hesperaloe parviflora 'brakelights'

cuja1 · Post by **cuja1** » Sat Feb 08, 2014 12:57 pm

I have one of these in my desert scene. I started getting sick of it because it kept leaning like it was going to fall over. So I decided to let it go unprotected this winter. I don't think I need to try to convince anyone of how crappy winter has been here

. It's been very cold and often covered in snow. After the lest melting of snow I decided to check it out and it looks like it is actually surviving this winter unprotected. We still have a long way to go and I may not know for sure until say april or so. I was just wonderinig if anyone else has had them survive cold wet winters (like zone 5) before. If it survives maybe I can find a better place for it.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Feb 08, 2014 1:39 pm

They are very hardy. Unprotected ones survived -25 oF here in 2011. And, heat to 115 oF is fine for them, too. The local WalMart uses them in their parking lot. In my experience, RoundUp doesn't kill them, goats don't eat them. I like their looks.

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:26 pm

Did not realize they were that hardy. Mine have survived undamaged and even started pupping. I am hoping to divide mine this year, since the one time they did bloom they didnt produce bulbils.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:27 pm

By here I mean Oklahoma, not Oregon.,

cuja1 · Post by **cuja1** » Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:49 pm

I like the way they look too, I just can't figure out why it keeps leaning over. I heard regular hesperaloe parviflora isn't as hardy. I have 2 that are protected from moisture and look fine. We'll see if 'brakelights' makes it through this winter from hell.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:42 pm

The regular hesperaloe par. is only hardy here if they are bigger plants and in well drained soil. I have not tried brake lights yet.

cuja1 · Post by **cuja1** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:47 pm

DesertZone wrote:The regular hesperaloe par. is only hardy here if they are bigger plants and in well drained soil. I have not tried brake lights yet.

I have a pretty big sized regular hesperaloe par. that I got from Tampa Florida a couple of years ago. The lady at Home Depot in Tampa said "who would want one of those things?" She must not have seen them flower before. I might see if it will survive unprotected some winter.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:16 pm

cuja1 wrote:
I have a pretty big sized regular hesperaloe par. that I got from Tampa Florida a couple of years ago. The lady at Home Depot in Tampa said "who would want one of those things?" She must not have seen them flower before. I might see if it will survive unprotected some winter.

That is funny how everyone thinks different, who would not one. I love the flowers and the plant form.

Best of luck, I hope it does well for you.

teebee · Post by **teebee** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:17 am

DesertZone wrote:That is funny how everyone thinks different, who would not one. I love the flowers and the plant form. Best of luck, I hope it does well for you.

You have to remember some of this stuff is "exotic" for us in more temperate zones is like a weed in Flordia. For example my father was in the back yard last year and saw my Sabal Minor and said to me "You're trying to actively grow a Sabal and in Flordia everyone pulls them out because they're an intrusive weed." apparently Sabals and Washingtonia's seeds will sprout anywhere even in the crack of a sidewalk in Flordia. Most of us here wish we had that problem...

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:43 am

True, robustas are very much a weed in the south. But look great when older.

teebee · Post by **teebee** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:56 am

DesertZone wrote:True, robustas are very much a weed in the south.

And I just bought one. I can't wait for the 3.5' of snow to melt so I can plant it outside

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 6:40 am

I didn't know that H. parviflora is hardy in such wet conditions. Maybe it's time to get some 'breaklights' seeds

cuja1 · Post by **cuja1** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:10 pm

marceli wrote:I didn't know that H. parviflora is hardy in such wet conditions. Maybe it's time to get some 'breaklights' seeds

Not sure yet. Updates will be forthcoming... Right now it's covered in snow but the snow will probably be gone in the next couple of days. Still, it looked great after much snow and -13 F (-25 C) so I'm hoping.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:27 am

What happens sometimes with HP is that ... the center part rots out as the leaves are very cold hardy.....

The plant will send up new shoots but they may not bloom until the following year.

cuja1 · Post by **cuja1** » Tue Feb 18, 2014 12:11 pm

hardyjim wrote:What happens sometimes with HP is that ... the center part rots out as the leaves are very cold hardy.....

The plant will send up new shoots but they may not bloom until the following year.

I was wandering if something like that might be happening. We'll see if the resulting plant is worth keeping or not or if protection might be a better option.

elburro · Post by **elburro** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:48 pm

little darling its been a cold and lonely winter little darling it seems like years since it.s been here
here comes the sun

cuja1 · Post by **cuja1** » Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:53 pm

I just wanted to give an update on the hesperaloe parviflora brakelights. One word - dead. Definately not hardy in my area unprotected. I also protected 2 regular hesperaloe parvifloras and they are also dead. Though I should not that I used a garbage can with a large whole cut out of it to let sun in. I'm assuming they got some moisture during our multiple polar vortex attacks.

andym · Post by **andym** » Wed Apr 23, 2014 2:22 pm

My Hesperaloe Parviflora is alive and kicking but is being attacked by rampant Lobelia Laxiflora which has been evergreen this Winter. I've just obtained a new? Hesperaloe here call Mamulique. Has anyone got one over there?

Apparently hardy to -18C or lower even in moist climates, has pink flowers and grows to a metre tall

Seed collected at Mamulique pass, Nuevo Leon,, Mexico.

cuja1 · Post by **cuja1** » Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:29 am

andym wrote:My Hesperaloe Parviflora is alive and kicking but is being attacked by rampant Lobelia Laxiflora which has been evergreen this Winter. I've just obtained a new? Hesperaloe here call Mamulique. Has anyone got one over there?

Apparently hardy to -18C or lower even in moist climates, has pink flowers and grows to a metre tall Seed collected at Mamulique pass, Nuevo Leon,, Mexico.

The only ones I've heard of are the regular red ones, regular yellow ones, and the brakelights. We got to -25 C here twice this winter so it probably wouldn't have survived our winter.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 6:21 am

----have not seen that color...mine have come back
for the last 8 years,they are covered - usually
with a lot of snow on the plastic right above them.

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:49 am

Have you come back to Fairfield, IA, Jim? Any pictures from your beautiful "North Pole" garden?