Teas and Chinas are "made" for the south and have done exceptionally well here. They can be ignored, but some grooming and shaping result in some very pretty shrubs. Many make nice cut flowers. The noisettes that I have are Crepuscule and Nachitoches Noisette, and are doing beautifully. I want to try Lamarque this fall. I need to get a structure for him first. I am going to try a few hybrid musks. So far Prosperity is taking right off, as is Ballerina. I have Ballerina in a semi-shaded area (some full sun, mostly dappled) and she is very happy so far. I am going to try some others in areas that get a few hours direct sun, with the rest dappled and/or shaded a bit (NOT heavy shade). My gut says they will need some relief from the intense sunshine we have in Central Florida. That may not apply in the southern states more northerly than me. I'll let everyone know how they fare in a year or so. There are many "found" roses that do beautifully here also. Maggie is one of them, and Bermuda Mystery roses do well. Maggie has a few "crud" leaves right now. It may be some heat stress? I'm not going to spray her. I will pick off the leaves that are affected. Most of the foliage looks nice, and it is mostly older leaves that look yellowed and spotted. Her flowers are awesome! There are polyanthas that will do well. I am still determining who that is. If they stay decent in a clay pot through the heat, and will stay fairly healthy with crud leaves being picked off rather than sprayed, minimal crud leaves, then I will plant them. Clotide Soupert has stayed clkean for me, but I need to move him to where the lawn sprinklers don't hit him. Overhead watering can ruin the pretty flowers. Otherwise, I get more good than bad blooms. So far I have a few David Austins on fortuniana that seem to fine without spray. Time will tell. It may be the rootstock that is helping in that regard, or because we are not as rainy this year. The hybrid teas were fine for awhile, but most became disasters without spray. The few I kept I am going to try some of the more natural sprays on. If it works, great.... if not, then I have a shovel decision to make. I will only spray something that I do not need to suit up for in this heat. Sandy

It depends a lot on tree age and variety, but young trees should give 3 or more growth flushes per year, and mature trees at least 2. A newly planted tree may make 8. If you haven't fertilized lately, you might consider fertilizing them, and that may stimulate another growth flush.

I lived 48 years in Texas and know a little about growing conditions there. I lived in the D/FW area. Years ago there was an article in the Bulletin of the AIS that stated that bearded irises generally would not perform well south of Interstate 20 from Georgia to California. In some areas that may be true, but in others it most definitely is not. Witness the 2008 AIS Convention will be in Austin, TX, and it is about 200 miles south of I-20. San Antonio is kinda iffy. I sent a friend some TBs to SA and then saw them in bloom two years later. Most were IB in height with big flowers. They were out of proportion. I have heard that conditions may vary, and some years after a cold winter, they achieve normal height. As far a I know, there has never been an iris society in SA. The nearest one was in New Braunfels, about half-way between Austin and San Antonio. Corpus Christi definitely not. It is on the coast and is just too hot and humid. I used to sell TBs to a lady in Houston. She didn't want them until mid to late November. She planted the in November or December and they bloomed in late February or early March. Few could survive the summer in the garden. She would dig them up and hang them from the rafters in her garage until November. Some survived that treatment and she replanted. So it would be a lot of trouble growing them within about 100 miles of the Gulf, but again there are pockets where there is success. If you are determined to move to Texas, move to the hill country west of Austin. There you would have the elevation you need and would be close to the amenities of Austin. SA can be scalding hot and CC has hurricanes. Most of Texas is also noted for it ice storms - even SA. Walter Moores (who hasn't seen much snow or any ice in 22 years in north central MS. Our last snow to amount to anything was in 1996).

I thought about this post when I was watching Louis Miller talk about caladiums from Baton Rouge today. It occurred to me the difference with keeping caladiums in the ground here as opposed to Florida might be soil type. My understanding is soils in Florida are sandy--maybe not all, but most, right? Our soils are mostly very heavy clay. The drainage in winter, in Florida, and lack of it here, would have a lot to do with how well they over-wintered I'm sure.