I don't know where you'd buy them, but U of F has several gorgeous cultivars designed to take the FL heat.

I'd try the Contact Us link on that page. Burpee sells the original FL Blue, but I don't think they have the newer fancier ones.

Here is a link that might be useful: U of F Lisianthus cultivars

This post was edited by writersblock on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 18:56

Writersblock, you are awesome! I just emailed the Hillsborough campus and asked for some information. Fingers crossed / hands folded lol. Thanks!

Hi,
Let me know how it works out. Would be happy to purchase some Lisianthus plants to complete your order. I live in Lake Mary outside of Orlando. They are very pretty!

You're welcome, ellie. Let us know what they say.

I should maybe have mentioned that HD often has lisianthus in the late spring, but it's never the right variety for FL, at least it hasn't been in the past. So they last longer than cut flowers, but once the heat gets going they faint and die.

I have tried them several time from HD and they just died. You might be right, they may not be the variety for Fl but I have given up on them. I am in S FL and I think it is just too hot, especially at night when most plants expect to cool down a bit.

morningloree - I'll keep you posted! Have you grown them before? I want to wait to hear back from UF. I think given the heat we get, if we can get a hold of those, that would be much better!

katkin - thank you for your input. I had no idea they would wilt in the heat like writersblock mentioned. This is why I love these forums - what "they" write in books and plant tags isn't always 100% accurate. It's always good to hear firsthand from someone who's actually grown something in your area! Thanks!

Wahh! I just received the following message:

"Hi, Ellie,
I spoke with Dr. Deng and he said these lisianthus cultivars are not currently commercially available. They are still in the process of looking for commercial breeding companies to license these cultivars for production. You can stay periodically updated on their status by visiting the UF/IFAS Balm Research Center website. http://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Deng/ZDengcv.shtml
Thank you for contacting the Hillsborough County Extension Service."

Too bad :/ I guess I should just be patient? I'm quickly learning gardening takes patience haha (I am a newbie!! sort of...) What do y'all think?

Oh, too bad.

Well, if you you're going to try something from Burpee, I'd do these, although I admit they're not the most exciting option:

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Blue

I'm in Pembroke Pines, have bought lisianthus from Walmart before and killed every one. At least now I know why.

Hi,
I saw them in Texas gardens, where I'm from originally. I haven't grown them in Florida. Willing to give them a try. I don't know what has gotten into me lately, I am in zone denial and even planted Daffodils.

Hey morningloree sorry I haven't posted back. I was waiting on another nursery to respond to me. They had some Florida Pink plugs, and it looked somewhat promising, but they still haven't gotten back to me, so I just sorta gave up on that.

I'm gonna keep an eye on the UF cultivars for the time being. I don't permanently move to Orlando for another 5 months, so I'm just gonna play the waiting game. If anything changes, I'll let you know?

Sure keep me posted.

Hi,
I know this is an old post, but I found some Florida hardy Lisianthus at a nursery in Mount Dora. Not sure if you are still checking back or if you are interested. If you email me, I'll give you the address.

Bump!

Has anyone had any luck finding a cultivar for FL?