Re: Fall Bloomers in New Zealand

Hello Moira,

It was interesting to hear of your experiences with
some of the same plants in New Zealand.  Your area
sounds very much like our Sunset Zones 14 and 15 here
in the Bay Area, which are typically abit more
inland/distant from saltwater and therefore colder
than my location a half mile from the bayshore in
Berkeley.  Many of the plants I have mentioned are
also tender here in Berkeley in a bad winter, but will
usually come back from light frosts.

Some of the plants are also starting to become popular
here as tender annuals, such as the Mandevillea 'Alice
Dupont', which generally will survive the winter here
if kept on the dry side, but does so much better if
treated as an annual, with at least 8 months of good
show.  The fat tuberous roots seem prone to rotting in
our winter wet, and they can grow so big that it is
difficult to move indoors for the winter.  I have also
grown M. laxa, the white flowering deciduous
Mandevillea, but find that it does much better with
more summer heat than I can give it.  

In general, we, (or at least me), in the San Francisco
Bay Area are lazy when it comes to protecting plants
from freeze damage, or taking cuttings over winter. 
The mildness of the climate can  lull one into 
feeling that this is unnecessary work.  My garden is
experimental in the sense that I rarely protect
anything from frosts, and sometimes regret not having
taken any action...  The few really tender, special
and/or slow growing things I grow like Euphorbia
tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire', I protect by growing under
an overhang and against a south facing sunny wall,
which generally gets the plant through our winters
with minimal damage.

Many of the fastest growing subtropicals/succulents
can be treated as root hardy perennials here, such as
Aeoniums, Alpinias, Brugmansias, Hedychiums, and
Dahlia imperialis.  If the first fall frosts are
typically less than a month before the winter equinox
in your area, all of these plants are quite
satisfactory for late fall bloom.  The Tree Dahlia has
become quite popular here, as the blooms can be quite
showy on an umbrella headed small tree to 20 feet
tall, with hundreds of 5 inch diameter single petaled
lavender pink flowers.  This plant is usually passed
on by cuttings rather than bought at a nursery, as it
is awkward to grow and keep looking good in a 5 gallon
nursery can.  If you can locate it out of the wind,
have the water to spare, and want something to be seen
out of a second story window at one's eye level, this
is a great plant to use.  There are also double
petalled and white forms of this dahlia, but I think
the single pink form is the showiest, and will often
continue in bloom through January if the winds and
rains aren't too severe.

You might find that Strelitzia reginae will grow quite
well for you in a container or against a protected
sunny wall.  It is not supposed to be hardy here in
the Bay Area, but has survived down to 20F when given
overhead protection, and has heat in the summer as
well.  The larger foliaged S. nicholai is more risky
here, but is also commonly used.  I find the length of
time it takes to regrow from the roots and reach
significant size is the compelling reason to treat it
as a novelty or site it well for maximum protection,
as it takes years for Strelitzia nicholai to form
trunks 10 feet tall...

Does Schizostylis coccinea get fungal disease of the
foliage after several years in place in New Zealand? 
This is about the only problem with the plant here in
the Bay Area, although I have been told by southern
Californian friends that it doesn't do as well in
hotter drier parts of LA, seems to prefer it on the
cooler, wetter side.  With warm spells and full sun
locations here, it can continue blooming through the
winter.

A couple of other South African subtropicals which do
very well here are the Cussonia's.  Cussonia
paniculata is the hardier of the two, and the gray
foliage and palm like stature can be quite
architectural.  I have yet to see any which have
branched out to look more like trees, as they grow to
maturity in their native habitat.  Probably the oldest
specimens here are all less than 15 years old. 
Cussonia spicata is also very interesting in leaf,
with deep green, glossy cutleaf foliage.  The plant is
not as hardy, but is so fast growing from the roots,
that it is worth growing even in places subject to
regular frosts.  My plant can put on 4 foot of trunk
in one year, and the new foliage is also beautiful, a
deep burgundy red tint which just glows in our late
fall, California light.  Both of these are easier to
grow here than the other palm like subtropical,
Trevesia palmata/ Snowflake Tree.  This plant is also
very beautiful for foliage effects, and can grow to be
20 feet tall here in the warmer Bay Area gardens.  My
Trevesia was frozen to the roots at 25F two winters
ago, but has since regrown 3 new trunks which are now
4 foot tall.




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