Winter Roll Call in 9b

12 years ago

Here is what did well over the winter and what did not in my 9b yard. My frost cloth covering was spotty as I was out of town and left instructions for teenage son to take care of yard.

Super Troopers (things that are supposed to be cold sensitive but had no damage)
Lychee Sweetheart Tree
Dwarf Jasmine Tree
Ruby Glo Passionflower and Lunametista
Nun's Orchids
Australian Tree Fern
New Guinea Trumpet Creeper
Pinstripe Ginger
Wild coffee plant
Hoya Carnosa
Jungle Drums Ginger
Nam Doc Mai (in most protected part of yard, which is a good microclimate) I was horrified to learn out of all the plants on the coldest night, he forgot to cover this tree. On nights I was at home I covered it the rest of the time. No damage at all.

Minor damage or comes back readily
Night Blooming Jasmine
Begonias
Red Absynnian Banana, Milky Way, Ruby Siam, and Rajanpuri Banana
Hawaiin Sunset Vine (lost leaves for 2 weeks, regrowing)
Naranjilla (very minor leaf damage)
Sugar Apple Tree
Jacaranda Tree
Malaysian Ginger
Midnight Ginger
Dwarf Poinciana Trees
All tropical water lilies regrowing after dormancy without protection

R.I. P. or may never be the same
Panama Red Passion Flower Vine (lost all leaves and 2/3 of plant)
Large Leaf Princess Plant
Dwarf Ylang Ylang would have been OK if my son remembered to cover it,
Is regrowing from bottom, lost all leaves and about half of plant.

Things that are growing in pots on the lanai without problem: Royal Poinciana, Black Bat Plant, Pony Tail Palm, Pickering Mango and variegated Pitch Apple.

Charlie Brown's Football (things I try over and over but fail)
Mandevilla (looks straggly and near death no matter what I do)
Butterfly Bush (see above)
New Zealand Tea Tree

This post was edited by morningloree on Mon, Mar 3, 14 at 19:26

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Comments (6)

Tom
12 years ago
Amazing variety of plants that you have. I find it extremely impressive. I couldn't come close to remembering the names of so many.

Can you tell us which are the best hummingbird attractors?
morningloree
Original Author
12 years ago
The best hummingbird attractor I have is my Dwarf Poinciana trees. They are deciduous in my zone. I have one outside my kitchen window and it attracts so many pollinators: butterflies, hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, and bumblebees. It doesn't get flowers as large as the royal poinciana, but they are pretty none the less. I also have a Blue Vitex that I have seen one around and Red Firespike.
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SusieQsie_Fla
12 years ago
Hi Dawn
Thanks for the informative list...this is good knowledge for me since we are nearby.

I was surprised that these plants did well with frost protection that was spotty (perhaps the frost was spotty, too):
Brugmansia
Plumeria (I've been watching several in my neighborhood that were totally neglected in the cold)
Hibiscus

Plants Left To Their Own Devices
No protection for my Purple Firespike and blooming its head off through all the winter chills
same for my begonias - weird, huh?
My poor clerodendun minahassae lost all its foliage, but I see new buds popping out now.
same for my sanchezia

I can't tell yet, but I think the bananas will be alright.
And my tibuchinias under the orange tree only lost some leaves when we had a lot of wind
And, of course, none of my roses even skipped a beat during the cold (which is why keep growing my collection)

For some reason, my Dwarf Poincianna kept its leaves and even a flower or two. But it's little and still in a pot close to the carport.

Susie
jofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a )
12 years ago
Yikes,..am so impressed with your variety. Don't be too hard on your son,..quite a responsibility !
Am now re-enthused to take better care of my feeble bunch of fruit trees & a few bananas. Thanks !
four (9B near 9A)
11 years ago
> Posted by susieqsie... Mar 5, 14
> Purple Firespike... blooming its head off

Susie, is it the same plant, about which you wrote in a different thread,
that had started blooming in September?

You questioned : "maybe it's the one they call magenta".
What are your thoughts about that now?

Oh, and is the September (year ago) one
doing it again this fall?
SusieQsie_Fla
11 years ago
Hi Four

My firespikes are blooming now, the purple and the red, but they look pathetic.

I think the purple just started blooming and the red blooms are leftover.

The one that looked so awesome last Sept was in Mom/Dad's yard. They thought it was too tall for its location and whacked it back. I'll take a look at it on Turkey Day and see how it is faring.

I think there is too much shade for my plants this year. There's some icky black stuff on their leaves (sooty mold, maybe) that is all over everything in these woods behind my house. That's probably why the blooms look so pitiful.

If we ever get a day without cloudbursts, I'll take some pics so you can see.

Susie