I was lusting after the moonflower (Ipomoea alba) photos on the blog Go Away, I'm Gardening!. I have successfully grown moonflowers only once and successfully may be too strong a word. They didn't look anything like Amy's lush vine. Now I want them even more. (Comparing the unopened buds to a soft serve ice cream cone didn't help matters.)
I've always wanted a nigh time garden, filled with fragrance. Moonflowers might be my greatest growing challenge. Half the time the seeds don't even germinate for me and the other half of the time I manage to kill them before they flower. I think everyone has a plant they simply can't grow. Care to make me feel better and tell me what plant you always kill?
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sago palm just cant get them to grow
At least your nemesis is imposing. Mine is a relative of morning glories, for goodness sake, and they grow like weeds.
Gosh, I feel your pain…really! Have tried for years to grow moon flower vines and have only managed to get one to bloom once before frost hit here in upstate NY and then there were only two blossoms to enjoy.
I also cannot grow a radish to save my life! How come??
I’m in upstate NY, too, so maybe we can fault the area and not our skill. Works for me.
I gave up trying to grow radishes in the summer. I only have success in cool weather and only if I keep them well watered. It’s worth it to me, because they are so crispy and pungent that way, although I know some people think they get too hot. I wrote about my travails with radish problems a couple of years ago. I’ve tossed more than my share over the years.
Moonflowers seem to like dry, crappy areas and need to climb. I plant them in as many different places as possible, and usually, at least two will blossom wonderfully. They do tend to take most of the season to start blooming.
This year, I started the seeds indoors. They grew great, I transplanted a three inch plant to the same spot where one grew nicely last year and climbed the front porch rail.
This year, even with the head start, it has been pathetic. It is growing, but so slowly, I don’t think much will happen. It has just been too hot. I think they like a bit of shade, like 4 o’clocks, since they are a nightflower. I have had no luck figuring out what pollinates them or saving seeds.
My radishes have also been losers. I don’t understand it–I think it’s the seeds they sell now. Not hardy. When I was a kid, it was my job to plant easy stuff like onions and radishes. Things that could not possibly be hurt.
We saved some seeds from a few items, last year, and the difference in vigor is astonishing. I wonder how old are the seeds we get in stores?
My soil is not great, so I’m sure I’ve planted them in lousy soil at least once or twice. But I like the idea of spacing them around the yard and hedging my bets – if I fall for them again.
Sometimes I think we just try too hard. Radishes should be ready to harvest in a couple of weeks, but so many of us fret over them.
I have never had success with Clematis. While I have seen others in the area that are beautiful, mine wither and die. The best I’ve had from one is a single 3ft vine that never flowered.
I’ve always thought clematis were a bit temperamental, until they get established. If you can get them through their first few years, they can take anything. But that’s a big if, in many areas. Doesn’t make us want to grow them any less, though, does it.
i was told several years ago, clematis like full sun, but their feet need to be cooler. so heavy mulch would help. the wind took down my asao, so i guess ill have to find a more protected place next year.
My response? What plants *haven’t* I killed?
Although it has been a while since my house was the place where houseplants voluntarily threw themselves out the window to avoid dying a horrible death, it has been a hard rut to work out of! Even now, when I do my weeding outside, I come across long lost tags of plants that I forgotten that I had even purchased (obviously they didn’t survive).
Ironically, the ones that I get free from people (either donated or exchanged) have done much better than nursery purchases, so it all evens out in the end. Luckily for me, or I would be in the poor house!
I know you’re not alone, Jenny. It’s not much consolation, to you or your dearly departed plants, but I was told that if you didn’t kill a plant or two along the way, you were playing it too safe. I guess our gardens are living on the edge.
HMMMMM Hebes give me terrible grief.. I SOOO love Hebe “Amy”!! And Sambuca “Black Lace” is giving me fits (this is the fourth time I’m trying it.. at least this go-round they aren’t committing hari kari with their pot stickers…) But the end-all be-all of plants I will never attempt to grow again *heaves huge sad sigh* is tuberous begonias. And I LOVE them! Why why why do they take one look at me and run screaming to the bottom of their pots in terror? I’m a likeable enough killer of plants extraordinaire… I think I kill them with kindness.
>^,,^<
When I first moved in here I had a spot that I thought was going to be dry so I planted lavender and agastache…. turned out to be a VERY SOGGY spot…. oops. I have some veggies that I keep failing to get to grow, mainly corn and eggplant and peppers and cucumbers…. I know they are warm season crops and I live in zone 4 so maybe I am asking for too much? But I know people here do it, I just haven’t figured out HOW!
The only way I’ve ever gotten eggplant fruits is to buy well established plants in pots and then transplanted to my veggie garden on a cool or cloudy day. Cukes love to climb like peas and need watering in dry weather…I gave up peppers, no go here ever…also zone 4 garden.
Wow, you can grow eggplant in Zone 4? I’m impressed. Any special variety?
Begonias!!!! Inside or outside, shadow or sun, I always manage to kill them. Even when I successfully start a new plant from a dying one, I kill the new one too, sometimes after a couple of big beautiful flowers…
Well. I live in S. central Texas and I planted moon flower plants from seeds I got at the store. They’re not climbers. But they grow very prolifically here. Wonderful fragrance. Giant pure white flowers. I am now trying hard to get rid of them. They became quiet a headache all over the place for me
I kill Carolina Jasmine, Lavender, Shasta Daisy. It’s very frustrating. I especially love the Shasta Daisy, and I grew them beautifully for several years.
Broccoli. Don’t laugh. Tried for years to growm finally got a couple of heads this year. Moonflowers are an obnoxiuos weed around my house… how do you kill them?
I have never been able to grow rhodedendrons or confederate roses, although i can culitvates almost anything else! I’m so jealous of my neighbors! Surrounded by these beautiful blooms and none for myself!
HaHa fun…my two diappointing failures are the clematis and the rhodedendrons. I have tried and failed several times. Using the 3x your out rule, I haven’t tried again ;-((. Don’t know why they just don’t like me I suppose. Maybe I’m too fussy, maybe I’m not fussy enough what ever it is I don’t know.
This year my Echinacea, Shasta Daisy, and Black Eyed Susans are battling being eaten into little sticks so I haven’t the time to worry about my failures. Have to save my winners.
It’s such a comfort to know I’m not alone. Thanks, guys. I try and follow Linda’s “3 times and your out” rule too, but I’m such a push over. I always think that ‘this time’ I’ll really baby it and all will be fine. Now I just follow the Red Sox’s rule – there’s always next year.
African Violets are my downfall!! I have tried growing them multiple times… the last time I had been given a gorgeous little plant, and it was limping along barely surviving. I was pregnant and when I went on maternity leave, my temporary replacement took care of them- and the THRIVED with her! When I returned they were healthy and blooming! Two months later- absolutely dead.
As for moonflowers, I did grown them very successfully- but I had them mixed in with morning glories, so that may have been the trick. They were in full sun, but at the same time there was shade from the morning glories. I also started them indoors (primarily because the squirrels would eat the seeds otherwise- even if I put Cayenne Pepper in the soil, unless I did that every day).
“What Plants Have You Killed?”
Lily of the Valley.
But that was intentional.
Vile weed.
I killed a $150.00 daylily once. Who can kill a daylily? They grow wild along the side of the
road for crying out loud!!
I love it……why do I have so much trouble with Boston Ferns. God I have the worst luck with them
Everything except grape ivy and silk plants!
African Violets, I simply cannot get any African Violets to survive more than a month or so. I’m in Ohio now, was in Indiana, and my neighbors in Indiana had such beautiful Violets… but mine always died. Their advice never worked for me.