Hello!
Ok....I've spent the last two days digging up my veggie bed and a new flower bed, cleaning out the other flower beds, and potting up and planting. Now, for these couple perennials, I'm not sure whether to trim them back to the ground or if they grow off of old wood:
Lady in Red salvia
gaura
Tx star hibiscus
hibiscus callyphyllus
bat-faced cuphea (is this one a perennial at all?)
pink perennial hibiscus
turk's cap (this one is tall and the flowers hang down, the top got broken off this winter in a storm)
Also, I cleaned off the old leaves from my banana, and it's mushy. Perhaps it didn't survive the freezes? I guess I'm not too surprised. Should I give this a chance or just yank it out and replace it? It's just a regular old banana with red in the leaves.
Thanks! Kim
some perennial questions....
Kim, I don't know about Cuphea, but all the others will benefit from being cut back down to 6 inches.
I would give the banana a chance, it is early yet.
Josephine.
Kim, I've had Bat faced cuphea return here. I just cut mine back a week or so ago and I can see some green at the base already.
I had a question about Butterfly iris and the orange bulbine. It never died back but the tips are looking ratty. Cut back now? How far?? nancy
I would cut those back too but only the damaged areas.
Not sure if this is what your is... turks cap is a lily (Gloriosa ) and dies down completely coming back each spring, bigger and better.
I also have a turks turban (Malvaviscus arboreus Drummondii) which has tight little red flowers, it will come back on old growth or if cut to the ground will start anew.
Incidently, my Texas star hibiscus is cut to the ground each year but I suspect if you leave the stalks, you will get leaves on them also.
that banana is fine. You can chop it down to about 6" from the ground and watch it grow. In the event we have a March freeze, you can cover with a pot, blanket or mulch. I'm assuming yours is planted inground, which should be fine for your area and also assuming it is musa basjoo, aka hardy banana.
re hibiscus, TX star, hardy or tropicals, I believe they will all come back for you. I wouldn't cut them to the ground yet, wait til at least march 1.
other plants: I don't grow so don't know for sure.
Hmmm....nope that's not it. Pretty flower though. Here is a link to what mine looks like: http://www.emilycompost.com/turks_cap.htm .
:) Kim
That's the one I know as turks turban. No need to cut it back unless you want to shape it...
Thanks frostweed and vossner....I had some tropical hibiscus in the front bed but I don't think they made it. The big one I had in the side bed I dug up and put in the greenhouse. It's doing great and ready to bloom. I guess I will leave the others for now and see what happens. I think the banana was hardy, I got it at the TAMU spring sale. I'll give it some time, but if it's a gonner I've got replacements.
Nancy, I haven't seen any green coming up yet but I will keep an eye on it. I didn't do much to protect these guys with the cold nights, too much other stuff going on.
:) Kim
I don't ever trim my turks cap. Had it through 5 winters so far..
Up here the Turk's cap dies to the ground so it has to be cut back.
There isn't much up here that didn't die back with all of our cold icy weather this year. But I have a lot coming back out now. Hurry Spring!! Go away freezing temps!!