I am sure this is an old topic for some of us, but I am researching new plants to try this year and now is the time... I will appreciate any ideas. This is an intense heat, incredible humidity climate. I have books dealing with southern plants but would like to hear your experiences.
Do you have any suggestions... things that have worked well for you? Successes or failures? Please post here.
Hey Podster
How are things going these days? I like to grow Clary Sage, Scented Geraniums, Rue, Lemon Verbena, Lambs Ear and Lambs Quarter along with the standard Sage, Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, and Garlic Chives. A good book for landscaping with herbs is "Landscaping With Herbs" by Jim Wilson and "Living With Herbs" by Jo Ann Gardener.
Dee
We get the heat (100 *F most of the summer), but not the humidity. I found that all the basils thrive here if I water them. Also, most plants don't like "full sun" even if that is what they are used to in a normal environment - here in the High Desert, nearly everything wants afternoon shade -- but not the basil. It just ate up all the sunshine the desert could throw at it. I had sweet basil, large leafe basil and something that should have been sweet basil (it came out of the sweet basil seed packet), but looked different, but smelled/tasted like basil. Had to keep them pretty well watered in the mostly sand that they were planted in, but as long as they got water, they grew like crazy. That's the first herb that I've tried to grow here in the desert. I'm going to expand my basils to include several other varieties this year. Also have on the list to try some of deeskitchen's suggestions.
By the way, I am in deep herb/garden widthdrawl. After the first of the year, I am going to start a small basil garden indoors under a grow light. I already have some garlic in the kitchen window from cloves that were too small to be used for planting out last fall. (I'm using them like garlic chives - heavenly scent when I trim them to add to a meal!). I'm hoping that this will tide me over until last frost in MAY (I am from a 9b background and this whole winter thing is very new to me!!)
I am doing great and wonderful! How are you doing Dee? I am trying to ignore the short daylight syndrome and counting down the days to the winter solstice. DH laughs because I mark each day by how much longer it is ~ both actual and visual.
Kmom, you just made me feel better about it too. Where did you live in 9B? That would be an adjustment! Real culture shock...
I have rosemary outside and it has survived the winters we've had. I planted it by the house in a sheltered spot. Also planted a trailing rosemary. It has been in ground for a couple years and isn't growing well. Not sure if I am going to pot it up or improve the soil. Either way it is coming out of the ground. I was also encouraged to leave the greek oregano in ground (actually I keep mine in pot) We have had some 20 degree nites and it is doing good. A DG'r from Michigan said she leaves hers in ground and it lasts the winter. That might be one to try in Silver Springs? If you like it of course.
My garlic bed is just really taking off now and will be done by summer. Garlic chives too.
Dee thanks for the book recommendations. I have Southern Herb Growing and love it. I will check your two out, thanks.
Looking forward to spring. pod
pod, I'm relatively new to it all, but the main thing I've found is to provide some shade for most of them. Even the mediterranean ones find the sun around here too intense, day after day after day. That's why I'm planting roses around the perimeter of my herb garden -- so they will get plenty of sun but a little respite from it either morning or afternoon. I've had surprising success with stevia -- though I'll admit it's only gotten really nice and bushy since it's cooled down. Oregano and mints have done well, too -- as long as they had some shade. Also garlic chives. The parsley and thyme needed quite a bit of shade. No luck with dill, but I'll keep trying! Nasturtiums are okay, but better in the ground than pots.
Are there particular nurseries that you found are excellent for scented geraniums? What a wonderful idea!
We have the same intense heat and high humidity that you do. I have tall pines that cast a bit of afternoon shade, but otherwise they are out there "in it" all day. I have had great success with pineapple sage, the basils, rosemary (we call it our man eater, it's so huge--and it's 'way out in the corner of the big flower garden--not protected at all), thyme, parsley, garlic chives, mints, oregano, whorehound, anise hyssop, lavendar, and Lambs Ears. No luck with dill in the several times I've tried it. There are probably some other things out there, but I can't think of them off hand.
This message was edited Dec 23, 2006 7:42 PM
I have found that horehound, lemon balm and the mints die down completely in the heat of summer. The mints and lemon balm spring back to life in the cooler days of fall. Not sure why the horehound didn't survive. I keep them in large pots so I can water and provide afternoon shelter. I put pineapple sage in ground and if failed. A shame as I loved it. The next one will stay in a pot!
Brigidlily, did your garlic chives produce during summer? Mine are just sprouting now and will bloom and make bulblets in late spring/early summer. They don't like the heat and seem to know when to sprout and bloom.
I got some nice scented geraniums from www.geraniaceae.com -- and after a couple of phone calls with her realized SE Texas heat/humidity is probably not optimal for them. They're African and need dry heat. I'd hoped to put them around the herb garden to help with the insect pests, but we'll see. Some have survived and some just won't.
pod, my garlic chives haven't produced any blooms. Still waiting on that. I'm getting to the point where I'll plant stuff, and let nature take its course. I'll water and feed and all, of course! But if something doesn't want to make its home down here, there are plenty of things that do. If my herb garden turns into a rose and echinacea bed, that's dandy. This spring I'm going to put all the herbs I want to try in the ground, and next year I'll know what to plant and what to leave alone. I'll keep trying lavender until I can grow it, though! Just one of those goals, LOL!
I knew I spelled horehound wrong earlier. Won't do that one again. When I was in Jr. High, a teacher gave me a piece of horehound candy for my sore throat. That night I told my dad that the teacher had given me whorehouse candy. I thought he was going to choke to death. You'd think I'd remember how to spell it!!
My horehound plant did well for several years and then died out during a bad drought.
LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!
(That one deserved more than 'lol'!)
The plant with the original spelling is also known as pimpweed...
Gram that is too good! Johnsonjrbm ~ was that really an original spelling? And I wonder how it got that name....
I thought the heat may have done mine in but it may have been drought. Even in a pot in this heat may be too much!
Brigidlily I agree, it is survival of the fittest here too. But if I really like something I will try again and again.
Has anyone in warmer climates grown French Tarragon successfully? That is one I want to try...
Mine is puny but staying alive. I keep it out of direct sunlight most of the time, and water it very little. That's one I'll keep trying, though -- I LOVE to cook with tarragon.
"Pimpweed" referred to 1gardengram's original spelling ;-)
