Hello all.
I had some stone planters put in and excitedly planted away. I received guidance from the nursery from which I purchased. It seems all of my flowering plants aren't doing well.... gardenias (some brown, some yellow, one flowering, and one branches dying), oleander (not blooming), hydrangeas (one of 3 doing ok...browning leaves, dying flowers), and columbine (slowly dying). The only flowering plants that are doing well are the celosia annuals my son picked out! I have one crepe myrtle that is doing well from last year and one that started to bloom but has quit. My ever greens are doing well - japanese yew, wax leaf, camellia, and ferns. Please help!
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Don't get discouraged! Sounds like you have a lot of things growing well.
I would love to grow camellias, but our winters are too much for them.
Re the stone planters, I'm not sure you got real good guidance from your nursery. It would help to know a little more about how big they are and how they are situated (full sun, morning sun, dappled shade or whatever).
You are in TX so I'm assuming hot and sunny and dry...
" gardenias (some brown, some yellow, one flowering, and one branches dying), oleander (not blooming), hydrangeas (one of 3 doing ok...browning leaves, dying flowers), and columbine (slowly dying). "
Gardenias like morning sun and then shade in the afternoon. They like lots of moisture and do not do well with hot, dry, windy.
hydrangeas also like filtered sun, part shade or at least protection from the hot afternoon sun in a climate like yours
Columbine is a shade plant that likes moist soil.
So far these all work ok presuming your planters are in a shaded area and you can keep them WELL WATERED !!
Then you have the oleander, which can handle part shade, but basically is a mediterranean plant that likes hot and dry and full sun.
Incidentally how big are these planters? Oleander gets HUGE (have you driven by the miles and miles of them along I-5 in Calif?) . Hydrangeas and camellias are not as huge, but are also full sized shrubs. Columbine is a small delicate plant that will get crowded out by all the big shrubs.
I would love to grow camellias, but our winters are too much for them.
Re the stone planters, I'm not sure you got real good guidance from your nursery. It would help to know a little more about how big they are and how they are situated (full sun, morning sun, dappled shade or whatever).
You are in TX so I'm assuming hot and sunny and dry...
" gardenias (some brown, some yellow, one flowering, and one branches dying), oleander (not blooming), hydrangeas (one of 3 doing ok...browning leaves, dying flowers), and columbine (slowly dying). "
Gardenias like morning sun and then shade in the afternoon. They like lots of moisture and do not do well with hot, dry, windy.
hydrangeas also like filtered sun, part shade or at least protection from the hot afternoon sun in a climate like yours
Columbine is a shade plant that likes moist soil.
So far these all work ok presuming your planters are in a shaded area and you can keep them WELL WATERED !!
Then you have the oleander, which can handle part shade, but basically is a mediterranean plant that likes hot and dry and full sun.
Incidentally how big are these planters? Oleander gets HUGE (have you driven by the miles and miles of them along I-5 in Calif?) . Hydrangeas and camellias are not as huge, but are also full sized shrubs. Columbine is a small delicate plant that will get crowded out by all the big shrubs.
Hi there.
Thank you for your reply! I am wondering about the advice I received as well.
One stone flower bed is about 7x12....part shade, part partial sun, and the front few feet is full sun. (It's in the front of my house with the garage on one side and the front porch on the other.
The second flower bed is basically the same size, full sun. This is the bed that has the gardenias - which I'm thinking now need to be moved. Will they survive a Dallas winter outside?
Thank you....I think I will be moving some stuff around.
Jenn
Thank you for your reply! I am wondering about the advice I received as well.
One stone flower bed is about 7x12....part shade, part partial sun, and the front few feet is full sun. (It's in the front of my house with the garage on one side and the front porch on the other.
The second flower bed is basically the same size, full sun. This is the bed that has the gardenias - which I'm thinking now need to be moved. Will they survive a Dallas winter outside?
Thank you....I think I will be moving some stuff around.
Jenn
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yup, get the gardenia out of the afternoon sun!
You are in the USDA hardiness zone 8a. Depends on the variety of gardenia you have. Some of them are rated hardy to zone 7, one zone colder than you, so you would be fine. Some are only rated hardy to zone 8b. So you would be on the edge....
Things in planters don't ordinarily survive the winter as well as things in the ground. But those are huge planters 7x12'? I was thinking flower pots, but I guess I should have been thinking raised bed. Are they on the ground (there's ground under them, with no bottom to the stone bed)? In that case planting in them is about like planting in the ground, not like planting in a flower pot. In that case you are right on the edge for the 8b rated gardenia and you likely just need to mulch it well, give it winter protection.
You are in the USDA hardiness zone 8a. Depends on the variety of gardenia you have. Some of them are rated hardy to zone 7, one zone colder than you, so you would be fine. Some are only rated hardy to zone 8b. So you would be on the edge....
Things in planters don't ordinarily survive the winter as well as things in the ground. But those are huge planters 7x12'? I was thinking flower pots, but I guess I should have been thinking raised bed. Are they on the ground (there's ground under them, with no bottom to the stone bed)? In that case planting in them is about like planting in the ground, not like planting in a flower pot. In that case you are right on the edge for the 8b rated gardenia and you likely just need to mulch it well, give it winter protection.