I would like to add some cottage-type plants to my garden but I'm wondering how these types of flowers will do in the hot and humid summers here in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Does anyone have any experience growing larkspur, delphinium, foxglove, canterbury bells, hollyhocks, lavendar, or lupine in my area? If so, do you have any tips (plant in shade, prone to mildew, don't waste time trying to grow them here, etc.)

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this post.

Linda

Thanks again everyone!

Lavender - I grow Spanish Lavender in Charleston and it does wonderfully. It is planted next to concrete slab (the leached lime supposedly helps) and in full sun. This is its fifth year and it is huge. Bloomed from March 23 till late fall.

Hollyhocks - We grow some gorgeous ones in the public garden I work in. They are in full sun and thrive. Seems like they bloomed in June.

Larkspur - Throw seeds on the ground even this late in the year and they will start blooming like crazy in late April. Then they reseed every year but are easy to pull up. Absolutely love them!

Foxglove - start in the fall for spring bloom. Some varieties require two years to bloom and haven't done as well for me.

Columbine - you didn't mention these but they do great from direct sowing and will reseed prolifically. Sow from mid-fall until about now. Needs some afternoon shade or filtered light. Starts blooming mid April.

Forget-me-nots - same as columbine.

The others you listed I don't have any experience with.

Happy southern gardening!

I've tried foxgloves a few times but they've never returned the second year. I'm told if you get the soil conditions and sun just right they will thrive. I'm trying again this year with mature plants, well drained soil and sun in the a.m. with shade in the afternoon. We'll see.

I've also tried lavendar several times but it rots each time mid-summer even when I surround the plants with stones and plant them in well-draned soil. They survived in containers but didn't bloom well.

Canterbury bells do pretty well. They will die out slowly after a few years but I don't mind adding a couple of plants each year to keep them going.

As for delphiniums, "Blue Mirror" is the best cultivar for our hot, humid climate. They're smaller and looser than traditional delphiniums but the blue is brilliant. I treat them as annuals - but they bloom a good 4-6 weeks and they are easily found in nurseries.

I haven't grown hollyhocks but from the offerings in the plant catalogs, they appear to do very well in our area.

You may want to try verbascum which grows well and of course phlox perform great if you use the mildew resistant strains like "David". If you don't already receive the catalog from Plant Delights Nursery I'd recommend it. They have open houses a few times a year and it would be a nice day trip and a great education to tour their gardens. Their web site is plantdelights.com.

Welcome to North Carolina!

RAVEN20:
It just so happens I was at one of the Lowe's stores here in town yesterday and I saw tiny new Lupine plants for sale. There was only one kind and I can't remember now what it was. But I was wondering if they were stocking that kind because it was supposed to grow here. I didn't buy any because I was hesitant after everything I've read online.

I wouldn't mind trying some larkspur if they would do reasonably well before the heat gets them. I love pansies and violas and have lots of them but they don't last long after the hot weather sets in. But I still love them. I guess finding the right type of larkspur would be the key. Maybe I could try to email someone at NC State University to get more info on what kind they had.

I planted one mature foxglove last year as a test. I put it in a little micro-climate corner of my yard that was sheltered from wind and only gets a bit of morning sun. It bloomed for quite a while and then I finally clipped the last of the spent blooms off and left it alone. I noticed yesterday that the green leaves of the main plant were still there and looked very healthy. I wonder if it will bloom again this spring?

I just read an article somewhere on growing lavender (Garden Gate Magazine, maybe?) in humid southern conditions and this person mentioned using the white rock to reflect sun just as you said. The article also suggested three specific types of lavender (which I don't remember at this moment). I clipped the article because I was thinking of trying their method. It's disheartening though to hear that you tried the rocks and that still didn't keep your plants from rotting. Did yours have good air circulation where you planted them? Where they in raised beds? I wonder why they don't bloom well in containers? I'll find that article and get back to you on the types of lavender this person used.

I would like to try the 'Blue Mirror' delphiniums you mentioned. Do you know where I can find them? My first attempt at Phlox failed but I really like phlox so maybe I'll try to find one of the mildew resistant strains you mentioned. And thanks for the link to Plant Delights. . . I'm going to check them out right now.

Interesting about the Lupines. I wonder if anyone has tried them.

I tried lavendar Munstead and Hidcote. I did everything that was suggested - good air circulation, well-drained soil, the white rock and plenty of sun. It did well until mid-July when I think the humidity just gets to it.

If you like pansies, I really think you'll like Nierembergia gracilis 'Starry Eyes'. Look at the catalog on the PlantDelights web site. I bought one there last summer and it was covered with light blue flowers the entire summer.

Wondering if you tried to grow hollyhocks and how they are doing? I bought one last year but just grew to a small plant - no flowers. This year however, it's gorgeous! I'd be happy to give you some seeds once I gather them - salmon colored flowers.

Sandy (Wilmington - near Monkey Junction)

I have not yet tried to grow Hollyhocks but I do have some Foxglove that seems to be doing okay so far. I also planted Lavender last month which is doing okay too. I've heard if the Lavender makes it through August here in our area then it can be considered a success; so we'll see.

I would love to get some Hollyhock seed from you some time. The only reason I haven't tried to grow it yet is because I can't make up mine mind which kind to try. I definitely still want to try to grow some though. I live on Beasley Road near Holly Tree Road so I don't think you're too far away from me if you're in the Monkey Junction area.

Linda

In the past 5 years, I've grown several kinds of hollyhocks, foxgloves, sweetpeas, delphiniums, larkspur and lavenders, among others. I sowed the seeds in September and planted the babies in the garden in January-February, except for larkspur, which was sowed directly in a flowerbed.

Hollyhocks grew huge and bloomed in late May. They grew so large and unruly that I removed them in July. What's more, I staked the plants with sturdy 4-foot 1x2 stakes, but the plants outgrew them. I set the seedlings on 2'centers, but apparently they needed more room. I suspect they got too much water, so the stems were not strong and they wanted to flop and sprawl. If I ever grow them again, I'll put them in a bed by themselves.

Ditto for foxgloves, but they don't get as large, so they sprawl less. If I do these again, I'll just do 2 or 3 as an accent. I grew foxgloves for 3 years and none of them survived the summer.

English lavender survived a couple of years in the ground. It was planted at the base of a red honeysuckle in sandy unimproved soil. I took it out when it began looking ratty.

Spanish lavender has been more reliable. I have it planted in a bed that covers an old tree stump. The soil is poor and sandy and drains quickly. The only other perennial that likes this location is lantana.

Larkspur is easy -- sow it in full sun, well-drained bed in October. It blooms April-May and dies down in summer. Let it go to seed and it'll come back the next spring.

Delphiniums -- I planted some in February and they bloomed in April, however the plants were small. They'd probably get larger if planted in the fall. I've been thinking about trying a few again and planting them in a large container garden.

I planted lavender a couple of months ago and so far, so good. But I'll wait and see if they're still alive in early September before I celebrate.

I was "home" last Fall. Been gone 50 yrs. but it'll always be "home" to me. Try calling Tinga nurseries out Castle Hayne area. They may be able to help you with some of your questions.