I'm in zone 9. In thinking of plants for my humid yard I've been told the following don't do well: any hostas.
I see repeat bloomer hydrangeas aren't for my zone (4-8 according to tags).
What about Camilla's? I had some in San Antonio when I lived there but they didn't fair well. I assume they also won't work for 9a?
Any others to avoid?
Not for Texas?
Camellias do fine here. My neighbor has some beautiful ones. :-)
And I have a friend who has several hostas. I'll ask her which kinds they are. I'm pretty sure one is Guacamole.
Debbie can tell you about hydrangeas.. I haven't tried those, but I know she has.
Yes, please ask about those hosta's! I've been told they don't do well in Houston by more than one person.
Camellias---what type of shade does your neighbor have? Partial/full? Raised bed? Any special placing in the landscape there?
The camellias are in part shade in a raised bed and get very little attention whatsoever. They bloom nicely in Jan/Feb. About the time the last camellia bloom drops off the bush, the azalea next to it starts going. It's VERY nice. :-)
I e-mailed my hosta friend and I'll let you know what she says.
Thank-you so much!
Will tell the DH maybe camellia's. When are they in stores again: spring or fall?
I think in the fall.
hostas do well for me--I haven't lost any that I got in a coop 2 years ago--just get the right varieties for deep south
I planted a box of hosta bulbs bought from Sam's Club. All my bulbs from there have done well: asiatics, oriental lilies, caladiums....except the hosta. But that's not to say it's Houston's fault! But I was told by a couple locals that hostas don't fair well. So I'll be on the lookout.
sure are a lot of hosta's growing down in river oaks and bellaire; also a lot of people in deerfield have them.
oak leaf hydrangea does well for me, but I don't grow any others; I've got a FLA native rhododendron doing well for me too--but not a lot of room left for large shrubs here.
Oh isn't Bellaire beautiful! We just love the renovations to that area!
The hostas I've seen seem to do very well but they are shade lovers. My grandmother has them planted under a big live oak and they are thriving.
Camelias do well here also....just very slow growers. You'll find them at nurseries from fall to early spring. I had to transplant one that didn't seem happy at all. I moved it into a bed between 2 pine trees and it's a very happy camper now.
Hydrangeas do well but I've only had luck on the north side of my house. They're protected from the hot afternoon sun.
Ah yes, the acidic soil for Camelia's.
Hostas for warm climates:
http://www.plantdelights.com/Tony/warmhosta.php
All of the following are doing well for me:
american sweetheart, dixie chick, guacamole, white wall tire, blue belle, blue blush, scooter, stained glass
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/201123/
I got all mine from Steve Schulte (Foxfire Gardens)
http://005300c.netsolhost.com/hostas.html
This message was edited Jun 23, 2008 10:38 PM
Thank you dmj!
Howard Garrett has a new book out with plants for the Houston area. You might be able to find it at your local library to see if you'd want to buy it.
Stephanie
I bought some hostas from Foxfire through Notmartha's coop a couple of years ago. I called Steve to ask his advice on what to buy. He asked me if I already had hostas and how they were doing. He said he didn't remember selling very many hostas to people in my zone. When I told him what I had and that they were doing well he gave me a list of what to try, but he said don't buy any blues. They are blue because of a waxy substance that happens to be blue but when it gets hot that wax melts.
That's a really good link Dmj. I have that bookmarked.
My friend has Golden Tiara (takes some sun) Alba Marigatta (I'm probably spelling that wrong.) She said they do great for her. She actually had them at her old house, which they are trying to sell. She's going to be there tomorrow morning, so I'll try to pop in and take pictures for you.
Oh thank Marylyn! Do you know the color on those blooms?
Fortunately Houston has TONS of pines which will help make my soil more acidic for them.
I don't know. I'll ask her tomorrow. :-)
Throw your used coffee grinds in your camelia and hydrangea containers....
Well we've tried Starbucks for grinds and they're always spoken for. And we aren't coffee drinkers here.
Ask your friends and neighbors for their's! We aren't coffee drinkers here either, but I have a friend at work who saves her's for me.
Oh yeah, ask a neighbor, what a novel idea! Bwahaha :)
Tir, Undulata albomarginatas, Golden Tiara, Guacamole and Stained Glass should all do well for you in 9a. All of those can take some sun, too.
If you like the flowers, my albomarginatas bloom 4 or 5 times a year. They also grow and fill in REALLY fast.
As far as I can tell the ph here has not been a problem. It's very high here. From what I've read the trick to growing hostas is giving them a cold winter. I've read that some people who live in warm climates dig up their hostas and put them in the fridge for awhile in winter. I hope I never have to do that because I just don't have the time. But if they don't have sufficient time to rest in the winter I guess they just run out of energy like people do who don't rest.
Debbie thanks for those links. I will add some more hostas next year.
anytime Marie
=)
All but a minuscule amount of the acidity in coffee is lost during the brewing. Of course, the grounds don't hurt anything- if left on the ground long enough, they decompose into humus. But don't add them to potting soil, or when you water, the water that drains from the pot will be stained brown and it will stain your patio.
Now that's good to know! ^_^
Well, THANK YOU, Marylyn! I used to live in Houston, or just outside of Houston, and LOVED it. Wish I were back there. I miss the azaleas, willow oaks, hydrangeas, etc.
Our friend Tir, who is VERY ACTIVE on Dave's, and that's a good thing, has it backwards about the pine trees and acidity, or so it seems to me. Maybe I misunderstand. She, or he, seems to be saying that the pine trees make the soil acidic. Just the opposite is true. The pine trees do well BECAUSE the soil is ALREADY acidic. Plant an East Texas pine in the Hill Country, and it will decline faster than a lilac in Phoenix. It can't take the alkaline soil.
LOL dp, nice to meet cha. :)
Guess I hear in reverse on the pines. I thought you could use the fallen needles to make it more acidic. Though I've never had to try.
Hello, my new friend Tir. I get your point about the pine needles. My point was that if your soil were not already acidic, the pines wouldn't be growing there in the first place. But using the needles for compost and mulch is a great idea!!!