I'm in the first full year at my garden and I've had my share of things that didn't work out, and some pleasant surprises. So what has worked for you and what has not done well for you?
For me a purple sweet potato vine has done a little too well. It's taken over one area and swallowed several smaller plants. I love the color but I'm hoping this will die this winter and won't come back. If it does come back what it the best way (or is there) to keep it more manageable?
Oriental Limelight Artemesia grew and grew and grew and started sending out runners. It lost its nice color and my husband said it just looked weedy.It came out last week since it looked ready to bloom and I didn't want any seeds scattered all over.
Portulaca was planted in an area that I found out doesn't drain well(drat this clay soil).
Surprises included Profusion daisies that thrived and reseeded themselves, Bailey's Red rose,Esperanza and society garlic that have bloomed all summer
Several Salvias seem to be doing well.(though I lost Black and Blue due to poor drainage and too much sun I think) I think this is my new favorite family of plants..I'll get more varieties of them next year......nancy
what has worked for you this year(and what hasn't)
How did those Oxblood lillies do? Mine put on a good show and I've still got a few left blooming.
Most everything has done really well for me this year, thanks to the abundant rainfall this summer. Probably the best performers during the heat of the summer has been the rangoon creeper (which has decided it needs a 30' piece of lattice); summer phlox 'John Fannick" held up superbly in the humidity, the white Texas stars have done great, as well as the reds, so have the crinums, the beautyberries put on a heavy fruiting this year, the trees are in good shape (haven't had to worry about them this summer--as opposed to the last 5), the salvias and angelonias are about to take over the planet, the native asters are very lush and set up to bloom well in a month and a half, the clerodendrums have done too well, so has the hamalia patens. Mexican oregano is a new plant for me this year and has done well. The cupheas are 6' tall and set up to bloom well about the same time as the asters.
I've learned a few things too. Solanum seafothiana vines like and perform better with a little soil sulphur thrown around the base. Clitoria ternatea vines really prefer full sun as opposed to partial sun. The opposite is true of echinaceas. Its hard to take good hummingbird pictures with the crappy camera I have. Cooperia pendunculata seeds germinate in seven to ten days. Red crossvine will rebloom a bit every two weeks if it rains alot. Desert willow is a fast grower around here.
I've had trouble identifying a native pipevine species I grew from seed and am now baffled by what cultural requirements it wants in order to be happy. Only three plants have died on me this summer--hyssop (I blame the rain and have learned they are short lived perennials around here--they were 4 years old), an autumn sage which was in a previously dry area out front that has remained rather wet this year, and a small orange esperanza which didn't have a well developed root system before it got thrust out into the full summer sun. The nutgrass is still, unfortunately, also thriving.
I've had great flowering this year from red Knockout roses, pink Nearly Wild roses, yellow esperanza, both white and blue plumbago, confederate roses, begonias, pentas, vitex, black and blue salvias, and several varities of daylilies. I have one area of purslane that has been a solid bright pink glow daily for months. My Mexican Bird of Paradise shrub and blue daze has also bloomed non stop. I've had problems with bugs on my copper plants and lantana. My japanese maples are suffering a little from the heat with a few scorched leaf tips, but still look good. All my periwinkles gave up the ghost to the dreaded fungal problems. My camelias are heavily budded and should produce a ton of blooms in December. My favorite new plant is Porterweed. I planted it a few months back and I just love it.
Also my first full summer....and I am taking stock of what to keep and what to change for next year. My hibiscus plants did real well, I have a perennial pink and a tropica double peach and both bloomed their heads off. Also the salvias have done real well. Pink gomphrenas completely took over my backyard bed, they will definitely not be welcome next year, although I think they will reseed so I am worried as to how to ensure this. Also rudbeckia and coneflower, both supposed to be drought resistant...aren't they? Well, with our lack of rain they just withered, despite repeated waterings. So they are out unless someone can tell me the secret to growing those here. Also brugs are out for next year, just too much hassle and I don't have time to baby them. They got eaten up, some would wilt, yellowing leaves, and no blooms. I have them in part shade but maybe that's not good enough? If not, there's no where else to put them. My incense passion vine has also bloomed nonstop....and so fragrant! I love it, but the other vines I put in have not bloomed all summer......not sure why but maybe it was too hot for them? I'm going to try some clematis on the fence next year...any recommendations? And last but not least, I have to hand it to my tomatoes.....those plants survived no watering...very little rain....and continue to give me tomatoes! Both drought resistant varieties...I'd have to look up the names. I planted them in early spring, and I never thought they would last this long. Oh....and does someone have advice here on strawberry growing? I planted some June-bearing plants this spring, but they have done nothing all summer. Too warm here for them?
:) Kim
Did well:
Salvia greggi-planted in 50% sun 50% shade. Was surprised how well they did considering the amount of shade. We did have a hot, dry summer, so I think the shade helped out.
Herbs-Basil, sage did extremely well is 80% sun hardly needed any additional watering
Dwarf crepe myrtles-loved the dry hot weather in 100% sun
Texas bush sage despite being in large containers thrived.
Wild woodland strawberry-in 80% shade. This plant loves mulch
Didn't do well:
Anything potted or contained (other than Texas sage) needed frequent watering to stay alive. Including plumbago, verbena, zinnia. Once I moved the verbena and zinnia to shadier spots, they did better. After increasing water frequency on plumbago to every third day, it improved.
Lavender-did well until mid summer. Having difficulty with this plant's finickiness in Dallas. Considering replacement with salvia
Dianthus-lost about 25% of my established sweet william dianthus (turned woody)
Contained mint-I was surprised by how slow growing it has been (apple mint and candy mint varieties) 70% shade in a large trough. I suspect that they don't like good soil, compost, and mulch.
Such is gardening, some invasive plants don't do nearly as well under typically good conditions and thrive in poor soil/neglect.
Planted in the last month, so far so good.
Ice plant (the new variety from Denver): full sun
Knock out roses in 80% sun
Salvia marcus in full sun
Due to the drought we're in, I didn't experiment with anything "finicky" this year. I found out that by watering all in-ground plants deeply every 3-4 days (and container plants every day), everything survived.
Container plants that laughed at the heat: Dwarf Pomegranate, White Obedient Plant, Mexican Flame Vine.
Inground plants that thrived: native Lantana, Flame Acanthus, Rose of Sharon, most Salvias (especially the Coral Nymph), Winter Jasmine, Glossy Abelia, Mexican Firebush.
I'm hoping the El Nino effect brings more rain to north Texas, so I can experiment with some new things. If the drought continues, I'll stick to the tried and true.
Carla
Debbie, The oxblood lilies you gave me sprouted some foliage and seem to be in a holding pattern. i don't see any blooms coming yet. hopefully they will appear later and weren't eaten by Peter Rabbit and his cousins who seem to think i have nothing better to do than plant things for them to munch on.nancy
Just got back from a lecture by the guy who started Southern Bulb company. The bulbs he brought were gone before i could get to the back of the room. has anyone tried Byzantine glads? They really caught my eye.
This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 8:44 PM
Yes
Kidneywood
Mexican Heather (recovering nicely, planted too late)
Pink Skullcap
Blackfoot daisy
Mealy Sage
Mexican Buckeye (Very xeric, planted on a west brick wall)
Cenizo/Silverado Sage
Pennisetum ornamental grass - bunnytails
Japanese Black Pine
Texas Redbud
Staghorn Sumac (worked way too good)
Aristocrat Pear (survived without soakings)
Shantung Maple (survived with weekly soakings, but leaves are burnt)
Eve's Necklace (no leaf burn at all despite being in a container on the SW exposure FS)
No
Japanese Maples - (I give up, they need 100% shade in my yard and I dont have any)
Golden Bamboo - Probably still alive but has turned yellow and dried out
teacup - I have ordered Byzantine glads from Old House Gardens. I never seem to get the real thing elsewhere, and so I am trusting them to deliver as promised. Have you seen Gladiolus natalensis? I love this plant!! The sweet potato vine grows from underground tubers. You will need to dig those up. And as you know, it roots where it touches the ground. I plant mine in a big pot and keep cutting it back when it goes where its not wanted. It would take over the whole yard if I let it!
blue_eyes - Strawberries are fall planted in your area - for fruit in the spring. I have an area where I use them for ground cover, and take whatever strawberries the birds don't get.
Everything did well (too much to list) except:
My shantung maple, whose leaves have now turned completely brown. Will have to see what happens next year. Maybe it's not meant for this area....
Blue & Black Salvia got a nasty scale, so it was pulled up.
The Nandinas (not my idea) got black fly again this year so they will be gone shortly...
Citrus - both Myer lemon and Mexican lime got citrus leaf miner. This is the first year I have seen this, and it is afflicting many in the area....Couldn't do anything about it because of the Giant Swallowtail caterpillars.
Cannas - I will remove all this fall. First the lesser leaf roller, followed by rust, and after they were cut back to the ground and grew back some, I now have the larger leaf roller that is the worst of all. It eats the leaves, like a hormworm on a tomato plant. And cannas spread too fast too. I need that space for things that don't constantly have a problem.
Pulled out the chocolate boneset too (Eupatorium rugosum) because it was just plain ugly...
Caryopteris 'Dark Knight' bloomed in the spring and then promptly died. I give up on that plant. Third try.
Salvia lyrata 'Purple Knockout' was a bust - ugly and reseeded everywhere. Another name for it is weed.
One weird happening - my Hyacinth bean vine bloomed from spring on. It is still blooming, and is beautiful. Usually it puts on its growth, and then blooms in the fall. I have had it for many years (it is an annual, so from seed each year) and this is the first time for the constant bloom. Wonder why. I would love for it to do that every year!
The Echinacea did so-so. but the Rudbeckia was glorious!! And I highly recommend the 'Black Pearl' ornamental pepper plant. Well, you can eat them, but trust me - you don't want to!!
This message was edited Sep 21, 2006 1:49 PM
Ceejaytown, Thanks for the tips on the sweet potato vine. It's in an area that i don't get to very often so i didn't know it roots everywhere. i definitely don't want it everywhere next year so i'll be out there in the next couple of weeks digging that sucker out. Next year it goes in a pot and will get frequent trims....I had the generic salvia lyrata at a previous garden, I agree with you that its just a weedy mess for the amount of bloom and too vigorous reseeding.nancy
I had 2 blue sages die....and my red sage came close. I don't know if it was lack of rain or not...thought they were xeriscape plants? But either way I'll try something else next.
All my zinnias did excellent this year. Far beyond my expectations. Usually the heat takes them out pretty early. Didn't happen this year. ;) Laura Bush petunias are another good one for this year. Still blooming. Gregii Salvia 'Hot Lips' has done real well. My solid white lantana has really outdone itself this year. Better than all the other colored lantanas I have. Potato vines did real well. Knockout roses did spectacular! All my coleus did real well and I had most in the gardens. I'll have to say I am proud of most of my plants this year despite the drought and heat.
My morning glories didn't do well at all. I think I had them planted in too rich soil. My Pearly Gates are just now blooming. The Pearly Gates vines themselves looked wonderful, just no blooms till now. One of my ornamental grasses didn't do too well although it's very young. One of my pink Bouganvillias didn't bloom. The other one is blooming now. I was disappointed with my Veronica (speedwell) this year. I think it got too much sun. The Stella D' Oro lilies bloomed like crazy all through spring and into early summer and then quit. Plumeria and Brugmansia never bloomed. They grew and look beautiful but no blooms.
Some of the salvias/sages need a lot more moisture than others. In my opinion, not all of the native species are xeriscapic candidates (is xeroiscapic a word or did I just make it up?).
CJ, I love the black pearl pepper plant. When I first saw it in the nursery, I didn't realize it was a pepper plant at all. The specimen they had was really huge and covered with blooms and the "pearls" in both black and red. I bought a small one and it's done great. I'm saving seeds for next year and will put in a number of them the flower beds. My coreopsis also are being pulled out. I thought these were supposed to be really tough plants and great for our heat and humidity, but mine didn't do well at all. A few died and the others look horrible, so they're all coming out this weekend.
Dancy, my plumerias and brug are blooming now. I finally figured that osmocote won't work on brugs and throw a handful of Miracle Grow on in about one a week and it's blooming like crazy now. My plumerias have bloomed since spring and they are fed with osmocote about once a month.
I used Osmocote on my Plumeria twice. Probably should have fertilized on a regular basis. I will put some MG on my Brug. Maybe it's not too late to still get a few blooms. It's hard for me to stay on a fertilizer schedule.
For some reason....I had a completely dismal experience with my Big Red Sage...and of all things, Purple Coneflowers! Plants that should have been easy to grow...but alas...they sort of looked at me and had that "help me, for god's sake, help me" kind of look...lol... The leaves on my Big Red Sage look as tho I've held them next to a heater. My hyssop and lavenders have been outstanding this year...along with my new sennas and flame sumac trees. Texas Betony is still flourishing all over the rock gardens, tho it smells horrible, lol :p And my 4 Nerve Daisys are looking wonderful, one of my all time favorites.. :) And of course, my lantanas including my Dallas Red variety are looking ok....but lantanas could survive an all out world war, as we all know, lol. Except when those dadburn lacebug creepies are on them, which I'm seeing a few of as I type. Purple and Red Ruellias are doing mighty fine and showing off...and my purple passiflora is looking beautiful and finally loaded with blooms from the recent rains. My Salvias are doing fine, tho my Blue and Black variety is looking a bit tired...sort of yellowish at this point. Blue Daze also did well around my young live oak trees out front.... and my new Red Dynamite crape myrtle still looks lovely.. :)
All in all...a wonderful season...and still going.. :)
I don't know what it is with me, the stuff most people have problems with does fine for me and the stuff that's supposed to grow on roadsides with no help croaks! I've pulled out every lantana I had. I love them, but the lacebugs won that war. Every leaf looked scorched and horrible. Same with the coreopsis, it's a goner. My balck and blue salvias, on the other hand, are over two feet tall, very dense and have been completely covered with blooms for months. I saw at least six hummers at them at the same time this afternoon! I'd never seen that many darting around at the same time. Usually there's one male that chases all the others away, but there are so many flowers in that area that one hummer couldn't guard them all. It was amazing to see them all falshing around like crazy. The other two "tough ones" that have flopped for me are althea and turk's cap. Althea's are now history, but I'm still nursing the turk's cap so far.
I've decided that Blue and Black Salvia is a weak sister!
I'd read that plumerias shouldn't have a lot of nitrogen, and that they are heavy feeders. And hibiscus should have more nitrogen and less phosphorous. So I quit feeding the plumeria with the hibiscus fertilizer, and it has bloomed all simmer - still blooming, and way too big to fit in the garage this year!
LOL - we posted at the same time, with opposing views! I'm glad to know that someone is having good luck with the B&B salvia! This was my second year, and I think that they just don't like me....I still have one out there, but if I go look at it and it has scale too, it's gone...never to return. LOL
My Black and Blue salvia struggled all summer and finally died a week or so ago. next year i will try it in a more sheltered location and if it doesn't look good out it goes. i got a Henry Duehlberg(?) salvia that seems to be perking up now. Hopefully it will do more next year also.i also put a Black pearl Pepper in a pot this year. looks ok but I want to try it in the ground next year. Any hints on saving,sowing the seeds? nancy
I wonder why B&B's are so dang hard to grow for so many of us? Both of mine started just beautifully during the Spring...and now look terrible and yellowish....tho they're still blooming. And such a striking blue in the garden right now. I really really wish I could have more success with them! crow, you are sooo lucky!
Melanie
Teacup please pot up some of that Potatoe vine and bring it to the RU in November, I love that plant ... anything that runs. Why do you need to pull it up anyway? Mine dies back in the winter. I have to buy it new every year.
My Black & Blue Salvia put on a good show this year, actually all my Salvias did. ... and they are still performing. The B&B's just started up again I noticed today.
some purple stuff
The beggining of the Black and Blue
very very pretty..Sylvia.. :) I really do love B & B's...All of my other salvias are doing really well too...thank goodness.. :)
Thank you Melanie , here is a pic of my Indigo Spireas about two weeks ago and it still going strong ... as you can tell ..... I love purple:) I have a red Penstemon too, that just going crazy ... it keeps re-blooming and spewing seeds everywhere. I got red in my Hosta pots , in with the Cannas hmmm I can pot some up for the Round Up. :)
Oh my gosh...my Indigo Spires have taken over my back corner....but its so pretty! I've actually had to cut it back about 2 times since the Spring, lol...otherwise it starts to lay on the Red Ruellia....but the bees sure love it...and butterflies of course.. :)
Melanie
Most of my plants have done well, except for what the dadgum deer & rabbits keep trying to eat...way too dry down here this year. I cover the plants I've noticed critter damage from...shrimp plant, hibiscus, (baby) purple coneflowers, patchoulli--I use overturned pots to cover them at night. The plants the critters have NOT touched are doing great...purple fountain grass, lemon grass, artemesias, salvia greggiis, santolina, mealy blue sage. Those are all plants that are not too close to the house...I HAD a beautiful bed of zinnias 20' from the porch (where my 2 dogs spend the night) and woke up one morning to find nothing but deer tracks where my zinnias had been. I guess my dogs are hard sleepers. I have discovered that the deer do like to eat mexican petunias, which are so prolific, that I'm going to plant a lot of mex.pet. in a variety of places in the woods around my yard and maybe they'll be content w/ that and stay out of the yard! Anyone with tips on how to keep the rabbits out?!
For keepng the rabbits away I've had some luck with a product called Liquid Fence. you can buy it as a concentrate and mix it up. You first spray it every week for three weeks, then once a month after that. I was good at the beginning of the season and the rabbits stayed away. Then i got forgetful and they have come back.It is expensive and smells really bad, but it only use it on the things they seem to like, so i only make up about 1/2 gallon at a time.nancy
Dogmansis, wha a great ecologist you are ... raising food for the pest to eat ... to keep them away. I once read an article about somethig like that ... hey .... we are all Gods Children ... he just wants us to get a long. ... lol