Halleria lucida

[thyerr01]

I'm always interested in trying new winter flowering plants and while this isn't exactly the most imposing specimen (yet), I noticed it was flowering for the first time today. This one is two years from seed and another two of the same age are also flowering. It was fortunately a tiny indoor seedling during Palmageddon but it suffered moderate damage during last winter's lengthy two-night freeze.  I believe these can resprout from the base after fires which I'm hoping holds true in the event of a more serious freeze. This is also one of the many plants which only seem to grow for a few months of the year in spring and autumn for me, and really doesn't enjoy Houston summers when it slowly loses leaves and outer branches. Anyone else have any experience with this one or Halleria elliptica (which I'd love to find)?

[Jadero07]

High,

I am in the beginning of south of France in zone 8b and has one Halleria lucida growing on the west side of a small tools house which is twelves years old and is 14 feet tall. It takes sometimes some hard frost ( 17,6°F) but it always there. It has more yellow- orange flowers in february until mai

[Calosphace]

Do the flowers persist through freezes? I'm trying to find more nectar sources for hummingbirds for my zone 9a/b FL garden as I have them year-round. This looks quite promising especially since it matures so quickly from seed, well done.

I've had excellent luck with the also South African Leonurus leonotis, my plants are undamaged by light freezes (one even flowered through 27 dip) but they die back if it gets any lower than that.

[Darold Petty]

Jadero07 and Calosphace,  Welcome to Palmtalk !    

[thyerr01]

Well, two weeks after those photos they got to endure our Christmas freeze with -8 C (17 f) and 36 hours below freezing. They had a blanket thrown over them and that wall blocks direct wind from the North. Here they are today. Good regrowth from the base of all three. My small one elsewhere was close enough to the ground and had some canopy protection and looks fine.

@Jadero07 I have seen specimens which much brighter red/orange flowers before, but all of mine are a dark, brick red. I am impressed yours survives the cold so well, I expect mine will freeze back to the base every few years. I had fruits developing too, so I'm happy to trade some seed next year.

@Calosphace Not my Z8b freeze we just had, but I suspect they would be fine in the light freezes you might see. I'm also growing this for winter hummingbirds! If you don't have some already, I suggest tracking down some native coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). I have several different cultivars and at least three are in full bloom right now, despite our recent freeze.

[Calosphace]

Thanks Darold I appreciate it 😄

 

Interesting, I'll have to track down some seed material. We did have three winters in a row where my firebushes did not die back so it would work at least some of the time. Thanks for sharing your experience. That's a quick recovery at least.

And yep, Coral honeysuckle is the best. I have 4 cultivars of it (noid, Dan's Everblooming-- a TX selection, John Clayton, and Magnifica). I'm trying to find another species that works half as well just to diversify. Perhaps I'll make a thread on freezeproof flowers if there isn't one already

[thyerr01]

A brief update to this thread. These three all grew back nicely over the last year, with most of the growth coming over the last few months in the cooler weather. I was mulching and covering them today in preparation for our upcoming severe freeze (forecast back to back nights of -6 C/21 f) and noticed a small number of flowers and more buds developing which were tucked in the centre of one of them. I was not expecting these to be able to flower in a single year after freezing back to the roots given the flowers develop on more mature stems. 

[Calosphace]

Really appreciate the update. This seems like a viable plant for coastal deep south if it is able to flower a year after being knocked down so severely. Seed is on my list to acquire. Shame you are getting another huge freeze though! Hopefully the protection will help

Do you grow Holmskoidia sanguinea by any chance? It is much more common in commerce so you might already be aware of it but it is an excellent fall and winter flower. I find it goes from orange to red-orange based on temperature which adds to its seasonal appeal. I am not sure how it will handle being exposed to an actual freeze but for years I shuttled a 1 gal indoors whenever we got a freeze and it would bloom from October to May (I finally planted it in-ground this year and will be curious to see how it fares-- I know it is root-hardy but unsure if it is "bloom through light freeze" hardy). Decently easy to root as well and great for hummingbirds despite being from Asia.

[thyerr01]

3 hours ago, Calosphace said:

This seems like a viable plant for coastal deep south if it is able to flower a year after being knocked down so severely.

Definitely, and with a mild winter or two I expect them to get much larger and develop some woody above ground stems that should be a lot more frost resistant and allow for faster recovery. I actually had some fruit developing on the plants last year. If we get a mild winter next time and they get a chance to fully ripen I'm happy to send you some seed. I found they geminated easily and needed no special care.

I'm familiar with that plant but I've never grown it. My understanding was that it was root hardy into Z8 temps, but that the above ground growth was fairly cold sensitive, kind of like a Hamelia. I'd love an update in the future if it does well for you outside. I'm always looking for new winter-flowering pollinator plants.

[Calosphace]

On 1/14/2024 at 10:25 PM, thyerr01 said:

Definitely, and with a mild winter or two I expect them to get much larger and develop some woody above ground stems that should be a lot more frost resistant and allow for faster recovery. I actually had some fruit developing on the plants last year. If we get a mild winter next time and they get a chance to fully ripen I'm happy to send you some seed. I found they geminated easily and needed no special care.

I'm familiar with that plant but I've never grown it. My understanding was that it was root hardy into Z8 temps, but that the above ground growth was fairly cold sensitive, kind of like a Hamelia. I'd love an update in the future if it does well for you outside. I'm always looking for new winter-flowering pollinator plants.

So we had a little bit of a freeze last week (i think two nights) but it was barely one I think probably 31 F the most sensitive things like Firebush, Clerodendrum japonicum, and porterweeds were damaged but not the hat plant. I doubt it'd hold up much more than that but it does appear at least hardier than those as there doesnt even appear to be discoloration in the leaves. This is a plant growing 8 feet off the ground and no canopy, for reference