Re: heat zones, delphinium, etc.

Not Terry here, Gale,
    But... there are native delphinium to play with in the garden. There is
the little D. tricorne that is an early bloomer for your shade garden. Will
go dormant early, but very reliable. Just pair it with a companion that
sticks around all year. Also there is the tall larkspur... D. exaltatum that
will take mostly sun and some shade, grows just about anywhere. Very
reliable and can be cut back twice in a season to give you two to three
flushes of bloom. No, they are not as showy as some of the hybrids, but
there are there performing year in and year out. I am starting a trial on D.
virescens this spring.
    Don't know as one could throw them out on a rock and only spit on them
once a week to keep them alive with masses of blooms... but they should take
your heat and humidity with a minimum of care.
    Gene E. Bush
Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, llc
www.munchkinnursery.com
genebush@munchkinnursery.com
Zone 6/5  Southern Indiana

----- Original Message -----
> Hi Terry,
> I used to grow lovely delphiniums here in Tennessee when I lived on top of
the
> Cumberland Plateau - temps are consistently 10 degrees lower than valleys
> because of 1000 foot greater elevation.  We also had sandy soil.  I grew
them
> against a south facing wall - but when we moved the wall in remodeling I
was
> never able to get them established again.  And here in Nashville it is
> hopeless!  Brick-like soil and many days over 100, hot nights and humidity
and
> month long droughts.  I have heard of putting ice around the crowns of
cool
> loving plants every day but have never tried it.  So you see a heat zone
rating
> would be very useful here.
>
> If a plant is rated heat zone 7, does that mean it won't grow here if the
> number is higher?
>
> Gale Link

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index