One Year Comparison - Central Florida
jhanifan
8 years ago
Hello all,
I am thrilled all of my Hostas made it this year (Dancing In The Rain and Cherry Berry are still emerging). Needless to say, Guacamole, Brim Cup, Fragrant Blue, and Love Pat have been my best performers so far. White Feather has been OK, not so white, but still is very pretty. Cherry Berry and Dancing In The Rain are still being evaluated. Cherry Berry bloomed last year, but went down very early.
I used orchid bark to mix with my soil since it was the easiest for me to get my hands on last year, for drainage. Who knew the Hostas would love it. I figured I was already pushing the limits in my growing zone, so I had nothing to lose.
Guacamole flowered 3 times and was the only one that did not go down completely over the winter. I hope it will not cause issues next year. We shall see.
Thanks for looking.
Jackie
Hostas · More Info
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mjjones453
8 years agojhanifan
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Are Camellias still a good choice for Central Florida?
Comments (3)Hey there- I would absolutely recommend camellias for your area- you have a great climate for these plants. I'm not sure where you are in Central Florida, but you might want to call some nurseries near you for reassurance and local recommendations- I'm including a link to ACS nurseries below, but Bob Wines in Ocala might be a good place to start? As a general rule, camellias are quite resilient and un-fussy. If you buy from a reliable source with good growing practices, I think your chances are good. Yes, die-back is a possibility, but most plants are not 100% risk-free. Except for weeds, of course... I would check with the locals, though, to see what their experience has been. Possibly, die-back is more of a problem there than I'm aware of, so it's always good to get a reasonable estimate of your odds of success from folks in your area who should know. Your county extension agency may be a good source of info, also? Here is a link that might be useful: American Camellia Soc link to retail nurseries...See MoreCentral Florida Fall Tomato Update
Comments (4)Hi Delta. When I planted them, a little growers mix, composted cow manure, Espoma fertilizer, and epsom salt went into the growing holes. They are mulched with grass clippings over newspaper and lightly side dressed with compost and an occasional dusting of Espoma fertilizer. Their growing area spent about five weeks prior to August under black plastic hoping for some control of the nematode population. They do seem to be kicking into some fruit set now. I occasionally have given them a light spray of an organic insecticide containing "spinosad" which is supposed to help with the leaf miners as well as some worms. Good luck with you plants. In gardening you never know how the season will go!...See MoreWill Ground Orchids Survive in Northeast or Central Florida?
Comments (21)I'm not sure about central Florida, but they survive here in central Maryland. I received a small clump from my mother a few years back. They have really taken hold and slowly increased in size each year. I didn't know anything about them, just planted them in a spot that rarely gets full sun during the summer due to shade from a flowering plum tree. No special attention is given to them in the winter either. This past winter was fairly mild in comparison to most, but the previous winter was not as forgiving. By the way, my mother lives about 50 mi north east of my location and hers have also been doing well for years....See MoreLess hummer in central Florida???
Comments (3)My hummingbird population here in south Arkansas has dwindled each year. Six years ago, when I first began feeding, I could take a feeder photo with as many as 18 -20 birds in one frame. This summer, I am happy to see three birds at a time, even with meticulous feeder maintenance, and that is slightly up from last summer when I saw even fewer. I keep waiting for a big expose on the rapid decline due to this or that thing we are doing to interfere but no one seems to be talking about it. I tell myself there will probably be good years and bad years for our little friends due to natural causes, but my own personal experience tells me something more sinister is going on, as it seems to be only bad years and worse years. Hope I am wrong! I'll mention, after a frenzy following migration, my feeder patterns drop off when certain things bloom and around the time females set eggs. Maybe we forget that year to year? We should definitely see activity pick up mid to late summer....See More
zkathy z7a NC
8 years agojhanifan
8 years ago
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