would be the case. I just remembered that Tom told me that according to the county records, this area was part ofa cotton field at one time. That would explain why it looks so desolate now.:) Although I don't see how even cotton could grow there. I need to call and see if she figured out who did the neighbors' landscaping.
Hmmm. I wanted to plant a coral honeysuckle, but I'm thinkin' it would take alot of clay added to make that work. Crum, that would look so neat and smell great.
Love your list, Hazel!!
I've also had really good luck with
- Stalked Bulbine Bulbine frutescens http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/453/index.html
- Japanese Privet, Waxleaf Privet Ligustrum japonicum http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/51523/index.html
- Pyracantha, Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1707/index.html
- Red Hot Poker, Torch Lily, Tritoma Kniphofia uvaria http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/818/index.html
- Bugleweed Ajuga reptans http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/673/index.html
Thanks, Donna. I appreciate your adding plants that have done well for you. For some reason, I have never had much luck with Red Hot Poker. I think at the time I had them, that they did not receive enough sunlight.
Mary Lee, I can't imagine that cotton fields were there. Are you on a meadow type area among the hills? Yes, the vine would be lovely.
This message was edited May 22, 2007 5:57 PM
Oh, I would love to see you. I don't want to trouble you with bringing plants. Send me a D-Mail with more info. I don't know if I'm going to have a doctor's appointment on Monday or not and if I do, I won't know the time until later in the week. Waiting for test reports ... unfortunately, you know how that is.
Hazel, I just asked Tom if there really was cotton grown there, and he said probably because there used to be alot of that up here some time in the past. I'm thinkin' probably not in the last 50 years or so though.
Mary Lee, that is so interesting I would never have thought that cotton would be a crop in that area.
Yes I was surprised to hear that too. They also used to grow peanuts here. It was a huge crop. There was also a processing plant for peanuts. It's still called the peanut factory, but it's used for something else.
When I was growing up we went to my great grandmother's in Glen Rose,
Sumerville County often. The only crop there was peanuts. They don't grow anything there now. Such a lose.
The plight of the American farmer is such a sad story.
LouC, where is Glen Rose?
Time to bump this for another year. I will be adding other plants at a later date.
Good to see you on here htop :-)
Thank you for the bump. I had not seen it and will enjoy reading thru and researching your list. Look forward to any additions too. pod
Mitch, thanks . I am still lurking around.
pod, your welcome. I hope the list and the other posts by others will be helpful.
Although a tree, what is popping up all over Houston is the beautiful Norfolk Island Pine. These trees have a "Christmas tree" form. I planted a one foot potted gift that has grown to 20 feet and still going. Three more have emerged and are shooting up alongside. Plant on the south side of the house and never worry about cold damage in Houston. This didn't use to be the case. This tree is stunning. Another incredible tree with beautiful small, light green leaves growing to at least 40 feet is the camphor tree, an evergreen also. It is the archetypical shade tree.
Thanks for the information about these 2 trees.