When you move to a new area, a good gardener does some research and comes up with a list of things that will or will not grow in that new area. Cold hardiness, heat tolerance and chilling times all reflect what you should avoid growing. Plants in unhappy growing conditions do not thrive and are apt to get disease and other insect problems.
Then you get the odd person who didn’t know that lilacs do not grow well in the south because the winters are not cold or long enough. They mail order the plant or shrub because it is not available locally, because it doesn’t grow well. They stick the thing into the ground, and the shrub takes off nicely and continues for many years. Such a case was a gentleman that I spoke to the other week who brought a lilac at a northern nursery and was growing it in his garden – for over 10 yrs. It is big, thriving and giving plenty of luscious sented, lilac blooms. Fortunately I was given a bloom and I am trying to root it.
Lilacs that didn’t know they couldn’t grow in the south.
So while I may not say forget the books, sometimes it is worth trying a shrub, or perennial that is reported to sulk in the humid south. If you don’t tell it, it will never know and will try to survive. Many times the shrub just might surprise you, because it didn’t read the book that told it that it couldn’t grow in Atlanta!
May 16th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Sometimes generalizations are just that. “Won’t grow in the hot, humid South” has different meanings. When I was a child, we had great whopping lilac bushes and a field of peonies, just south of Rome, not that far from Atlanta.
Atlanta north weather is much kinder to plants that the more Coastal areas of the South. The farther south you travel, the worse the humidity. We used to roll down the windows as we traveled late Friday evenings to the farm 200 miles south of Atlanta, to check how much more sultry the air had become.
As in real estate, Location, location, location. If someone tells you something doesn’t grow, try sunnier, shadier, on a slope, in a bog.
Lastly, I had a neighbor when I lived in Clayton County who grew a single gorgeous delphinium on the north side of her house. It lived for years. Every year we looked forward to that glorious bloom.
May 17th, 2009 at 7:46 am
You are so right Nell. Many northern plants that are shown as ‘full sun’ really do much better with shade from the hot afternoon southern sun (so do sun loving humans!).
I would love have a cutting of a delphinium that survives this far south!
Thanks for reading the blog and taking the time to comment,
Kate
May 27th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
I bought a good overall home improvement lawn care book, there are lots of illustrated books with basic step by step instructions. Tried to follow the guidance but still stuck on something. I have been reading a lot of related blogs these few days. I have read a lot on this topic, but you definitely give it a good vibe. This is a great post. Will be back to read more!Lots of info on Landscape Services web site I found.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Oh these are just beautiful! Thank you!
September 8th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
KC Thank you for reading the blog and the comment.Enjoy the blog
Kate