13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Maybe the soil is too wet? Cimicifuga likes moist soil but when too wet for too long a time it can get all kinds of fungus diseases (Rhizoctonia being the main one). Poor air circulation in combination with prolonged wet weather can also cause leaf spot disease.
Okay, you're right. I found this BlogSpot (link below) that talks about it. I think the person who posted this blog would think you were crazy for growing lantana on purpose. LOL But it still doesn't tell me what the actual name is besides just Lantana Camara. :-(
http://earthonthewing.blogspot.com/2011/09/alien-invasion.html
L. camara is the actual name. Only the commercially sold hybrids have made up names like 'Miss Huff', 'Dallas Red' or 'Carnival'.
Wild Lantana horrida has orange/red flowers. Wild Lantana camara has pink/yellow flowers. They smell the same. Both are cold hardy. L. camara is hardy to zone 6. I am unsure about L. horrida but its probably that hardy as well. Both have thorns and produce lots of viable seeds.
The common name for wild L. camara is 'Ham & Eggs'. Wild L. horrida is often called 'Bacon & Eggs' based on the different flower colors. There are six species indigenous to parts of the southern United States.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most named hybrids are a mix of two South American species: L. camara & L. montevidensis. Lantana montevidensis is a trailing ground cover type with lavender flowers. Its tropical and not cold hardy at all which is why the hybrids are sold as annuals and don't survive winter. The hardier cultivars often have L. horrida (also called Lantana urticoides) in their lineage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I now think the orange one in the photo I posted above is L. horrida. L. horrida is a Texas native but L. camara isn't. Its considered an invasive pest all over the south.
The 'Ham & Eggs' that I have is wild L. camara, people have grown them here in Oklahoma for as long as I can remember because they are so hardy and will grow in our dry heat. They were commonly grown on farms as ornamental plants. They aren't invasive here because of cold winters but further south both types stay evergreen and bloom all year.
I read that L. horrida varies in leaf size, form etc in that site I posted above. I ordered seeds from Native American Seed and those plants have much bigger leaves and the plant has a wilder looking habit than the orange one I like so much that I posted in the pictures above which was started from a cutting from a plant growing up the street, I was disappointed in the plants I grew from seed I ordered.
The orange I started from the cutting up the street obviously produces viable seed, I have a few baby volunteers I noticed. Its leading me to believe its L. horrida (which definitely has thorns) except I think this one happens to be a slightly different type than the ones I grew from the seeds I ordered.
None of the cultivars I have purchased have thorns. BTW, I realize now that the one which wintered over in my hell strip is a Miss Huff. I'd forgotten what I planted, it happens around here.
I tend to push hardiness zones so it's not just 'tender' perennials I need to worry about in winter but also a number of suspect shrubs. And because I no longer have a lot of gardenable real estate, I grow most of them in containers.
On the whole, I tend to let them fare for themselves in winter.......I certainly do not have the ability or space to bring indoors a bunch of containers of woody plants! I do group them together and will sometimes wrap for additional cold protection if very cold weather is predicted but otherwise, they are on their own.
I also grow a lot of succulents, most of which are not winter hardy. They go outdoors in spring and come back indoors as houseplants in winter. The only other plant I am considering attempting to overwinter indoors is Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' simply because my hummers adore it and it is now a big, robust, non-stop blooming plant and I'd hate to start over again with a small version next spring. Otherwise, with any other 'tender' or temperennials, if they make it fine - if not, also fine :-) Will try something else next season!
ps. Have attempted to overwinter kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos species) indoors several times but with no success. They just dry up and die, even with bright light and regular (but not too frequent) water. Anyone have any luck with overwintering these in colder climates?
Sorry for the confusion 'Marie'.
Clearly T2d's specimen is able to get so large that she has the option of pruning it to look tree like.
(A couple of weeks ago I impulsively pruned ours with power trimmers to get it uniformly ball like. It looks stupid and I have left it alone to now grow itself out more randomly...live and learn.)
That's crazy, Purp! Most of my houseplants are in moisture control and they seem to love it! They're all thriving and growing like crazy. But maybe it's because I don't water, per se, but rather mist heavily only sporadically with water from my dehumidifier, then once in a while, i water them thoroughly. I dont know, bit i do know that I dont wAyer them nearly as much as I mist them. I also add miracle grow plant food.
Thanks for the advice! I can't get any perlite right now, maybe next week, but I did move the plants outside in the sun. I gave them a spot for now that only gets about an hour of full direct sun per day and I'll move them to another place that gets more full sun in a few days to acclimate them. Hopefully moving them won't upset them!
Summering house plants outdoors does generally help revive them and produce new growth, if they're introduced to full sun gradually (even an hour a day without conditioning could cause leaf burn, so best to put them in shade at first).
Eventually the plant will have to come back inside (unless you're in a frost-free area) and then it will need at least bright light (some sun would be good), high humidity and location away from marauding children/animals. Crotons are difficult at best as house plants because their favored conditions are hard to produce.
Although I have Annabelle rather than Invincibelle Spirit, my experience with Hydrangea arborescens is that it is not a full sun plant and does best with morning sun only as GG48 said along with plenty of water.
Bluestone probably said that because Proven Winners says that (?!) but the developer's website says 4 hours of sun give or take depending on the climate.
It seems to depend on where you read the specifics about both plants - either Annabelle and/or Invincibelle Spirit. I'm not a novice gardener, and this type of thing drives me nuts because I try to put my plants in the right spot.
Some sites say that H. arborescens can take full sun but need a lot of water to do so. Rather than replant to a shadier location right now while its still regrowing leaves - not that I have much shade anywhere here but I'll do my best to find a spot it might like better -I'll keep an careful eye as to its moisture requirement and move it in the spring. IF it makes it through the winter.
I paid $40 for the plant, and I NEVER pay that much for any plant, other than the ones the landscaper put in when he took out the 40 year old yews and put in our paved walk. I felt confident I was getting the right plant for this spot. Looks like I didn't.
Thank you all for your help. The next time I purchase a plant that I don't have a lot of experience with, I'll ask you guys first and buy second!
Linda
I've read that the Gillenias will grow underneath trees with thick roots. I want to get some for myself; pretty flowers in the spring, great fall color, and best of all, they're native.
Karen
Here is a link that might be useful: Gillenia trifoliata
Skip all of the above advise, especially the vinca. If you want nice plants - shrub size - like hydrangea's, think outside of the rooting system. Get yourself a child's swimming pool. Place on top the roots of the tree or fight the tree roots with a shovel and reclaim some soil - fill the pool with soil. Drill holes in the side of the swimming pool, not the bottom - the tree will find a way through holes in the bottom. Place your plant in the pool in the dirt - it's own home with no invaders! Next frame the outside of the pool with rocks, if you don't bury the pool. This looks amazing when complete. I have both hydrangea's, astilbe and hybrid hostas growing under the shade of my silver maple - looks marvelous.
I also have plenty of early mums this year. It's mostly the newer varieties I added last spring so maybe they will just need a good shearing next year to slow them down.
The garden only now seems to be starting full force. I add plenty of dahlias and cannas each year, but the grasses, self sown annuals, hydrangeas, hibiscus and phlox are still to come!
I planted some expensive zinnia seeds with a large central cone, hoping for a broad landing site for butterflies and bumble bees in my pollinator garden. We've had such a cloudy, rainy, cool summer that their growth has been slower than molasses in January. Even now I don't see any buds forming. I just hope they bloom in time for me to save some seed. I know they might not look like the parent plant, but I can pick and choose the characteristics I like.
Martha
I have the same experience NM.
I love hot magenta and not just because Gertrude Jekyll preached against it in gardens.
Read a suggested reason, sometime back, why Jekyll hated magenta; namely that fuschine (magenta) was the second synthetic chemical dye of the Industrial Revolution. Reform-minded people associated such a colour with the harsh working conditions of the Factory System. This implies that Jekyll carried her politics into the garden (or I should say, into other peoples gardens).
Ok it's been a while but I just needed to say what a great set of pictures this is. Really my kind of garden with all the interesting plants and the echinaceas.... What can I say about the echinaceas? Outstanding!
The carnivorous beds are really cool, I love all the types and they seem quite happy with their home. I wish that was the case with my tiny pitcher plant!
the 'cherry brandy' seedlings are also nice to see. I was wondering what they would seed out as since mine always seem to catch some kind of bad luck and never amount to anything.
thanks for the pictures!