Tell me I can grow these here... (Dallas, McKinney: transplants, live)

[Chelito23]

Has anyone had any luck growing Sugar Maples, Hostas and Lilac bushes, like the ones grown up north? They sure are beautiful and I wonder if Dallas' hot and dry summers are too much for them. Any success stories or don't bother even trying?

[GayleTX]

a'm sure someone will have a good answer for you......but are you familiar with crape myrtle bushes? They are similar to lilac bushes, come in 3-4 colors and grow profusely....they are beautiful, will get very large if you want them to. You can neglect them and abuse them but you can't kill them....not that anyone would want to unless they are taking over the driveway maybe. City of McKinney plants them on all major streets as so many East Texas towns.

[pepper131]

I have hostas in my garden.
I think it's too hot here for sugar maples and lilacs.

[bookworm2768]

I'm going to assume that you are new to texas . . . .
Hosta's seem to do ok which I was very surprised by but most of the varieties need to be out of the sunlight or they will burn to a crisp. They also need quite a bit of water and since I tend to be a water miser most of my thirsty plants have conked out.
Have you considdered getting a book on gardening in Texas? It might be very helpful.
If you like lilacs, then have you considered Gardenias instead? They seem to flourish down here and the scent is gorgeous. Thirsty plants as well . . . .I've decided to stick with the dry plants and there are quite a few lovely texas natives.
Personally speaking, I don't like the crepe myrtles. They have gorgeous bark and pretty flowers but they drop flowers and berries all over the place and (if you trim them at all) send up vigorous suckers all over the place. A pain in the neck but mine are over 20 years old and I haven't the heart to cut them down.
With fall coming up you will see bulbs all over the place. I've been told that most of the tulips and hyacinths need to be replaced every year since they are killed by the heat?? No idea if that is true. Daffodils seem to do ok. I planted Crown anemone's last year and they are coming up again now. I'll be planting ranunculus and muscari bulbs this fall but have no idea if they will come up again
Good luck with your garden!

[BigDGeek]

Hostas yes, lilacs...sometimes. It depends on the type of lilac and where you plant it.

[bluescreen73]

According to the Arbor Day foundation, you can grow Sugar Maples in Texas, although we're at the southern end of their range. Try a Silver Maple instead. They grow faster. We have one that's over 30 feet tall and shades half the western exposure of our house.

[Chelito23]

Thanks all for the suggestions, I just assumed I woud have to find replacements, and I know there are some great ones, just figured there might be some zone pushers or transplants out there.

[JasonDFW]

I lived in Wisconsin for a lot of years, and have been all around the midwest as a "tree person" and I've never seen a sugar maple compare to some of the shumard red oaks in my area of Dallas.

All of my hostas are kept in nearly full shade while in the midwest they can handle tons of sun.

Silver maples are generally considered a junk tree from north Texas all the way through the midwest. They're sort of the midwest equivalent to our bradford pears, weak, fast growing and over-planted. They do grow acceptably well though here, with the same issues you'd have in the midwest.

There are lots of zone pushers here, but they tend to push the opposite way, into the warmer zones. Dallas is having frequent zone 9 winters now. Warmer zone plants often will be flowing all the way through summer while a zone 4 tree (catalpa for instance) will look like it is about to die.

Jason

[Grainraiser]

I have hosta's at my and they grow fine. You just have to make sure they are in shade. Direct sunlight is a big no no with them here.

[ChristieP]

Lilacs do not grow in Texas. It is too hot for them here. (I have a dear friend whose husband sends her lilacs for her birthday because she misses them!) You CAN get a variation called a "Texas Lilac" that doesn't smell as good, but it can take the heat.

Honestly, why not find some plants that can handle our climate and get accustomed to them? ;-)