New Plant Variety of 2010: Status

Each season seems to bring a fascination with a new genera of plants that are unfamiliar to my garden.  For 2010, it was the Dyckias.  Its now time to see how these plants performed.

The plants had been doing very well, right up until our severe winter (below freezing temperatures for 60+ straight hours - extremely unusual for central Texas).  Though the plants received some protection (mainly covering but no light-based heat source), all were damaged to varying degrees.  Some likely are a loss, some may survive through pups.  Others lost some leaves but look to be recovering.

Pineapple Dyckia (Dyckia brevifolia): Assumed lost (hey - it looks just like some of my Aloes - grumble, grumble).

Dyckia platyphylla: The main plant is a loss; but there do appear to be a few pups surviving.

Bronze Dyckia (Dyckia fosteriana 'Bronze'): All three show extensive damage, but some green remains.  Will have to wait and see if they can recover.  And to think, it even bloomed last year.

Dyckia brevifolia 'Moon Glow': Definite damage to some of the larger, upper rosettes.  But some of the lower appear to have escaped largely unscathed.

Dyckia 'Cherry Coke': Also showing considerable damage on some leaves, but the centers appear to be good - may even be producing some new growth.

Red-leafed Dyckia (Dyckia 'Red Devil'): Though it lost a few of the lower leaves (due to a combination of the cold and some physical damage from tree limb removal), it is definitely producing new growth.

I also had potted two dyckia varieties: Dyckia choristaminea 'Frazzle Dazzle' & Red-leafed Dyckia; obviously both of these were inside and thus escaped damage.

Though the past winter was an exception (one hopes!), it appears that it would be best to either plant the Dyckias into pots or to concentrate them into a bed for which I could provide a light-based heat source for the rare (one hopes!) winter extremes.

Planted in the Ground:

• Trailing Violet (Viola banksii): Actually bought five 4" pots that were overflowing almost a month ago, then right before I was going to plant them, we had some more freezes roll in; so I waited - and promptly let four of the five dry out (grumble).  So planted the remaining good one while two remain in their pots & are starting to recover (the other two may be a loss).
• Gopher Plant (Euphorbia rigida): Has been on my 'Gotta Get' list; decided to only get one and see how it does.
• New Guinea Impatiens (Impatiens x hawkeri): Bought on sale before winter and babied inside through the winter; cut them back severely and placed into yard

Planted in Pots:

• Coleus 'Pineapple' (Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Pineapple'): The bright yellow leaves with their small maroon highlights quickly caught my attention; planted them into the large pot that contains my Formosa Red Azalea (Azalea indica 'Formosa Red'); hoping they fill in nicely underneath.