I was told jackfruit trees would never survive in AZ and six of them have made it past summer. Slow growth but pretty decent growth

I once believed the tag on a Mandavilla that said it likes full sun. It was toast in less than a week.

Mandevilla *love* full sun. San Diego sun, that is! They burn to a crisp here. The labels seem too often to be for So Cal climates and don't factor in our blistering sun.

Speaking of things they say not to grow here, I'm growing a rainbow eucalyptus. I never thought it would survive the summer but it's growing like crazy.

Hah! This is a funny thread topic. Who else believed something they should not have? Or vice versa???

OMG...sherizona, I just googled 'rainbow eucalyptus' and I still can't believe such a tree exists, let alone can grow here in AZ. It seems almost supernatural! That is awesome!

Home Depot Garden Club emails. They spent an entire column on planting/selecting roses and we'd already had our first 100F day. Anybody reading that and attempting to plant roses that week would've had heatstroke.

Re: DIY/Big box stores
Keep in mind that places such as Home Depot or Lowe's don't, with very few exceptions, tailor their gardening info. to fit specific areas. It's "one size fits all", whether it does or not.
Most bulk commercial plant tags are designed for the E/NE United States.
"Rainbow eucalyptus" looks like an amazing tree! Wish it would grow where in my area.
oh well...

I love how this thread has turned, LOL. It's fun to hear who is growing what that has a reputation for not growing here. I've had a very large clump of Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) that is several years old and is supposed to melt in our summers (and I've seen it do just that in many gardens here). Mine is out in full sun and not even on a drip (though I do water it a couple of times a week in summer). I love it! I've also got a nice Leucadendron that I bought last autumn that has done really well (I bought two different species and the one turned to toast in July, heh heh).

Fun to see these rarities, keep them coming,
Take care and happy gardening,
Grant

Your right Grant ,, it's hard to believe anything you read about what will or wont grow

I was given malabar spinich seeds and was told they are slow to germinate, planted them in late June, they were up 3 days later. Also read several places that said parsnips don't do well here in the desert, not cold enough, but I've grown them the last 3 years and harvested them as late as May. Grew beautifully, large and tasted as good as the ones you pay almost $2 lb. in the stores. Tops stayed green thru 100 deg. heat and absolutely no pest problems, pretty much the perfect plant, just have to wait about 4 months to harvest.

Xica, your rainbow eucalyptus may be doing good now, but wait until we get a hard freeze, and the tree will be toast.

Actually, richsd, the eucalyptic isn't my tree but someone else's (see above). Anyhow, the tree I have that surprises me that it's doing so well is my purple leaf plum, especially because it's supposed to be more fussy than my Chinese Pistache, but it's turned out that my Chinese Pistache is the one that's struggling a bit. I know they say that the Plum won't last long, but even if it only last 5-10 years or so, it would be worth every penny. Every day I look at it and I am just in awe of how pretty its colors are. Sometimes longevity isn't everything.

I hear you, Xica and Rich. I've got several plants in my garden that I'm not expecting to live too long (mostly waiting for the next big hard freeze--I haven't had a frost since Dec 2007) but if they last several years then they're worth the price I paid (if any, LOL).

Anyone else growing something you've heard you can't, or shouldn't?

Happy gardening all,
Grant

My challenge has been to keep a hosta going. It has done good for a few years. It actually was big the first year or two then I moved it around the corner and it is smaller. I need to move some pieces and see how they do in different spots. It is fun to try something new and see how they do!

Sundrop- when did you plant your parsnips? How much shade or sun? Does anyone grow strawberries or rhubarb?

Tracydr, I planted parsnips in full sun mid September but you can still plant now. The seeds do take a couple of weeks to germinate but I get around that by starting them in damp paper towels placed in a zipper bag til the root appears when I take them out to the prepared bed, sprinkle them in the bed and cover with fine soil. Tamp the soil down and water and I've had them sprouting like this in 8 days.

Dchris, you have the longest success with true hostas that I've heard of in the valley! What conditions do you give yours??

Take care,
Grant

Great to know about the parsnips. I'll give some a try.
I so want some decent rhubarb and strawberries!

I live in San Diego part-time, and hostas are not often seen here either. My secret to keeping them going is plenty of fertilizer and extra zinc. If the leaves start getting small, it's an indication that they're deficient in zinc. I use zinc chelate, water soluble. I hope that helps you guys! Rich

I'm going to try sundrop's sprouting technique with my bush beans. I soaked them overnight before planting, been in nearly 2 weeks and nary a nick of green.

Thanks for all the tips. BTW, how do you eat/cook the parsnips. No edible experience with that veggie.