I’m in 8b in SC and have had success with the Double Zahara zinnias. They get about 16 inches and branch really well, making a beautiful border. They never get powdery mildew and we are super humid here. We are also hot but not Texas hot!
I love my plumbago and it has been in the ground for around 15 years. I bought mine at our local Master Gardener plant sale. I'm in Central Texas about 30 minutes north of Austin and it comes back for me every year but it is always my last plant to come back and takes a while to start blooming. Once it starts blooming, it blooms well into the fall and I absolutely love the color. It also needs very little care from me. I've always wondered if it would break dormancy sooner if I had planted it on the south side of my house instead of the north. Ironically, I have tried a groundcover version called Hardy Plumbago and it doesn't do well for me at all. I'm not the type of gardener who is willing to overly baby a plant though and it might do better for someone else. I've enjoyed both of your lists of heat-loving plants,
Gazania, celosia, pinks and aonium do well in sunny heat in zone 9b California. Really enjoy these in depth growing guides. Plumbago does well for in zone 9b.
Purslane is amazing in my opinion, and I love it. My family up North think I'm crazy whenever I tell them how well it performs down here in TX. They are usually on a mission to pull it out as, what they call, an invasive weed. I just planted several purslanes in one of my beds and already beautiful. I'm a big fan of plumbago and have two of them that I've had for seven years! They are planted in full sun and share ground with my crepe myrtles, purple sage and cannas. I do nothing to them except prune them in early spring and squirt some miracle grow on them a couple of times of year. I can't kill them and they get bigger each year. Another favorite of mine that does very well and easy to grow in full sun is vinca. It blooms all summer long until frost.
Great selections. I've grown most of them except plumbago, purslan and gallardia. I'm in the process of planting a hardy succulent and low growng sedum garden in the cavity and stump of a massive oak tree that died and was taken down.
That black rainbow hibiscus is insane...woooow!! I have never seen that before! lol....I feel the same about plumbago...I never get amazing from it. My parents have some in Tyler, TX and it does amazing there. They have sandy/acidic soils, so I wonder if that's the difference!
Great series 👏🏻 I love plumbago! I have one and it has come back the last 3 years, always flops so I tied him to a trellis. I wish it will grow bushier.
My autumn joy sedum was covered in love bugs the entire time it was in bloom last year lol. It just looked black, so many love bugs on it I couldn't even see the color of the flowers. I've never tried to grow plumbago before, but now I want to :D
Love your in-depth information on plants. I love the Beauty of Hibiscus but I have problems with aphids. So gross. Would love to have information on keeping that from happening. Patiently waiting for my Zinnia seeds to sprout 🤗
So plumbago is perennial in zone 9a and higher. My daughter lives in Jacksonville, FL, and I have seen it growing in the yards of beach cottages, so I guess it's salt tolerant. I live in zone 8b, southeastern NC coast, where it's only an annual. The yard of my current house has been a challenge to grow things. I have HEAVY deer snd rabbit pressure. Maybe the plumbago doesn't like your soil composition. I have that problem in my yard. Some plants will not grow in my soil. Every time I plant a Proven Winners rose, it will die. I don't know what the problem is. Good luck!
Tecoma Stans (Orange Jubilee, Yellow bells, Sparklettes, Bells of Fire), Little John Bottlebrush bush, Salvia, Heavenly Cloud Sage (many varieties), Vinca, Sunflowers, Cosmos, and Milkweed. I'm in the low desert of Arizona, zone 9a. I tried Plumbago once, in the ground, and it didn't make it.
🇨🇦 our purslane does not look like yours 😂 if it did I'd keep it too! I didn't know it mounds and flowers. Ours is weak and scraggly, snaking on the ground. It absolutely looks like a weed and makes things look terribly unkempt
This is my second time trying a plumbago, I want it to work SO badly. Some great suggestions on location, too late to pull it out of the ground and move it?
Love your intro showing your garden journal, very pretty! Great job on this series. Bring on part 3. Salvia does great for me. Mystic Spires is my fave.
I’m in 8b in SC and have had success with the Double Zahara zinnias. They get about 16 inches and branch really well, making a beautiful border. They never get powdery mildew and we are super humid here. We are also hot but not Texas hot!
Love all of your suggestions! I’ve had great luck with all of those, too. About plumbago, it is a recommended shade/partial shade plant here in San Antonio, so I wonder if full sun is the issue for you? Especially since you mentioned that it was in some shade in the container on that one successful year. I know it’s in full sun at one of our libraries here, but it always looks terrible. I don’t know though… 🧐 I hope someone has some good suggestions here!
You won't be dissapointed in Vinca! My Georgia hot and humid summers don't phase Vinca in the least. You can easily save the seeds too and I've even had new variations develop over the years from cross pollination!
I have to say the first time I had Autumn Joy sedum, I was so disappointed. I didn’t understand the type of flowers it would have; I really thought they would be more like, well, regular flowers!! But now, I’m excited to have it back this year, (Autumn Fire, specifically) along with a few other stonecrops that are new to me. They are definitely worth growing and add a different texture to the garden 😊❤
Pronunciation: plumBAYgo. Great in hot weather and even in some shade. It does come in white as well as blue. I’d offer suggestions but I never had trouble with it. Neglect may be the right technique. Good luck! In South Carolina Zone 8, a calla lily bought at the grocery store last year rebloomed in the ground this year. Fantastic surprise.
Thank you for this two part sun loving flowers. It has gotten me to thinking what can I plant next year into my garden for interest in the time when things are hot and nothing really to look at. What an amazing list. Excited to see what you are planning to plant. Have a wonderful rest of your day.
I am here for the tips on Plumbago. I have grown it in the ground and it has even come back after a mild winter, but it was very small. Maybe now that I have learned from you that she is a diva who wants her own space it will work better.
