Why do some plants thrive and others struggle to survive?
Plants that thrive are living in favorable conditions, while those that struggle are having difficulty handling the conditions in which they are trying to live. Some of the major factors that effect success include… • Hardiness to the region in which they live, • Soil conditions and water requirements, • Shade and wind tolerance, and • Susceptibility to insect disease, salt and pollution damage • Maintenance For plants to thrive in a particular area they first of all need to be hardy to the area. When I returned from North Carolina, I wanted to so desperately to find a way to use plants that thrived in that area…they were so beautiful and added so much color. But they just didn’t have the genetic makeup required to thrive in the Midwest. Other important factors include soil conditions and water requirements. Most broadleaf evergreens, such as azaleas and rhododendrons, prefer an acidic soil so our alkaline soils must be amended regularly for theses plants to thrive. Some plants pre
