Help, please, with Pieris Japonica and African Mallow

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Linda_R Houston, TX(Zone 9a) Mar 10, 2008

I love flowers and am new to planting them. I live in zone 9a, Houston, and lately have fallen in love lately with these flowering plants: the Pieris Japonica and African Mallow. I probably should have listed them separately.

1. If anyone knows where I can find the Pieris Japopnica, I'll be forever grateful. I've looked around here and have not been lucky. Also, will it do well in morning sun and filtered afternoon shade? I understand it grows similarly to azeleas.
2. Also, does anyone know about the fragrant African Mallow, a patio plant, I believe? I want to bring it home from a nursery, but it looks fragile. It is ball-shaped and staked. And I would have to bring it into the lighted garage in the winter, right?

Can you help advise about other conditions of both these plants? Thanks so much, and I hope one day to be able to return the favors!

Linda


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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Mar 10, 2008

Here are the Plant Files listings for Pieris--there are a number of different cultivars. Care will be similar for all of them. If you click on the individual cultivars that you like, some of them will have a link near the top to vendors that offer them for sale. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=pieris&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search They will need protection from the hot TX sun in the afternoon, and they'll also do better in acidic soil. This is the same conditions as azaleas, so if you're successfully growing azaleas then you should do OK with these too as long as you plant them in the same sort of location.

Is one of these your African mallow? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=anisodontea&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search That's not the common name that's listed for them here, but I googled African mallow and mostly what came up were things in Anisodontea genus. I have one of the 'Tara's Pink' cultivar and if it's fragrant I certainly never noticed it. 'Tara's Pink' is hardy to zone 8, not sure about the others but if they're also hardy to zone 8 then you shouldn't have to bring it in during the winter. They like sun and seem to like heat--I have mine in the part of my yard that gets full sun from about 9-10 AM until the sun goes down.

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Linda_R Houston, TX(Zone 9a) Mar 10, 2008

Thank you! The Anisodontea (looks just like the Tara's Pink) that I see is fragrant, and bees are attracted to it. I appreciate your help! linda

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Mar 10, 2008

Guess I'll have to go home and smell mine--I probably have a lot of things that are faintly fragrant if you stick your nose right in them and it could be one of those, but it's not like gardenia or honeysuckle where the fragrance wafts around the garden and can be noticed at a distance from the plant.

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