In east S. FL (homestead) I have had decent luck with orientals and TB Irises. Just dont expect them to bloom at the same time they would up north...mine get abit confused :)

Mari

I planted Amaryllis from seed (yes seed) That was about 1 and a half ago....they have not bloomed as yet but right now they have some very healthy looking leaves.

I hear wonderful things about Louisiana Iris.

Michelle

LA iris grows well for me, in Tampa, Fl
Amaryllis, whether from seeds or bulbs...do great
Others that have done well
Blood lilies
Easter lily - I brought a few bulbs from Belarus. I also planted the seeds it produced from first year blooming.
Paperwhites come back and rebloom (daffodils do not, for me)
Rain lilies, in a range of colors - yellow, dark pink, light pink, white
Agathantus - I also planted seeds after first time blooming. Accidentally, most of these plants will grow from seeds, and will form a bulb, but it will take longer

Hi Pandy
do your oriental lilies come back year after year? The bulbs don't rot? Also, what are "TB irises"?

Hi Trinigemini - I have heard that amaryllis take 5 -7 years to bloom from seed. Hopefully, yours won't take that long!

I'm definitly going to try Easter lilies and L. iris - do the irises want sort of swampy conditions or constant water?

I have not had much luck with paper whites or agapanthus in the past . We have recently moved from 10b to 10a, so I should try these again. We may be just far north enough to grow them. Also, the fungus isn't nearly as bad here as it was in Homestead!
thanks for your replies,

Avalon

Hi Avalon,

So far one lily has come back for its third year and another for its second..I bit the bullet last winter and bought abit more :) Mine are in raised beds with VERY good drainage so no, no rot. TB iris is tall bearded iris. These are actually doing better in pots where i can really make sure they dont get wet feet.

Mari

Hi
A bulb I would highly recommend for 10 is Amazon lily
Eucharis grandiflora. Flowers more than once a year has very attractive foliage and no pests. Does require shade and moist soil. I think it has a very attractive aroma but wife says it smells like mouthwash lol
Gloriosa rothchildiana but is a vine . Canna if you can keep ahead of the leafrollers. Heliconia hundreds of kinds some are invasive though some are wind sensitive .
A new one I've tried is Cardwell lily looks like an overgrown violet and has spectacular flowers but only once a year.
There are many S. African types but require dry rest periods during summer. I grow them in pots and move them into the house during summer. They are really nice if we have a particularly cold winter.if warm they are rather sparse. I particularly like Iris but have much better luck with the tropical varieties.
Daylilies but avoid the temperate types. very prone to grasshoppers though.
You can grow almost any type of temperate bulbs as an annual if you want to work that hard lol. gary

check out easytogrowbulbs.com. they specialize in hot-weather bulbs and have a great selection, tho bear in mind that some of the z10 bulbs assume california conditions (dry summers wet winters). i can name a couple that will do really well: alstroemeria grown in pots, oxalis (not just the weed--there are great ornamental ones, too), and achimenes (a really delightful tropical).

Blood lily is great in my yard. It always gets looks and comments from people.

I have to second the comments about blood lily. Mine actually made seeds and I found babies a couple feet away (and had to ask people here on gardenweb how that happened. those still haven't bloomed yet, but since the single mother bulb is bigger each year, I'm thrilled with my success at them. Mine are in very well-drained soil, that is really sandy/rocky, and never gets irrigated, just regular rainfall. And they're in partial shade.)

I absolutely love mine for their no-care, bloom suddenly when I've forgotten about them aspect. They're surprising, like bulbs up north.

crinums are also bulbs you can get here. I have some (coming up from bulb,it takes a few years for them to bloom, from seed, it takes even longer, from a plant I was given, it hasn't bloomed yet but I'm hopeful.)

But once established, they're great plants, and the bulb will only cost you a buck or so at a big box.

susannah

Dahlia's did well for me a year ago, I planted a few more this year. Gladiolus repopped over winter and had beautiful flowers. Bulbs are great.

Gary

Dahlias lasted one year for me :( They did great the first year, but not much came back the second. Beautiful flowers - but seem to not like my climate/conditions :[

In my home country, Belarus, they grow like weeds - and not really considered all that special, unless it is a crazy color no one else has! It is MUCH cooler there, though... {{gwi:795017}}From Belarus 2008

I will second an_ill-mannered_ache : I really like oxalis!

by the way-- i saw that home depot (their florida proven winners, which is really an excellent label) has oxalis triangularis for sale at very reasonable prices. first time i've seen the plants for sale here in fla. rhizomes are cheaper, of course, but you can't complain about the bang you get for your buck with a gallon of lovely oxalis....

anyone have them in the ground?

(oh, full shade or almost full shade for those o. triangularis)

I have my purple oxalis in the ground all over the place, they even flower. I will bring a bunch to Ricky's trade.

Michelle