Has anyone in this area been successful with this plant? I think I have killed around six of them now. This last time, I thought I had it right. I planted 'Dark Knight' in mostly sun, moist with great drainage. They bloomed this spring, lingered for maybe a couple of months, then died this summer.
Growing Caryopteris in Houston area.
howdy cj, i've never heard of this plant. is this what you're talking about? seems like it would do ok, unless it just fried.
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B900
Hi Nery!
Yes, that is the plant - I had the cultivar 'Dark Knight'. I thought it would do OK too, but to be honest, I've never known anyone who grows it. Maybe when it says zone 9, it refers to a drier zone 9, not good ol' humid Houston.
This message was edited Aug 30, 2006 9:11 PM
Ya know, I think I have one. I'll have to get a pic, but it hitchhiked along with some plants a friend send a year or two ago. I never knew what it was (though, had suspicions), but I've never done anything with it or tried to id it. It's blooming for the first time now.
Just went and snapped a quick pic. This it? If so, neglect it. I have completely ignored this plant since it hiked in. The only care it gets is "overspill" from plants near it, lol.
I recently got a "blue mist" caryopteris, dark knight but I haven't had the chance to plant it yet...the blooms are really pretty. I'm trying to figure out if I should wait for this awful drought and heat to pass on...or plant it now and baby the heck out of it...lol
I'm not sure Carter - since mine is dead. Went to plant files and this is it...
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/59105/
Is this yours? I think the leaves look different?
I did note that someone said something about it not liking it wet in winter, and that's a way of life here, isn't it? But then, it made it through winter and crashed at the onset of high summer...
Maybe this should be grown as a short-lived perennial - a very short-lived perennial.
I think mine looks like C. incana or a C. incana blue-flowered hybrid. That's based on the leaves. Mine is now a few years old. Since it's started flowering, I want to put it in a better spot (like in the ground and out of its 4"pot that is shares with the plant that was originally in the pot). It's probably 2' tall now and is very rooted into the ground. I'm afraid to move it now! I don't want to kill it, lol, giving it a "better" spot!
Carter if the pot it's in is plastic or a material you can cut away just cut the pot away from the plant and leave it there since it seems to be so happy. Just add some soil if needed. ;) It's a very pretty plant. I had never heard of it before now.